Ireland's show jumpers totally dominated the Nations Cup show in Helsinki at the weekend, claiming the Cup amongst a hatful of wins that also included Captain Gerry Flynn's triumph in yesterday's Grand Prix.
Flynn had all the pressure on his shoulders in Saturday's Nations Cup when only a second round clear was good enough for victory. But the Army rider, who was part of Ireland's winning team in Athens last year, demonstrated nerves of steel as he steered Rincoola Abu to a faultless round that clinched the Cup for Ireland by a single point from Italy.
This was the second Irish Nations Cup victory in eight days, following hot on the heels of the success at the Pavarotti show in Modena where Paul Darragh's pathfinding double clear set the foundation for the win.
Darragh headed up a senior squad completed by Billy Twomey, Jessica Kurten and Peter Charles, but the Helsinki quartet of Flynn, fellow Army Equitation School inmate Lt Shane Carey, Cameron Hanley and Cian O'Connor were considerably less experienced. But the rookies virtually swept the boards in Helsinki, scoring an impressive hat-trick on Friday, then scooping the Cup the following day and rounding off the show with a double that included the Grand Prix.
Cian O'Connor, who had scored in the young rider speed class on Friday, started the train rolling yesterday by winning the morning's young rider Grand Prix with Robin Hood and then Captain Flynn came out to claim the senior equivalent with Rincoola Abu.
The Cruising mare, which had made her Nations Cup debut a winning one on Saturday, was one of just five clears yesterday afternoon and was foot-perfect against the clock to snatch the honours by nearly two seconds from Denmark's Soren Knudsen with Legards Star Light. Cameron Hanley, who picked up just .25 for time in the first round, slotted Ballaseyr Twilight into sixth.
Luca Cumani's British raider Endless Hall staged a near 15 to 1 upset in the Group One Gran Premio di Milano over a mile and a half in Milan yesterday.
The surprise win enabled British horses to complete a Group-race double, as Paul Cole's Sailing (17-10) had earlier won the Group Three Premio Mario Incisa.
