Sweetnam and Gizmo first and second in Traverse

Slew of other top-class performances by Irish athletes all over the world

The Paris Olympics pairing of Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz (ISH) added to their five-star CV at Traverse City this week and were only denied an historic third American Gold Cup in four renewals last night (Sunday) by the world No 1 rider Kent Farrington, with Greya.

Daniel Coyle completed the podium in the feature at the Williamsburg show, with miracle horse Farrel, and it was his third top three of thew week, having collected two silver medals with Incredible earlier in the week.

Conor Swail completed the podium in the Grand Prix Qualifier won by Sweetnam and JKC on Friday night.

There was a brilliant performance too for Michael Duffy, with the inexperienced Be Sky Hawk, to finish runner-up in the second Global Champions League competition on Friday, as the Longines Global Champions Tour moved to New York.

Not for the first time in their careers, it was Sweetnam and the Patrick Connolly-bred Irish Sport Horse owned by Gizmo Partners that stole the headlines from an Irish perspective by winning the $117,500 five-star Grand Prix Qualifier in Michigan.

Ten combinations made it to the deciding round after going clear first time on the course set by another Irishman, Alan Wade, but with Gizmo responding to the subtle steering and messaging from the Castlemagner native in his saddle, they set a standard that could not be beaten, clocking a time of 33.71 in the jump-off.

Erynn Ballard and Dior were second on 34.62 with Conor Swail completing the top three on Clonterm Obolensky in 38.39.

“Gizmo jumped great today,” said Sweetnam. “He was in good form, a little fresh, so I thought it was a good class to given him a good run-out. I also wanted to give this respect, it’s a $117,000 class. This summer, I didn’t really get into the rhythm with him and since he’s come back, The Hamptons was very good (finishing second in the Grand Prix) so I just wanted to give it its respect and try to win.

“He keeps changing. Obviously, we’re having a great career together but he’s a bit temperamental. He keeps changing and I keep changing then with him. So we’re always trying new things. The last couple of shows we’re trying a new bit and he seems to like it, for now, so hopefully he’ll stay that way.”

The 13-year-old Galway-bred Kannan gelding certainly is in a rich vein of form at present and illustrated that wellbeing once more when maintaining his spectacular form in the American Gold Cup, giving best only to a horse ridden by the top rider in the world.

Only six combinations survived Wade’s initial examination and Farrington and Greya put it up to the rest with a second clear round in 34.75. Jumping prowess has always been Gizmo’s forte, rather than gears and hard though the brave grey tried, his time of 35.97 was not sufficient, though it was good enough for second in the $340,000 competition.

“James Kann Cruz was great, Greya is just a faster horse,” admitted Sweetnam. “Even going in, I knew it would be a long shot. I watched Greya’s round and knew that it probably wouldn’t be caught but I’ve already had about six or seven second-place finishes this year, so I was going to give it a go no matter what. I didn’t feel I left much out there.”

Coyle, an Olympic teammate of Sweetnam’s last year, was third on Ariel Grange’s Farrel, who at 15, continues to defy the odds with his remarkable form since returning from a two-year lay-off and unofficial retirement through injury.

“Every round on this horse feels like a bonus because there was a point we never thought he would jump again, let alone double clear in a five-star,” said the world no. 11. “The American Gold Cup is an iconic event for riders from any country, and I’m thrilled to get a piece of it.”

There was an Irish link to the winner, as Farrington’s travelling head groom, Mayo native, Denise Moriarty departed with the winning groom prize.

Coyle and Incredible finished runner-up in the five-star Speed Classic Qualifier on Thursday night.

In what has to have been one of the tightest finishes, if not the tightest finish in a five-star speed class, just five hundredths of a second separated the top three over the 1.45m track, with clear separation of more than a second back to the next best.

It was an agonising silver for Coyle and Incredible though, as the pair missed out on another top-flight triumph together by a barely believable two-hundredths of a second. The duo, who competed in the FEI World Cup final, led for the majority of the class.

Hunter Hollloway (USA) edged the Irish duo out with a clear round in 64.16 on board Pepita Con Spita.

Remarkably, the Seamus Casey-bred Thomascourt Ballypatrick (ISH) and Charlotte Jacobs (USA) were third, just three-hundredths of a second further back from Incredible and his Ardmore pilot, on a time of 64.21.

The duo just missed out again in Saturday night’s FEI Winning Round by less than four-tenths of a second. They posted a double clear and 38.19 in the jump-off but McLain Ward (USA) and Princess Dalou H found the necessary improvement to stop the clock on 37.82.

