Turloughmore showjumper Michael Duffy bagged the sole FEI international success at 1.45m or higher when winning at a two-star show in Belgium.
Duffy got the New Year off to a lovely start with victory in a Grand Prix Qualifier at Sentower Park with Hs Sportpferde GmbH’s mare, Divina on Saturday.
The Galway athlete and his 11-year-old chestnut were comfortable once they cleared the 1.45m speed class, their time of 55.65 more than a half a second faster than that registered by the best of the chasing pack.
It was a good weekend for Irish Showjumping with success in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Basel and Florida.
Neal Fearon and Derryglen Obsidian maintained their run of good form, with the Kildare-based Cavan pilot steering the Deirdre Reilly-owned mare onto the podium in a 1.55m jump-off class at the Al Shaqab complex in Doha.
The pair were in the winner’s circle on the Longines Global Champions Tour at Riesenbeck in September and combined brilliantly once more to be third quickest of the ten in the decider, going clear in a time of 42.56.
In-form Austrian, Max Kühner landed the spoils with EIC Quantum Robin V.
In Abu Dhabi, Trevor Breen sneaked into the top five at the UAE President’s Cup on Friday, guiding Kannoon Blue, owned by his wife Caroline, to a double clear with a jump-off time of 23.55, in a class won by Syria’s Shady Ghrayeb, with Cabernet de Mars.
The Tipperary native kept his brother, Shane, just behind in joint-sixth, riding another grey, BP Arctic Blue, owned by Breen Equestrian, to a faultless round in a time of 24 seconds flat.
David Simpson also posted a double clear, with yet another grey, Ballyward Estates’ Billy Fern, but with 31 in the tiebreaker, time was literally of the essence, and the Derry pilot had to settle for ninth, clocking 24.19.
On Saturday, it was Shane Breen’s turn to get that top-five finish in an elite class with Arctic Blue, the duo recording two blemish-free rounds in the second Grand Prix Qualifier over a 1.50m two-phase course.
Their speed time of 27.20 did not challenge for overall honours, as Germany’s Sophie Hinners prevailed with Iron Dames Kaleni Jo, stopping the timers on 25.98, but in a field that had 16 faultless rounds, it proved extremely competitive.
Later in the afternoon, Simpson was in the irons as Pjotr van de Kruishoeve came fourth in another two-phase 1.50m competition. This time, the speed phase claimed a number of victims.
Only seven of the field managed to leave all the rails intact, with the Irish duo’s time of 32.69 ensuring a major ribbon. This time, Britain’s Alexander McLean was triumphant, Calixte Heartbreaker Z scorching through the latter examination in 32.08 of an electric contest.
Closer to home in Basel, another Premier County product, Denis Lynch and his now-turned 17-year-old Brooklyn Heights finished seventh in the Longines Grand Prix of Basel with a solid round of jumping, but two time faults meant they missed out on the jump-off.
Kim Emmen (NED) emerged on top of the six-strong shootout with Imagine NOP, posting the only double clear of the night.
Lynch improved on that finishing position by one spot in the 1.55m Championat of Basel, going double clear with Vistogrand in a very competitive class won by Josch Löhden (GER) with EIC Schabernack.
At three star level, Francis Derwin and Daniel Coyle picked off a number of rosettes as the first of 10 weeks of international competition got under way in Ocala.
Derwin finished runner-up in the three-star Grand Prix at the World Equestrian Center, with the Irish Sport Horse Flexi K, bred at Knightfield Stud in Co Kildare.
The Athlone rider and the 13-year-old he owned until selling to Kerry Anne LLC last year, crowned a very prosperous week with only the second double clear in the 1.50m Grand Prix, stopping the clock in 37.04, just short of the 36.93 standard set by American Carolee McCutcheon, who secured her first GP victory courtesy of Aralyn Blue’s precision and pace.
Robert Blanchette and Chardonnay were also in the jump-off and posted a sixth-place finish after having four faults.
Earlier in the week, Derwin and Flexi K had posted two fourth-place finishes, so it was a really consistent week for the duo.
The first was in Thursday’s Florida Coast Equipment Grand Prix Qualifier, in which Coyle and Ariel Grange’s phenomenal 16-year-old Farrel bagged the silver medal.
Coyle and Farrel’s jump-off clear in 35.66 seconds saw them finish just over a second behind world No 1 Kent Farrington (USA) with Orafina.
Next up for Derwin and Flexi K was the 1.45m speed class, and they were competitive once more, while obviously attempting to maintain some petrol in the tank for the Grandk Prix.
Blanchette was the highest Irish finisher this time in second, with Chardonnay, while victory went to Richard A Spooner (USA) and Lyjanair.
Down in the more southern part of Florida, there were two Irish in the top five in Sunday’s $32,000 Hermès 1.50m jump-off at Wellington International. Cian O’Connor and another of his young prospects spending the winter in Florida, the 10-year-old stallion Ulysses, claimed third, while his protégé, Max Wachman took fifth WITH The Kerryman, who has only just turned eight. Lillie Keenan (USA) and Chagrin D’Amour secured the top spot.
