An impressive performance from Ireland’s Darragh Kenny saw him claim a place on a star-studded podium following the €200,000 five-star Longines Grand Prix at La Baule in France, with the Offaly rider finishing in third place after a jump-off.
At the finish, Kenny’s performance was only bettered by the current World Champions and the World’s top-ranked rider.
Eight of the 45 starters made it through to the second round jump-off, with Kenny partnering the Kerry Anne LLC-owned gelding Important De Muze to the fastest of the first round clears, to give him the best position of last to go against the clock.
The Irishman once again kept all the fences standing in the decider and crossed the line in 43.90 seconds to finish just over half a second behind the winner. Victory went to the current World Champion pairing of Germany’s Simone Blum and DSP Alice after they stopped the clock in 43.33 when second last to go.
They pushed the current World number 1, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, into second with Albfuehren"s Bianca (43.82).
Louth’s Mark McAuley (Vivaldi Du Theil) and Cork’s Shane Sweetnam (Alejandro) were among the group of riders who missed out on the jump-off after finishing with four faults.
Cian O’Connor finished with five faults with his relatively new mount PSG Final who is just a nine-year-old.
Meanwhile on Friday, the Irish Show Jumping team claimed victory in the three-star FEI Nations Cup at Drammen in Norway
Led by Chef d’Equipe, former Army rider Shane Carey, Ireland were in a share of the lead at the halfway stage of the 14-team event, matched only by the home team from Norway.
Tyrone’s Jenny Rankin, riding Bennys Legacy got the Irish off to an fine start, jumping clear with just a time fault.
Laois’s Aidan Killeen and Fair Playwere the discard score in the first round with five faults, while Kilkenny’s Susan Fitzpatrick and Fellow Castlefield came home with just one fence down.
Another Kilkenny rider, Ger O’Neill aboard Castlefield Vegas, jumped a perfect clear round to mean Ireland would finish the first round level with Norway on five faults.
The second round saw Rankin complete a brilliant performance by jumping clear inside the time and when Killeen and Fitzpatrick both recorded just a single fence down each, Ireland began to take control.
Norway had slipped to third place at that stage however a good second round from Poland saw them finish on a two round total of 13 faults, meaning a fence down for O’Neill would result in a jump-off.
The Bennettsbridge native showed no sign of pressure and knowing he could afford a time fault but not a fence.
O’Neill did just that and crossed the line with just a time fault aboard his Irish Sport Horse to leave Ireland as winners on a 10 fault total ahead of Poland in second.
Norway finished third ahead of Germany in fourth, Spain in fifth and Netherlands in sixth. Japan finished seventh while France came home in eighth place of the 14 teams that took part.
