The world number 13 ranked show jumper, Shane Sweetnam and the 15th-ranked Conor Swail bagged an Irish five-star double as the Major League Show Jumping leg at Traverse City came to a conclusion in thrilling fashion on Sunday night.
Castlemagner man Sweetnam and his Olympic partner James Kann Cruz (ISH) were the big winners, landing the €112,200 first prize in the American Gold Cup for Gizmo Partners at the Michigan venue. It was a second triumph in the prestigious competition for the Cork pilot and the gorgeous grey bred in Co Galway by Patrick Connolly, the combination having also done the business in 2022.
"(The American Gold Cup) is one of the biggest grands prix in America, if not the biggest," said Sweetnam. "I’m lucky to have a great horse. Conor really set the bar and then I had to take a risk as well, and I got away with it."
Swail was understandably a little rueful after getting so close to adding the prestigious competition to his garlanded CV.
"Obviously, the two boys behind me were going to try to beat me and I needed to put a bit of pressure on them," Swail explained. "Casturano hasn’t done that many five-star grands prix. I would say maybe where I lost it as opposed to where Shane won it; I had a real good shot over to the second-to-last, but Casturano goes a little left and he jumped that extravagantly. That threw me a bit too much to the outside.
"I’m thrilled, but I’m disappointed, obviously, because winning the American Gold Cup would be amazing."
While he didn't get over the line in the feature in North Michigan, Swail had already topped the podium in the earlier five-star 1.50m class with a double clear on 16-year old Vital Chance and a jump-off time of 41.83 to see off red-hot McLain Ward (USA), riding Quimi del Maset.
It was a second five-star success of the show for the athlete from Darragh Cross, and third international victory of the week, having managed to get the better of Sweetnam on Saturday night in the €63,000 MLSJ individual competition on board the Conall Murray-owned Casturano.
Swail and the 11-year-old were fastest of the ten pairings that navigated the course in the Turtle Creek Casino International Ring without fault with a time of 64.68.
Sweetnam, piloting the ten-year-old mare RR Combella, was the closest to doing so, securing the silver medal with a clear in 65.54. Kildimo rider, Paul O'Shea continued his good form with fifth on Squirt Gun.
Sweetnam's efforts were critical in helping his team, Maccabi United also take the runner-up spot in the €300,000 MLSJ team competition. Despite that first clear, the team had a tally of 12 faults in the first stanza but were flawless second time around, Sweetnam and Combella making it a double clear to enable Maccabi to catapult up the standings.
