The Irish show jumping team of Shane Breen, Eoin McMahon, Jason Foley and Michael Duffy put in an outstanding performance to win Sunday’s three-star Nations Cup competition at Drammen in Norway.
One of the stand-out performances of the day came from Carlow teenager Jason Foley (19), who jumped double clear on his Nations Cup debut with the Martin Egan-owned Irish Sport Horse Castlefield Vegas – one of just two double clear rounds in the competition.
Sunday’s performance comes two years after Foley and Castlefield Vegas, who was bred by Co Cavan breeder John Clarke won the gold medal at the U18 European Championships. More recently, the pair were winners of the Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) Premier Series Grand Prix at Barnadown in Co Wexford.
Drammen has proved a lucky venue for Ireland over the years, with five Irish Nations Cup victories there over the last 30 years, including three wins since 2017.
Ireland were in joint-first position with Britain at the halfway stage, with both teams on four faults.
Tipperary’s Shane Breen gave Ireland the perfect start when he jumped clear with the Team Z7-owned Z7 Ipswich, followed by four faults in the second round. Clare’s Eoin McMahon and Chacon 2, owned by Madeleine Winter-Schulze, finished with a single fence down in the first round before going clear in the second round.
Foley then produced two clear rounds with Castlefield Vegas. Mayo’s Michael Duffy was last to go for the Irish with one fence down in the first round and a clear in the second round with Lapuccino 2 – an Irish Sport Horse owned by Carl Hanley Sporthorses.
Duffy’s clear round confirmed Ireland as winners, finishing with two fences in hand over Britain and Denmark who shared second place. Germany finished fourth, while the home team took fifth.
Speaking afterwards, Irish manager Michael Blake was delighted with how his team performed, saying: “Shane got us off to a great start and then Eoin’s horse went a bit green in front of the double for some reason and he looked at it a little again in the second round but Eoin did a great job with him. Jason was superb, his first Nations Cup and only 19 years of age, he was incredible. Michael was really unlucky in the first round and got a deserved clear when last to go. The team really pulled together in the second round with three clear rounds in-a-row.
“This was our sixth win this week at this show. All of the riders who came here including Harry Allen and Jack Ryan, who won the Derby, did a fantastic job and we have won the Grand Prix and the Nations Cup three times here in the last four years. Some of the lads bypassed other competitions here to target the Nations Cup and they deserve enormous credit.”
Ennis takes top spot at Ballindenisk
Meath’s Sarah Ennis landed the feature CCI4*-S at Ballindenisk Home International in Co Cork with the Irish Sport Horse Horseware Stellor Rebound.
Faultless rounds in both cross country and show jumping saw Ennis finish on her dressage score of 29.4 just ahead of Sam Watson and Imperial Sky (ISH)(TIH) who finished second on 29.6. Overnight leader Cathal Daniels finished third with Barrichello after picking up four penalties in the jumping phase.
The CCI3*-S saw victory going to Lucy Latta with RCA Patron Saint ahead of Patrick Whelan and Footfall (ISH) in second and Suzanne Hagan with OBOS Take One (ISH) in third.
Elizabeth Power and Greenfort Gorgeous George (ISH) led from start to finish to win the CCI2*-L, while the CCI2*-S saw Steven Smith come out on top with Mike of Mourne (ISH).
Pony dressage team flying the flag at European Championships
The GAIN Irish under 16 (Pony) Dressage team of Cillian Curran, Rachel Carr, Oscar O’Connor and Martha Jobling-Purser, managed by Anne Marie Dunphy, scored 201.72% to finish seventh out of 11 teams at the FEI Dressage European Championships 2020 for Ponies at Pilisjászfalu in Hungary last week.
Team Ireland U16 dressage members (L-R) Rachel Carr, Cillian Curran, team manager Anne Marie Dunphy and Oscar O'Connor \ Matt Browne/Sportsfile
Last Wednesday, Rachel Carr rode Calelvador May Blossom to score 67.657% while Cillian Curran with Blokland’s Hoeve’s Amor scored 65.343. The second two Irish riders were in action on Thursday with Oscar O’Connor and Top Hero 2 scoring 66.414%, while the final team member, Martha Jobling-Purser with Valido’s Starlight, finished on 67.657% – the exact same score as teammate Rachel Carr.
That left Ireland in seventh place of the 11 teams, finishing ahead of Finland, France, Czech Republic and Italy.
Germany took the Gold medal on a score of 232.77% while Denmark claimed Silver and Bronze went to The Netherlands.
