Shane Sweet on Coriaan
Kenny and Coyle bag top-five in Wellington’s million-dollar Rolex Grand Prix
Shane Sweetnam’s status as one of the very best show jumpers on the planet was highlighted once again, as was the Castlemagner native’s belief that in Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z, he has another horse of championship standard, as the duo beat off 59 other contestants to claim five-star honours in the final week of the Winter Equestrian Festival, at Wellington, early on Friday morning.
Sweetnam and his 10-year-old held off none other than the red-hot Richard Vogel (GER), riding Claudio, to garner a second Adequan WEF Challenge Cup of the WEF season, registering a time of 39.71 seconds compared to 40.53 from the only other pairing to go clear twice.
Six of the world’s top ten were in the field but only seven survived the initial examination. The pursuit of speed took its casualties also but when the dust cleared, it was Sweetnam and his exciting Zangersheide gelding standing tallest.
With Vogel, last into the International Ring, Sweetnam was made to sweat but in the end, the standard he and Coriaan had set was too high even for the European champion.
“Any win in the WEF is a big deal,” said Sweetnam. “There were two plans for him this week—one, to qualify (for the Rolex Grand Prix), and two, to win the class.
“He’s brilliant, so consistent, especially now in the last six weeks. We’ve figured each other out, and we’re in contention for most classes.”
That completed an Irish international class double at the famed Florida show on the day, following the earlier triumph in the two-star speed class of youth rider Daniel Kerins – son of Sligo native Darragh Kerins – with Georgina Bloomberg’s Diacette.
“I’ve had her for just over a year now—we have stepped up to two-stars and three-stars, and then this winter we’ve done the U25,” said Kerins of the mare that carried him to a sixth-place finish in the BrainJuice U25 Grand Prix Series Final during WEF 10.
“[Georgina] has been unreal to me—given me great chances and then gave me the ride on a mare like Diacette (below). I’m so grateful to be given the opportunity.”
Wednesday evening Irish time, Sweetnam slotted into fourth in the opening international class of the week, which provided what almost seems like the inevitable winner these days, in the aforementioned Vogel, riding Michael Jackswon W.
The Corkman will have been delighted by the double clear of Balou H in the 1.45m two-phase class, the duo finishing just in front of last week’s victors, Charlotte Jacobs (USA) and her 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse Rincoola Milsean, bred by the late Harold McGahern in Co Longford.
Jacobs and her Irish-produced horse added a five-star victory to their burgeoning CV early Saturday morning, in a 1.50m speed class in which Ariso propelled his Ardmore navigator, Jordan Coyle to third.
The 67-strong competition was won by the fastest of 16 clears, in 66.88 seconds, with Coyle and his partner bagging bronze thanks to a time of 68.62.
WEF came to a conclusion with the million-dollar Rolex Series Grand Prix and it was fitting that there would be strong Irish representation, after a hugely successful dozen weeks at Wellington.
Victory eluded the Green Jackets, as world No 2, Kent Farrington and his superstar mare Greya took the lion’s share of the prizemoney as the fastest of only two double clears in the supreme 1.60m test.
In-form Offaly native, Darragh Kenny was among just five athletes in the jump-off, having navigated his totemic horse, Eddy Blue to an effortless clear first time around and they were joined by Coyle, with Chaccolino. Unfortunately, the Irish duo each had a fence down in the tiebreaker and it was Kenny that just squeezed out Coyle for fourth by 0.27 seconds.
Unsurprisingly, this was a championship-standard affair as the podium illustrated, adding value to the efforts of Kenny and Coyle. World No 3, Ben Maher (GBR) was runner-up with Enjeu de Grisien, while Vogel went agonisingly close to adding to his spoils of recent times, clocking the fastest time with Gangster Montdesir but having one rail down.
David Simpson was competing at the four-star show in Arezzo and he picked up a silver medal in Friday’s 1.45m two-phase class, guiding Pjotr van de Kruishoeve to the podium berth behind winner, Nicolas Sers (FRA) and Eleven de Riverland.
There were a mammoth 114 participants in the competition and Sers had the lead with a 25.90 in the speed element when the Derry pilot and his 11-year-old entered the Bocaccio arena. They could not catapult to the very top of the table but their time of 26.77 at the end of their double clear ensured a significant rosette.
It was a good class too for Jack Ryan, with the native of hurling stronghold Inistioge, steering Calgrafi Dwb to fourth in 27.27, just behind Maximilian Weishaupt (GER) and DSO Omerta Incipit, who stopped the timers in 27.06. Tipperary legend, Denis Lynch and Brooklyn Heights rounded out the top 10.
The following day, Cortown’s Alex Butler matched Simpson’s result as the Toscana Tour leg continued at the picturesque Italian site, narrowly missing out on victory in the big 1.50m Gold Tour jump-off class with Tequila des Sequoias Z.
The duo navigated the track that proved too much for 90 of the 100 participants successfully and with the deciding round proving straightforward in terms of leaving rails intact, had the speed to beat off everyone but Christian Ahlmann (GER), riding Applebridge Tag Z.
Ahlmann and his nine-year-old stallion clocked 39.35 seconds in the tiebreaker, while Butler and his 10-year-old mare were closest of the chasing pack on 39.77.
On the Spring Mediterranan Equestrian Tour at Oliva, Anna Duff made the podium on Saturday, the Meath athlete combining forces with Mc Crosskeys (ISH) to edge out compatriot Francis Connors on another Irish Sport Horse, Carrigshawn Vendi Royal in a 1.45m jump-off class won by Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann (GER), riding Katrien.
Duff’s 10-year-old gelding was bred by Matthew McBreen in Co Cavan and their clear in 44.78 got them the bronze in the Oliva Nova arena ahead of Waterford veteran Connors and his partner, bred by Jack Warner in Co Wexford. The latter duo registered the only other double clear in the competition.
The show concluded with the Trofeo Oliva Nova Beach & Golf Resort Grand Prix and Clem McMahon finished on the precipice of the top three when in the stirrups as his nine-year-old grey mare bred in Co Waterford by Pat Breen, Carneyhaugh Unison (ISH), recorded two fantastic clear rounds to garner a major ribbon behind Frenchman Julien Epaillard and Hard’Rock Queen Hjd.
BREEDING
RINCOOLA MILSEAN (ISH) – 2013 gelding by Aldatus Z (OLD) out of Rincoola Abu (ISH)[TIH] by Cruising (ISH)[TIH]. Breeder: Harold McGahern, Co Longford. Owner: North Star. Rider: Charlotte Jacobs (USA).
MC CROSSKEYS (ISH) – 2016 gelding by S Creevagh Ferro Ex Siebe (KWPN) out of Jumeirah (ISH) by Ard Vdl Douglas (KWPN). Breeder: Matthew McBreen, Co Cavan. Owner: Anna Duff & Brian Duff. Rider: Anna Duff (IRL).
CARRIGSHAWN VENDI ROYAL (ISH) – 2015 b/br mare by Dondoctrol Ryal K (KWPN) out of Carrigshawn Vendi (ISH) by ARS Vivendi (HOLST). Breeder: Jack Warner, Co Wexford. Owner: Francis, Jenny & Kate Connors. Rider: Francis Connors (IRL)
CARNEYHAUGH UNISON (ISH) – 2017 gr mare by Cornet Obolensky (BWP) out of Carneyhaugh Allegro (ISH) by Don Juan de la Bouverie (SBS). Breeder: Patrick Breen, Co Waterford. Owner: Hilton Farm. Rider: Clem McMahon (IRL)
The post Shane Sweet on Coriaan appeared first on .