On the Longines Global Champions Tour in New York, Michael Duffy evoked memories of his stunning triumph in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix at Miami Beach in April 2024, with a brilliant runner-up finish in the second speed class of the Longines Global Champions League on the east coast in New York

Duffy and the callow nine-year-old Be Sky Hawk, who had podiumed in a very first tilt at five-star level in the Traverse City Grand Prix six weeks ago, they were magnificent.

Only nine out of 50 high-class combinations had completed the course when Duffy guided his young grey gelding into the arena (above) but the Gort athlete was coolness personified, as one might expect from someone who was Ireland’s youngest ever senior national champion as a 17-year-old in 2012.

So too was the son of Golden Hawk, who portrayed all the attributes of a potential superstar, making little of the 13 obstacles (16 jumping efforts) while nimble and quick across the ground, posting a time of 69.33

Gregory Wathalet (BEL) went desperately close to gazumping Duffy with Ace of Hearts but as they crossed the line clear, the timers stopped one-hundredth of a second slower than the leading standard.

There could be no resisting Briton Scott Brash however, and the world No 5 with the electric Hello Chadora Lady slashed 3.8 seconds off Duffy’s mark.

Needless to say, nobody could touch that but they were unable to break into the top three either, emphasising the outstanding nature of the Galwegian’s efforts with Be Sky Hawk and the exceptional nature of Brash’s with Hello Chadora Lady.

The idyllic St Tropez played host to the Longines League of Nations and David Simposon secured a coveted podium finish in the 1.50m jump-off class there on Saturday.

Simpson and Ovidius vd Donkhoeve were first of 35 into the arena on the French Riviera and they laid a marker down immediately, clearing the 16 jumping efforts to cement a berth in the tiebreaker.

The Derry man and his 11-year-old stallion were joined by six other combinations and as pathfinders, had it all to do. However, they were clear and relatively quick on 37.95, and while next man out, Julien Epaillard (FRA) took a huge chunk of time off that mark with Donatello d’Auge immediately, the world number 16 would prove unbeatable.

Indeed, only Giacomo Casadei (ITA) of the remainder would better Simpson, with three other athletes failing to go clear and Bas Moerings (NED) doing so but slower, with Jesther.

Ethen Ahearne posted a very strong result when fourth in the four-star Prix de Dakhla  on the Morocco Royal Tour with the Heritage Bloodstock-bred Lvs Goldrush H on Saturday.

The Clonmel athlete and his nine-year-old gelding owned by Dermot Walsh recorded an excellent double clear, with their time of 37.67 ensuring that high finish and indicating plenty of potential for the future.

Bertram Allen and Statis Conti were runners-up to Jodie Hall McAteer and Key West in a three-star GP Qualifier in Sentower Park on Friday.

In Bedizzole, Niall Talbot was third in a three-star Grand Prix Qualifier on Saturday with FTS Elliot.

At two-star level, James Chawke posted a 1-2 in Friday night’s Winning Round class at Thunderbird, taking the main spoils with Nacara van Berkenbroeck Z and adding to the prize money haul significantly with LFS Etoile the nearest equine challenger.

At Old Salem Paul O’Shea kept up his good form with victory in the 1.45m Welcome Stake on board Hellcat, while Philip McGuane also kept his recent run going by bringing the curtain down on the New York state show by emerging triumphant from the Grand Prix with My Lady van de Krekel.

BREEDING

CSF JAMES KANN CRUZ (ISH) – 2013 gelding by Kannan (KWPN) out of CSF Telly Cruz (ISH) by Cruising (ISH)[TIH]. Breeder: Patrick Connolly, Co Galway. Owner: Gizmo Partners, LLC. Rider: Shane Sweetnam (IRL).

THOMASCOURT BALLYPATRICK (ISH) – 2015 brown gelding by Balou du Rouet (OLD) out of Doctros Delight (ISH) by Indoctro (HOLST). Breeder: Séamus Casey, Co Kerry. Owner: North Star Sport Horses. Rider: Charlotte Jacobs (USA)

LVS GOLDRUSH H (ISH) – 2016 gelding by Stakkato Gold (HANN) out of Arcadia Lvs Z (ZANG) by Arko III (OLD). Breeder: Heritage Bloodstock LTD. Owner: Dermot Walsh. Rider: Ethen Ahearne (IRL).

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