Spruce Meadows has been good to the Irish for many years and Amhrán na bhFiann got a couple of airings once more this week at the Calgary venue’s North American show, with Daniel Coyle in the winner’s enclosure once more and Tom Wachman also victorious at the five-star extravaganza. Cormac Hanley from Claremorris was a two-star winner in Ocala, while there were a plethora of podium finishes at four and three-star level for Irish athletes at international level in 1.45m classes and higher through the week.
There were plenty of podium finishes at three-star level in America. Traverse City Horse Shows put on the 12th edition of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in Williamsburg, and on Thursday night, another Cork athlete, Shane Sweetnam partnered Honey Heart to be third in the 1.45m Welcome Stake. They clocked 35.93 in the jump-off, which was won by World No 1 Kent Farrington (USA), with Diakatisa.
On Friday, Kevin Gallagher bagged a bronze at Flintfields Horse Park. Francisco Goyoaga Mollet (ESP) and Queen Van Dorperheide set the winning time as first into the arena and though no one could match 67.45, not to mind better it, the Sligo rider and Casanova SP were quick enough to earn a major ribbon.
At Tryon, Stephen Moore (pictured above) made the podium with a quick four faults in a jump-off for the three-star 1.50m Welcome Stake on Thursday, riding Pearl Gem VDM (Carol Sollak). And the Claregalway pilot returned with his consistent partner to claim the bronze rosette in the $120,000 Grand Prix. Only three combinations survived the initial test set by Andy Christiansen (USA) and only Jacueline Ruyle and H Cornetta DK were able to back that up. But the Irish duo, with four faults, still claimed a significant portion of the pot and maintained their recent positive form.
On Wednesday, Galway man David O’Brien’s faultless round with Coleccini (Andreas Kreuzer) earned him third in the two-phase class at Lake Placid. It was Christian Coyle’s turn to be third in the Bainbridge Companies Grand Prix Arena 24 hours later, the Derry athlete steering Chicago CM (Coyle & Round Hill Horses) to a double clear in a class where jumping proved the key, only 3 of 52 blemish free.
Irish riders filled second and third on the podium in the Feldman Grand Prix at the I Love NY Horse Show on Saturday. Clare’s Philip McGuane was just over a half-second shy of the winning time set by Molly Ashe Cawley (USA) and Lorona, combining as he has done to good effect with Evergate Stables’ Paso Doble SCF to garner the $20,000 that went with being runner-up.
New York-based Meath equestrian, Nicky Galligan and Jolly-Jessy (Blue Trim) were fastest of the four faulters to complete the podium.
At the two-star show in Bonheiden, Tipperary rider, Max Wachman grabbed a third-place finish in a 1.45m speed class with Kannem J.A.Z. (Susan Magnier) on Thursday.
