EQESTRIAN SPORT: Conor Swail boosted his seasonal Grand Prix strike rate to 50 per cent at the weekend when lifting the feature class at the Italian fixture in Genova late on Sunday night. Swail's victory came at the expense of his compatriot Robert Splaine, but it was the Corkman who came out on top in the race for the leading rider title.
Swail, who rides for Co Meath businessman Edward Cawley, had won his first international Grand Prix at the Dutch show in Zuidlaren at the beginning of November and went on to win at Dunkerque in France and at a national show at Arrezzo in Italy last week, all with the 14-year-old Windgates King Koal. And it was the same Kildalton King gelding that provided Sunday night's triumph in Genova, winning from 13th slot in the 15-horse jump-off.
With only two double clears as he entered the arena and the best of those in 40 seconds, Swail knew his only serious rival was speed merchant Splaine, who was drawn immediately after him. Letting off the handbrake, he had King Koal home with a clear in 38.61 seconds and, despite Splaine's best efforts, the stallion Coolcorron Cool Diamond missed the target by 700ths of a second. That left Swail to collect the €4,500 winner's cheque, but a third in the mini-Grand Prix and second in the big class was good enough to clinch the Smart car for Splaine as leading rider.
Swail's celebrations were cut short, however, when his groom Angela McInerney was rushed to hospital after being kicked by a horse shortly afterwards. The Cavan girl had been walking out a mare that Swail hadn't jumped at the show and, frightened by a tractor, the mare lashed out and caught the groom with her hooves.
McInerney was taken to hospital where two broken ribs and a bruised liver were diagnosed. She is expected to be kept in hospital over Christmas.
Also on the injured list is Peter Charles, who went home early from the big international at Olympia in London after a fence down in the feature World Cup qualifier on Saturday. Charles has been suffering with an elbow injury and the arm was put in plaster on Sunday. Complete immobilisation of the arm has been prescribed for two weeks, although the plaster is a removable one to allow for physiotherapy.
Once the plaster has been taken off, Charles will use a specially made arm brace that he wore while in action at Olympia. Charles had been told he would be back riding in four weeks, but he was back in the saddle yesterday riding Carnavelley, the horse on which Charles is pinning his hopes for the 2003 series in the build-up to the final in Las Vegas the week after Easter.
Charles's departure meant that world champion Dermott Lennon was left alone to fly the flag at Olympia, but although he had broken through into the winner's enclosure on Sunday, the gates were firmly closed on him in the two speed classes yesterday. Ginger Watt, which had scooped the Accumulator 24 hours earlier, kicked out the front rail going into the final double to finish out of the money in 13th place in the afternoon's Farewell Speed Stakes.
Germany's Toni Hassmann, currently lying third in the western European World Cup rankings, was unbeatable in that and then joined forces with compatriot Markus Merschformann to win last night's Holly pairs relay, in which Lennon and John Whitaker slumped to seventh. And it was Deutschland nearly uber alles in the Christmas Eve six-bar as well, with Franke Sloothaak clear throughout to share the honours with one for the hosts, Welshman Andrew Davies.
OLYMPIA (London), Knockout - 1, Germany's Gambe 19 (Markus Merschformann); 2, Switzerland's Edza de St Denis (Markus Fuchs); equal 3, Frances Bamboula du Thot (Olivier Guillon) and Britain's AK Colour Of Life (Ellen Whitaker); equal 5, Ireland's Dow Jones Courcel (Dermott Lennon).
Christmas Eve Six-Bar - Equal 1, Britain's Captain Wellington (Andrew Davies) and Germany's Sheila 73 (Franke Sloothaak); 3, Britain's Lactic 2 (John Whitaker).
Farewell Speed Stakes - 1, Germany's Landstreicher 30 (Toni Hassmann), 53.37 seconds; 2, Germany's Championesse d'Amazones (Mylene Diederichsmeier), 54.41; 3, Britain's Fresh Direct Glenwood Springs (Tim Stockdale).
Holly Pairs Relay - 1, Germany's Graziana (Toni Hassmann) and Gambe (Markus Merschformann), 78.37 seconds; 2, Sweden's Ricarda T (Maria Gretzer) and Germany's Argentina (Marcus Ehning), 82.52; 3, Britain's Cortaflex Lucy May (William Funnell) and Fresh Direct Marleen (Tim Stockdale), 84.23.
GRAND PRIX DUE MANCHES (Genova, Italy) - 1, Ireland's Windgates King Koal (Conor Swail), 0/0 faults, 38.61 seconds; 2, Ireland's Coolcorron Cool Diamond (Robert Splaine), 0/0, 38.67; 3, France's Even du Vallon (Joelle Cairaschi Dagut), 0/0, 40.13.
