Hosts Germany brought up a hat trick of victories in the Mercedes-Benz Nations’ Cup in Aachen on Thursday night with Ireland claiming the runner-up spot.
At the halfway stage of the 1.60m competition, in which eight nations competed, Ireland were lying in fifth place on five faults as The Netherlands and Switzerland shared the lead on zero ahead of Belgium (one fault) and German (four).
In round two, Cork’s Shane Sweetnam repeated his earlier performance of jumping clear but picking up a single time fault with Spycoast Farm’s Chaqui Z. Having provided the discard score in round one, Offaly’s Darragh Kenny recorded a clear on Jack Snyder’s Babalou 41. Mayo’s Cameron Hanley failed to follow up on his first round clear on Patrick Mielnik’s Quirex and, with two fences down, it was hoped that his eight faults could be discarded.
And so it transpired, with Meath’s Cian O’Connor, who picked up four faults in round one, leaving all the fences intact on Ronnoco Jump’s Good Luck which left Ireland on a two-round total of six faults. Three members of the German team jumped clear in round two to see the hosts take the honours on four faults with The Netherlands dropping to third having picked up nine faults in round two. Switzerland finished a place back on 12 faults.
Earlier on Thursday, at Samorin in Slovakia, Derry’s Jordan Coyle partnered Ariel Grange’s Farona (61.92) into second place in the 1.50m speed class which was won by the USA’s Jessica Springsteen on Voltage du Val Henry (61.24). Later, in Ottawa, Canada, Coyle’s brother Jordan won the 1.45m speed class on Elan Farm’s Eristov.
In Tryon, North Carolina, Sligo’s Darragh Kerins partnered Eve Jobs’s Chill RZ (37.351) into third place in the 1.45m class won by the USA’s Kristen Vanderveen on Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili (34.252).
The national jumping scene this weekend is centred on Tattersalls in Co Meath where the two-day show is run in aid of St Francis Hospice.
The feature competitions are the Irish Sport Horse Studbook classes for five, six and seven-year-olds (qualifying round Saturday, second on Sunday), the national Grand Prix (Saturday) and the Mervue LST, the Ladies Top Oil championship qualifier and the TRM/Horse Sport Ireland new heights champion series Grand Prix all of which take place on Sunday.
In addition, there is a full ridden showing progamme, encompassing the final of the inaugural Connolly’s Red Mills supreme champion of champions series, the final of the IHWT Thoroughbred Club retrained racehorse series and working hunter classes. There are in-hand classes for youngstock plus a Dubarry Burghley young event horse qualifier for four and five-year-olds which has attracted nearly 90 entries.
