A flawless performance from The Underwriting Exchange Irish show jumping team secured a dominant victory in the first leg of the Longines League of Nations, Abu Dhabi today.
Micheal Blake's team of Denis Lynch, Trevor Breen, Jason Foley and Mikey Pender came into the competition ranked number one in the world, and cemented that position with a perfect score of zero faults, finishing eight clear of hosts UAE, with France in third on 12.
Delighted chef d'equipe Blake said: "What a victory - what a performance from the lads and their horses.
"We came in here as the number one team and that brings pressure, but these lads thrive on that pressure and produced a brilliant afternoon of jumping.
"To a man, they were exceptional. Denis has been in incredible form recently with Vistogrand and he led the way with a double clear.
"Trevor has come back from an awful injury, and for him to do that out there just shows the measure of the man.
"Jason too, this is his five-star debut on a brand-new horse, and they were clean as a whistle, and when you need Mikey to produce the goods for you he does it. It's magic, it really is. I'm over the moon for everyone involved."
Ireland got off to the perfect start when Lynch and his sensational 12-year-old Vistogrand produced a stunning clear round as pathfinder.
The pair have been in sparkling form of late, including World Cup podium finishes, and were foot perfect around Santiago Varela's course at Abu Dhabi.
Like Lynch before him, Breen was magnificent on Highland President to produce a second clear round. It meant Ireland were one of just three nations with clears from their first two combinations, alongside hosts UAE and France, with Jason Foley and Mikey Pender to come.
Foley and his brand new mare Chedington Hazy Toulana were Ireland's third combination into the arena and their third to leave all poles standing.
Unluckily, they were just over a second over the time allowed and incurred two time faults. Nonetheless, it was a very promising round from the Carlow man and his new mare.
Ireland's anchor, Pender, with pressure on after the UAE and France had both finished round one on a zero score, needed a clear on HHS Los Angeles (ISH) to also end round one faultless, which they did in style.
After the break, with Ireland third last to jump, Lynch knew that nothing short of a double clear on Vistogrand was required and such is the confidence coursing through his veins at present, the Tipperary man duly delivered.
It kept Ireland on zero and with the UAE erring, dropping two poles through Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi and Enjoy de la Mure, it meant it was Blake's side level with France at the head of affairs, with two combinations each left to jump.
There were incredibly emotional scenes as Breen, who underwent emergency surgery and was placed in an induced coma after suffering three fractures to his neck and spine following a fall last May from Highland President during the Grand Prix of Hamburg, secured a double clear round.
With French rider Jeanne Sadran and Dexter de Kerglenn having 12 faults, it meant Pender had a fence in hand to secure the victory. It was never in doubt as the 25-year-old came home with yet another Irish double clear to hand Ireland the momentous win.
