Cian O’Connor wins Grand Prix to conclude excellent Horse of the Year Show

An excellent Horse of the Year Show for Irish riders concluded in triumph on Sunday night when Cian O’Connor won the Grand Prix with the 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding Super Sox.

Eight combinations advanced to the second round of the 1.60m class, five going clear over the jump-off course. Two of these managed to beat the 33 second barrier, the 32.53 time of Britain’s John Whitaker on Ornellaia being bettered by O’Connor’s 32.49 with Super Sox which is owned by Chansonette Farm LLC and Ronnoco Jump Ltd.

This victory at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham came with the title of Leading Show Jumper of the Year and marked a second consecutive success for an Irish rider following Billy Twomey’s triumph last year on Diaghilev.

Shane Breen also made it into Sunday night's jump-off and, with four faults in 32.72, finished sixth with Market Irminka. Earlier, the Tipperary native led an Irish one-two in the Speed Horse Of The Year competition.

He partnered the Bina Ford and Breen Equestrian-owned Acoustik Solo Du Baloubet to the fastest clear (44.69) over the 1.40m track ahead of Twomey and Joe Flynn’s Irish Sport Horse Ardcolum Duke (45.09), winners of the previous day’s Accumulator class. Roscommon-based Flynn bred the 12-year-old Gypsy Duke stallion out of a Clover Hill mare.

Also on Saturday, Ireland’s Peter Smyth (Cavalier Rusticana) and Chris Megahey (Seapatrick Cruise Cavalier) were among those who had four faults in the final round of the Puissance competition to finish equal second behind Britain’s Holly Smith riding another Irish Sport Horse, the eight-year-old Quality Old Joker (by OBOS Quality 004).

Irish-bred horses and ponies won many of the major titles in the showing section of the five-day show including Sunday night’s Supreme Horse Of the Year Championship through Our Cashel Blue, a seven-year-old skewbald (blue and white) gelding which, on Saturday evening, was crowned Champion Cob of the Year.

Other 2016 HOYS Champions bred in this country include Chantilly Bojangles (small show hunter), Dartans Barrack (working hunter), Cashel Bay JJ (Mountain and Moorland working hunter pony), Bloomfield Excelsior (show hunter), Rathnaleen Gothic (Intermediate show riding type), Jack The Giant (racehorse to riding horse), Yorkies Purple Diamond (Search for a Star) and The Life of Riley (coloured horse/pony).

At Rabat, Morocco, Captain Geoff Curran finished second in Sunday’s World Cup qualifier with the Minister For Defence’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Ringwood Glen.

A tough first round saw none of the 40 starters jump clear, with the Irish combination one of 10 who advanced to the jump-off with four faults.

Curran and Ringwood Glen went into the lead when posting a superb clear against the clock (43.28) before being outpaced by Switzerland’s Pius Schwitzer riding Balou Rubin R (41.39).

At Dijon in France, Kilkenny’s Susan Fitzpatrick finished third in the two-star Grand Prix with Cavalino while, riding Slieveanorra, Richie Moloney filled the same position in Sunday night’s Grand Prix in Lexington, Kentucky.

Irish pony riders continued their excellent run of form at Chevenez in Switzerland on Sunday when Abbie Sweetnam landed the 1.30m Pony Grand Prix with Dynamite Spartacus. The Cork competitor won the EY Cup as the most consistent rider over the Big Tour series at shows throughout Europe this year while Co Clare's Robbie Clancy also won the Small Tour EY Cup for Ireland.

In eventing, England-based Padraig McCarthy on board Bernadette Utopia (59.60 penalties) finished best of the Irish in 12th in the CCI3* at Boekelo in The Netherlands while Tegan White finished 44th on the home-bred Texan Style (99.20). McCarthy fell on the cross-country course on Saturday with Dromgurrihy Blue as did Felicity Ward and The Illusionist.

Although they completed the second phase of the competition, James O’Haire withdrew China Doll overnight while Jim Newsam’s ride Magennis was not accepted at the second horse inspection.

Germany’s Stephanie Böhe won the individual class with Haytom (43.90) ahead of her compatriot Andreas Dibowski riding FRH Avedon (45.40) while Britain’s Oliver Townend finished third on the Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley SRS (47.60). Townend was a member of the British team which won the Nations’ Cup competition ahead of Germany.