Ireland's show jumping riders are competing around the world this weekend, from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to Wellington in Florida, and it was at the latter venue that Darragh Kenny won Thursday's featured speed class.
From a starting line-up of 60, the Co Offaly native recorded the fastest of 25 clear rounds over a 1.50m track designed by the USA’s Ken Krome, stopping the clock on 63.67 with Oakland Ventures’ Carthano. The host nation’s Andrew Ramsay finished second on Stranger 30 (64.39) ahead of his compatriot, Lucas Porter, riding Diamonte Darco (64.62).
Kenny purchased the 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding Carthano at the end of December and is producing him through the Winter Equestrian Festival which is now in week eight of 12 at the Palm Beach Equestrian centre.
“I think I was running very fast - faster than I expected actually,” explained the world number eight. “I don’t really know him (Carthano) that well yet and he has a much bigger stride than I thought.
“I had actually tried the horse when he was seven, and I always liked him,” said Kenny who, in his absence, was crowned The Irish Field show jumper of the year for 2019 at an awards function in The K Club on Monday.
“I saw him go really well the last few shows in December, and he jumped super, so I thought it would be a good horse to add to my string. I took him here straight away and we started playing around at the start. I think he’s going to be a super horse.”
Kenny has been named as a member of the Irish team which will contest the four-star Nations’ Cup in Florida on Saturday when he will ride his own and Whiterock Farm’s Go Easy De Muze. The other team members are Clare’s David Blake (Keoki), Limerick’s Paul O’Shea (Skara Glen’s Chancelloress) and Cork’s Billy Twomey (Lady Lou).
The team was announced by Horse Sport Ireland’s senior show jumping team manager Michael Blake at a reception in Wellington, hosted by HSI, which celebrated the contribution by Ireland’s horse owners and supporters. A special presentation was made to Ann Thompson, owner of several of Kenny’s top horses for her outstanding contribution to Irish show jumping.
Earlier on Thursday, at Vejer de la Frontera in Spain, Co Down’s Dermott Lennon won the four-star 1.50m speed class on the Irish Sport Horse mare MJM Pursuit (58.74), an 11-year-old bay by Aldato which was bred in Co Tyrone by Cyril Ferguson out of Mountain Mist (by Limmerick). The former world champion had more than a second in hand over the USA’s Julie Welles on Ambra (59.83) with Denmark’s Andreas Schou placing third on Quadrosson Ask (60.63).
At this Sunshine Tour last year, Lennon won a three-star Grand Prix on MJM Pursuit with which he has been placed in five-star competitions including at Spruce Meadows in Calgary. “I am very happy with the way the mare is jumping,” commented the rider. “I hope that we can do well this weekend in the Grand Prix class which is my objective for the week.”
Riding the eight-year-old stallion Highland Present, Tipperary-born Trevor Breen was home clear in 64.45 to finish third in Thursday's 1.40m speed class in the Al Shira'aa centre in Abu Dhabi, just behind the host nation's Ali Hamad al Kirbi on Pogba (62.54). The 45-strong class was won by Britain's Georgia Tame with the Irish Sport Horse stallion Z Seven Ascot, a nine-year-old by Non Stop which was bred in Co Kilkenny by Marion Hughes out of the Voltaire mare Tee.
Irish dressage riders Kate Dwyer (Snowdon Faberge) and Dane Rawlins (Espoire) are at the five-star show in Doha, Qatar where they are due to compete in the Grand Prix on Friday morning and the Grand Prix freestyle to music on Saturday.
The European international eventing season started this week at Barroca d’Alva in Portugal where there is a four-strong Irish contingent in action at three and two-star level.
