A pressure double clear by Cian O’Connor sealed Ireland’s first Nations Cup win of the season at Ocala, Florida, last weekend and just 48 hours later, O’Connor went on to win the $100,000 Longines Grand Prix as well at the venue.

The Irish Nations Cup team of Cian, Shane Sweetnam, Kevin Babington and Richie Moloney led the seven-team contest after the first round on four faults ahead of Mexico, Canada and USA who were tied on eight and all seeking qualifying points for Barcelona.

Sweetnam got Michael Blake’s squad off to a good start with a clear on Chaqui Z. Kevin Babington returned with just one down on Shorapur. Richie Moloney had the discard of 12 but the brilliant sweeper O’Connor made small of a difficult enough Marina Azevedo course to go clear on Seringat to keep Ireland in the lead. Much changed on the return as both Mexico and Canada faded from contention. But not the home side! The USA got fours from McLain Ward, Lillie Keenan and Lauren Haugh plus a clear by perennial stalwart Beezie Madden to have a finishing total of 16 and put the pressure on. Ireland responded with fours by Sweetnam and Babington.

But as Moloney again had the discard on Carrabis Z, who just did not like the treble, the weight was for one more time placed on Olympian O’Connor’s shoulders. With his new horse, Seringat, that he acquired just before Christmas, he delivered a superb performance of pressure jumping to give the green the needed clear and victory on a total of 12.

Afterward Cian said of Seringat: “People were having trouble with the strange coloured combination that was the second last on the course but I was impressed with how Seringat jumped it. He allowed me to ride him and I am very pleased with him.”

Chef d’equipe Michael Blake added: “I am very proud to represent the best bunch of riders in the world.”

Grand prix

Only 48 hours later, Cian and Seringat won Sunday night’s $100,000 City of Ocala four-star Grand Prix.

An incredibly tough first round course saw just three of the 39 starters managing to jump clear, with O’Connor eventually joined in a three-way jump-off by two American riders, Ali Wolff and Beezie Madden.

First to go against the clock, Madden set a tough target when she went clear in 41.43 seconds with Breitling LS, while second to go, Wolff and Casall also went clear in a slightly slower time of 41.86.

Madden and her American team members had watched on two days earlier as O’Connor and Seringat completed a double clear round to deny them a home Nations Cup win.

In a copybook repeat performance when last to go, O’Connor and the 11-year-old gelding once again went clear and crucially knocked two-tenths of a second off Madden’s time to give Ireland another superb win.

O’Connor said: “It has been an incredible weekend and I’m so happy to cap it off with the Grand Prix win. Seringat has really improved over the last few months and will be a real Grand Prix horse for the future.”

Meantime, the young Irish side of Michael Duffy, Michael Pender, Paul Kennedy and David Simpson finished sixth in the Cup at Al Ain (UAE).

Duffy, Pender and Kennedy all had top eight finishes in the €350,000 Longines Grand Prix. Paul was best in fifth with the Irish Sport Horse Cartown Danger Mouse by Harlequin Du Carel that he bred himself.

At the three-star Grand Prix at Wellington Paul O’Shea rode Skara Glen’s Machu Picchu into second.