THE British show jumping team won the Aga Khan for a record 27th time at the 2019 Dublin Horse Show yesterday (Friday) evening, a welcome boost to the team who came to Dublin at the bottom of the European Division 1 table.

Di Lampard’s team of Ben Maher (Concona), Scott Brash (Hello Jefferson), Emily Moffitt (Winning Good) and Holly Smith (Hearts Destiny) finished on a team total of one fault to claim victory and get their all-important qualification to the FEI Nations Cup final in Barcelona next month in seventh place. Britain last won the Aga Khan in 2013.

It was a sensational performance from the team, who finished 11 faults ahead of Italy in second. Most impressive was 21-year-old Moffitt who was making her five-star Nations Cup debut and produced a wonderful double clear round, one of only three in the competition, securing victory without Smith jumping. Ireland finished in third place on the podium with 16 faults.

Speaking afterwards, chef d’equipe Di Lampard said: “I was very confident with my team, they delivered fantastically this afternoon. They stuck to task, they were here to win and secure Barcelona and they did both in style.”

Seven teams lined out and Alan Wade built a strong course that tested combinations throughout. The oxer-vertical-oxer treble combination on the final line caused the most problems, and the double at fence four was problematic also. The 77 second time allowed caused very little problems.

Every team, with the exception of Mexico, were chasing points in the European Division 1 league. Ireland’s result sees them safely through to the final in with 330 points, finishing third overall in the league, which was won by Switzerland.

Cian O’Connor switched from his usual anchor role and was first to go for Ireland aboard Ronnoco Jump Ltd’s PSG Final (Toulon x Cassini), the horse he will take to the FEI European Championships in two weeks’ time. The nine-year-old stallion is relatively inexperienced at this high level, this just his second five-star Nations Cup under O’Connor’s command.

They faulted at fence nine, the tall vertical after the four metre water open water, to finish with four faults first time out.

Paul O’Shea was making his second appearance on an Aga Khan team with the brilliant 12-year-old gelding Skara Glen’s Machu Picchu (Silverstone x Matterhorn), owned by Machu Picchu Partners LLC, and the home crowd went wild when the combination crossed the finish line with a clear round.

Shane Sweetnam was next to go with the Spy Coast Farm’s experienced 13-year-old stallion Chaqui Z. The tall 1.60m Longines vertical at fence seven fell to leave the pair on a first round score of four faults.

Darragh Kenny took up the anchor position aboard Ann Thompson’s Important De Muze (Erco van’t Roosakker x Nabab de Reve). An awkward distance to the water saw the 11-year-old gelding incur four faults in what was an otherwise perfect round.

That left Ireland on a team total of eight faults after the first round. Britain were out in the lead on a zero score after clear rounds from Brash, Moffit and Smith, ahead of Italy on four faults. Nine of the starting 28 were clear in the first round.

Second round

The telephone box vertical at fence five fell second time out for O’Connor and PSG Final and they also picked up a time fault to finish on a score of five.

Paul O’Shea showed just how good he is and why he is on the squad travelling to the European Championships when posting a second foot-perfect clear round to lift the roof off the RDS arena, and showed his appreciation towards Skara Glen’s Machu Picchu when leaving the ring, to the delight of the home crowd. He was the first double clear of the competition.

Ben Maher continued Britain’s good run of form when posting a one fault round, before Brash scored a double clear round aboard Hello Jefferson.

Sweetnam and Chaqui Z got away with a rub at fence nine but not at the first part of the combination (11a) when coming down on the back bar to complete with four faults once again. That score had to be counted which saw Ireland begin to drift away.

Italy’s kept the pressure on with a clear round from Paolo Paini and when Darragh Kenny faulted at fence seven to finish on four faults, Ireland finished on a final team score of 16 and third place.

It was a high scoring competition with Switzerland in fourth with 21 faults, ahead of The Netherlands (24), last year’s winner Mexico (33) and Sweden in seventh place with 41 faults.

What they said:

“It’s always a privilege to ride in Dublin. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like, the spectators come out to support. It is the best Nations cup to win so we are delighted. The footing was absolutely incredible. I was a little bit concerned yesterday thinking we were going to get so much rain. It was incredible for the amount of rain it hard, fair play to the ground people for that. Alan Wade is an incredible course builder” – Scott Brash.

“It was a very stressful day, to be honest. The riding is the easy part. Shouting from the side is harder. Emily [Moffitt] did exactly what she was told to do so I am proud of her as my student and proud to be on the team” – Ben Maher.

“We are really confident going to the Europeans. We are going to medal and get qualification” – Di Lampard.