The Irish show jumping team of Shane Breen, Eoin McMahon, Jason Foley and Michael Duffy put in an outstanding performance to win Sunday’s three-star Nations Cup competition at Drammen in Norway.
One of the stand-out performances of the day came from Carlow teenager Jason Foley (19), who jumped double clear on his Nations Cup debut with the Martin Egan-owned Irish Sport Horse Castlefield Vegas – one of just two double clear rounds in the competition.
Sunday’s performance comes two years after Foley and Castlefield Vegas, who was bred by Co Cavan breeder John Clarke won the gold medal at the U18 European Championships. More recently, the pair were winners of the Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) Premier Series Grand Prix at Barnadown in Co Wexford.
Drammen has proved a lucky venue for Ireland over the years, with five Irish Nations Cup victories there over the last 30 years, including three wins since 2017.
Ireland were in joint-first position with Britain at the halfway stage, with both teams on four faults.
Tipperary’s Shane Breen gave Ireland the perfect start when he jumped clear with the Team Z7-owned Z7 Ipswich, followed by four faults in the second round. Clare’s Eoin McMahon and Chacon 2, owned by Madeleine Winter-Schulze, finished with a single fence down in the first round before going clear in the second round.
Foley then produced two clear rounds with Castlefield Vegas. Mayo’s Michael Duffy was last to go for the Irish with one fence down in the first round and a clear in the second round with Lapuccino 2 – an Irish Sport Horse owned by Carl Hanley Sporthorses.
Duffy’s clear round confirmed Ireland as winners, finishing with two fences in hand over Britain and Denmark who shared second place. Germany finished fourth, while the home team took fifth.
Speaking afterwards, Irish manager Michael Blake was delighted with how his team performed, saying: “Shane got us off to a great start and then Eoin’s horse went a bit green in front of the double for some reason and he looked at it a little again in the second round but Eoin did a great job with him. Jason was superb, his first Nations Cup and only 19 years of age, he was incredible. Michael was really unlucky in the first round and got a deserved clear when last to go. The team really pulled together in the second round with three clear rounds in-a-row.
“This was our sixth win this week at this show. All of the riders who came here including Harry Allen and Jack Ryan, who won the Derby, did a fantastic job and we have won the Grand Prix and the Nations Cup three times here in the last four years. Some of the lads bypassed other competitions here to target the Nations Cup and they deserve enormous credit.”
Ennis takes top spot at Ballindenisk
Meath’s Sarah Ennis landed the feature CCI4*-S at Ballindenisk Home International in Co Cork with the Irish Sport Horse Horseware Stellor Rebound.
Faultless rounds in both cross country and show jumping saw Ennis finish on her dressage score of 29.4 just ahead of Sam Watson and Imperial Sky (ISH)(TIH) who finished second on 29.6. Overnight leader Cathal Daniels finished third with Barrichello after picking up four penalties in the jumping phase.
The CCI3*-S saw victory going to Lucy Latta with RCA Patron Saint ahead of Patrick Whelan and Footfall (ISH) in second and Suzanne Hagan with OBOS Take One (ISH) in third.
Elizabeth Power and Greenfort Gorgeous George (ISH) led from start to finish to win the CCI2*-L, while the CCI2*-S saw Steven Smith come out on top with Mike of Mourne (ISH).
Pony dressage team flying the flag at European Championships
The GAIN Irish under 16 (Pony) Dressage team of Cillian Curran, Rachel Carr, Oscar O’Connor and Martha Jobling-Purser, managed by Anne Marie Dunphy, scored 201.72% to finish seventh out of 11 teams at the FEI Dressage European Championships 2020 for Ponies at Pilisjászfalu in Hungary last week.
Team Ireland U16 dressage members (L-R) Rachel Carr, Cillian Curran, team manager Anne Marie Dunphy and Oscar O'Connor \ Matt Browne/Sportsfile
Last Wednesday, Rachel Carr rode Calelvador May Blossom to score 67.657% while Cillian Curran with Blokland’s Hoeve’s Amor scored 65.343. The second two Irish riders were in action on Thursday with Oscar O’Connor and Top Hero 2 scoring 66.414%, while the final team member, Martha Jobling-Purser with Valido’s Starlight, finished on 67.657% – the exact same score as teammate Rachel Carr.
That left Ireland in seventh place of the 11 teams, finishing ahead of Finland, France, Czech Republic and Italy.
Germany took the Gold medal on a score of 232.77% while Denmark claimed Silver and Bronze went to The Netherlands.
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