A BREATHTAKING ride to the final fence is what secured victory in the 2024 Rolex Grand Prix of Ireland for Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs last Sunday at the Dublin Horse Show. The inaugural partnership with the prestigious timepiece brand offered €500,000 in prize money and attracted the best riders in the world.

Riding the German-bred gelding Conner Jei (Connor 48 x Cosimo), the 32-year-old came out on top in a very strong starting field of 40 combinations to secure €165,000, just pipping Ireland’s Mark McAuley, who had to settle for second place and €100,000 in prize money.

Speaking after the win, a delighted Fuchs said: “It is so special to win here in Dublin. Now that it is part of the Rolex Grand Prix series, makes it even more special.

“My uncle Markus won this class here in 2001. I think most people in Ireland still call me Markus. It happened six or seven times already this week, even Cian O’Connor called me Markus, so I think a lot of people will think that Markus has just won it for a second time,” Fuchs commented afterwards.

“I have a great horse that has a big stride and is very careful; that’s what allowed me to leave out a stride to the last fence. I knew when I walked the course that I could do the seven, and that not many horses in the class could do that, so I thought that this could end up being the winning factor.

“Then, when Mark (McAuley) was so incredibly fast, and then Aaron (Vale) almost caught him, I knew I would have to be very quick. Conner Jei is quite a busy horse. I always have to try and stay calm, that’s when he jumps the best. Even when I go fast, I try to use his big stride and use all his advantages.

“I had a lot of help in the warm-up today. My father Thomas, Henrik von Eckermann and Steve (Guerdat) were there, which was great.”

With a cheeky grin, he added: “I told them all about my plan to do seven to the last fence and they all wished that I wouldn’t do it, but after some convincing, they gave in.

“After the class, my girlfriend Simone told me that she was standing with them, and during the round they were saying, ‘he’s so stupid to try the seven, he’s never going to make it, he’s going to die’. Henrik went up to Steve before I went in and said ‘can you convince him to do the eight and Steve said no, I’ve tried, he’s going to do it.’

“My groom Sean (Vard) is here. He is always so supportive and is so good at looking after the horses. He never puts any pressure on me, he knows I always try and do my best. This is a really nice victory for Sean, all his family are here, which makes it even more special.”

McAuley runner-up

Alan Wade’s track was big and technical and, in the end, just seven of the 40 managed to jump clear in the first round. Ireland’s Mark McAuley was first to do so, which meant he had the unenviable task of going first again against the clock with the Irish Sport Horse mare GRS Lady Amaro (Amaretto D’Arco x Over The River), bred in Co Wexford by his uncle Denis Hickey.

Mark McAuley and GRS Lady Amaro finished second in the Rolex Grand Prix of Ireland \ Laurence Dunne Jumpinaction.net

He set the pace with a superb clear in a time of 38.74 and, until the very last rider, it looked like it would be good enough for victory. Second to go, Britain’s Tim Gredley and Imperial HBF also managed to leave all the fences intact, but in a slower 46.21, which would leave them in fifth place.

Next was Germany’s Daniel Deusser, who rode Killer Queen VDM to an impressive clear, crossing the finish in 39.02 for fourth place. Belgium’s Koen Vereecke and Kasanova de la Pomme had a single fence down in 44.26 as the fourth pair in, which left them in sixth place.

Ireland’s Mikey Pender and Marion Hughes’ HHS Los Angeles were unlucky to have two down for eight faults in 41.90 and seventh place. The penultimate pair in, USA’s Aaron Vale and Carissimo 25 provided a classy clear in 38.76 for third place.

Fuchs had the advantage of being last to go. A terrific well-planned and executed round saw him guide Conner Jei to a clear in 38.69 for the win.

After the prize giving, Mark McAuley commented: “It is quite something as an Irish rider to be in the jump-off of the Grand Prix in Dublin. It really is the best show in the world in my opinion. I think myself and all the riders are delighted that Rolex has come on board. It adds an extra bit of prestige to the show, which the show deserves.”

In regard to the class, he added: “With seven to go in the jump-off, there is no point in playing it safe, because you don’t get that opportunity every year. I gave it everything. The danger was always going to be Martin. He’s an extremely fast rider with a very fast horse and, as he said, the horse has a huge stride and the course suited a horse with a big stride.

“My horse, GRS Lady Amaro, was a star today. It’s a real family affair. She was bred here in Ireland by my uncle Denis Hickey in Wexford and produced by my cousin Patrick (current Irish National Champion). I got her when she was eight, so it’s a really nice story. That she did so well here today, was made even better because they are all here to see her.

“She is such a great mare. She’s a real fighter. I’m very lucky to have her. It’s always been a dream of mine to do well here in Dublin, so this result today ranks fairly high in my list of ambitions.”

Fantastic week

Third placed American rider Aaron Vale enjoyed being on the podium again after being part of the winning American team on Friday. “We’ve had a fantastic week here. I thought when I walked the course that I could do eight strides from the first to the second fence and then do the seven that Martin got to the last, but it didn’t work out that way.

“I took what I had and I thought I’d nailed it. I looked up at the clock after I went through the finish and saw I’d missed out by two-hundredths of a second from Mark, which was a little painful and then Martin was able to just nick him by five-hundredths.

“It’s not often that you would see the top-three in a class separated by such small margins, what a great class, to end a great week. But it still left me hungry to do more.

“I was very lucky to have this horse (Carissimo 25) show up in my stable a year ago. We just missed out on a place in Paris. We had a great summer. He’s a pretty new horse for me; just a season at this level, so we are thrilled with him.”

Premier competition

Another superb design by course builder Alan Wade provided a perfect Sunday afternoon’s entertainment for the crowds in the arena, as well as the TV audience at home.

Following the class, Wade had this to add: “At the end of a good week of jumping, this was the premier competition, so it was going to be the biggest and toughest track of the week, but it was the best reward. We on the course design team were just trying to set a fair test for everyone, and that the best people would end up sitting beside me as the winners.”