Curran the Speed King, Kraut the Queen of Cool
The 150th Dublin Horse Show has proven a spectacularly successful affair and from an international show jumping perspective, it came to a conclusion in quite a fascinating and dramatic fashion, as American Laura Kraut swooped late to snatch the prestigious Rolex Grand Prix of Ireland with Bisquetta.
There was a brilliant podium finish for Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz (ISH), the Cork rider and his Olympic partner from last year having been among the fastest four-faulters to secure third.
Earlier in the day, Commandant Geoff Curran posted a seventh five-star triumph of the week for Irish riders, combining with his brilliantly consistent mare DHF Alliance (ISH) to bag the Speed Championship.
While the Aga Khan Trophy is the highlight of the week from a team perspective, the Rolex Grand Prix is the individual peak, and this was emphasised by Kraut’s decision to spare her regular Nations Cup performer Friday’s exertions to focus on the €500,000 class.
It was a policy that paid handsome dividends as the duo recorded the only clear when entering the ring as the penultimate pairing, to land the spoils.
Alan Wade’s course played havoc with an elite field of athletes and by the time Kraut and her 12-year-old owned by Cherry Knoll Farm emerged from the pocket, there were 11 combinations on four faults preparing for a jump-off.
In all, 13 riders retired without completing the 1.60m examination, with puzzles to be solved at every turn.
You could have cut the tension with a knife as Kraut and Bisquetta navigated each obstacle that had caused problems before – and that was nearly every one – and by the time they approached the last, no one in the Main Arena at the RDS dared to breathe.
The explosion of noise as they landed on the other side with all rails intact spoke of an appreciation of equine excellence, even though it snuffed out hopes of a home triumph, with Friday’s Aga Khan double clear pairing of Tom Wachman and Tabasco de Toxandria Z and the aforementioned duo of Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz in contention in the looming jump-off.
In the end, there was no need to prolong affairs. One combination stood head and shoulders above the rest.
“She is amazing,” Kraut gushed in reference to Bisquetta, who might well have returned the compliment had she not been tucking into a bucket of carrots, one presumes.
“What an athlete. And the best part about it is she did it pretty easily. I never felt her struggle. She just was focussed. She was everything you’d want in a Grand Prix horse today.
“I’ve been jumping her at Nations Cups and I really thought I wanted to aim for her to just jump the Grand Prix in Dublin with the idea that she could win it. And it happened!
“I was fortunate to get to study and watch a lot. The only thing that really solidified for me, from the vertical at the far end to the triple bar, I wasn’t going to count a stride, I was going to go with my eye but in the end, I did count.”
The rest of the placings were then determined on time, leaving Wachman in 12th but there was a brilliant podium for Sweetnam and Gizmo Partners’ James Kann Cruz, bred by Patrick Connolly.
Rodrigo Pessoa, the Brazilian who was chef d’equipe when Ireland won the European Championships in 2017, received a rapturous welcome too as he bagged the silver medal with a time of 73.61, compared to the 74.39 that allowed Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz edge out Christian Ahlmann and Blueberry from the last podium spot by just three-hundredths of a second.
Meanwhile, it was Curran that was crowned the King of Speed earlier on along with the Minister For Defence and Jess Stallard’s DHF Alliance.
Bred by Paul Douglas, Alliance is established in these classes but there was an extremely strong field aiming for the prestigious Speed Championship.
Wachman and Hawaii, previous winners this week, were fifth with a clear round in 62.37 while Jordan Coyle, who claimed a brace of five-star classes this week, was fourth with the admirable For Gold, who stopped the clock on 61.50.
A native of Fenor, Co Waterford, Curran and Alliance were too strong however, and their time of 60.57 proved beyond runners-up Kevin Jochems (NED) with Prada Di Costa M. Pessoa, clearly enjoying his return to Dublin, was third with Dhalida.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” said Curran. “DHF was absolutely amazing today. She won a class for us last year on the Saturday and to come and win the Speed Championship today was a great feeling.
“She was a deserved winner. She went very quick from the very start, we kept that rhythm all the way along, didn’t require any slice of luck which is rare for a speed class and it felt good. I felt comfortable going at that speed and she was amazing.
“She’s just a perfect speed mare. She wins classes anywhere we go really. When she’s on form and if the jockey is on form, she’s very hard to beat!”
Elsewhere, Galwayman, Michael Duffy navigated Be Sky Hawk to a stunning double clear to secure fourth in the lucrative five-star B&D Builders Grand Prix on Saturday night in Traverse City.
The $340,000 feature of the Major League Show Jumping leg at the Michigan venue yielded 14 initial clears but the jump-off really sorted them out, with only six managing to remain blemish free as the risk element increased.
Duffy and his Breen Equestrian-bred partner were among that select cohort, and their time of 40.16 was enough for a edge two-hundredths of a second in front of Erynn Ballard (CAN), who was fifth on Dior.
Victory went to Kent Farrington (USA) with Greya, the pair recording a time of 38.31.
At three-star level, James Chawke brought his tally of wins at Thunderbird Show Park to three when scoring in the Grand Prix at the Langley venue with Daido Van’t Ruytershof Z. The Portlaoise native also claimed third with Nacara van Berkenbroeck Z.
It was the second time on the winner’s rostrum for Chawke with Daido, though 24 hours earlier, it had been Nacara that had prevailed when they had finished 1-2 in the 1.50m qualifier.
On that occasion, Nacara had the fastest tiebreak time but this time around, Alison Locke’s horse had a tough task as trailblazer in the 14-combo jump-off.
Their time of 40.94 was very competitive until Charlie Jones and Capitale 6 bettered it. That left Chawke with a new target of 40.46 but in Daido Van’t Ruytershof Z, a conveyance capable of overcoming it.
That they did, shaving 11 hundredths of a second off it to claim the garlands.
“I thought I was fairly fast with [Nacara],” Chawke reflected on his first round. “I probably did one too many [strides between fences] one, two, and three. I knew I was a little bit wider there on him, but he’s also quite quick across the ground because he doesn’t have an overly big stride. I hoped that would be enough to be first or second but Charlie changed that.
“I knew Charlie and Kara [Chad] were very fast so it was nice that I got to watch them to make a better plan for [Daido]. She was actually slower in the rollback and the last jump; I did one more [stride] to each of those, but I was quicker one-two-three.
“She’s just becoming a better and better horse. She’s getting scopier and more rideable. Honestly, I think she can jump bigger. I wasn’t even sure she’d jump three-stars when I got her.”
BREEDING
DHF ALLIANCE (ISH) – 2015 mare by Ard Vdl Douglas (KWPN) out of Rosie Bee (ISH) by Lux Z (HANN). Breeder: Paul Douglas, Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone. Owner: Jess Stallard & Minister for Defence. Rider: Commandant Geoff Curran (IRL).
JAMES KANN CRUZ (ISH) – 2013 gelding by Kannan (KWPN) out of CSF Telly Cruz (ISH) by Cruising (ISH). Breeder: Patrick Connolly. Owner: Gizmo Partners LLC. Rider: Shane Sweetnam (IRL).
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