CORK’s Shane Sweetnam won the four-star $75,000 American Gold Cup qualifier at Old Salem Farm last Friday.

Riding Spy Coast Farm’s experienced stallion Chaqui Z, he beat 22-year-old Cormac Hanley into second place. Fifty challengers contested the class, with the 1.55m course designed by world-renowned Tipperary course designer Alan Wade.

Some 17 of the 50 made it through to the timed round and set up an exciting jump-off with seven nations represented.

Mayo’s Cormac Hanley set the standard with Heathman Farm’s VDL Cartello when posting a fast clear round in 32.15 second, however, not long afterwards, Sweetnam entered the arena and by leaving out a stride to the final fence, broke the beams in a quicker time of 31.67 seconds.

The final 10 combinations each took their chances over the track, but none was able to catch Sweetnam and Chaqui Z’s time. USA’s Brian Moggre (MTM Vivre le Reve) was the only one to better the time but finished with four faults.

Sweetnam earned just over €22,000 and was awarded with a Top Jock Tack Box, the company owned by Irishman Joe Moran.

Speaking afterwards, Sweetnam said: “Alan Wade built a very good and a very fair course. He probably had more clear rounds than he wanted, but it is still early in the week and there is still a lot of rounds of jumping to do. I think it was fair. It turned into a good jump-off for the class, which is also great for the show.

“I saw Cormac [Hanley] was two in front of me and he has a quick horse. Honestly, I was going to do the same numbers as him, but my horse isn’t as fast, so I knew that I had to do something, somewhere that he hadn’t done to catch him and then everyone else would have to catch me.

“The last line, my horse has a very big stride and it looked like [leaving a stride out] was there and I took a chance and it worked out.”

On his mount, Lisa Lourie’s stallion, he added: “Chaqui is 13 years old now and I have had him since he was seven years old. He is a great horse and we have jumped everywhere together. We know each other very well. He is in great form at the moment and every show he has been really counting, so I am very happy with where he is at the moment.”

“We have New York [Global Champions Tour] in a couple of weeks and a lot of shows yet this year, so I am going to try and keep him in the best shape possible.”

Sweetnam’s other top result came in Saturday’s 1.50m jump-off class aboard Alejandro. The 10-year-old gelding, who is owned by Seabrook LLC, Spy Coast Farm LLC and Sweet Oak Farm, was Sweetnam’s European Championship mount in Rotterdam last month.

They were one of four double clears in the nine-horse jump-off to finish in fourth place (0/0 41.16). Victory went to McLain Ward with Franka Trichta (0/0 35.74). Hanley also made it through to the jump-off, but 12 faults aboard Copain Z saw him finish ninth.

Hanley also picked up two runner-up places earlier in the week. The first came aboard Alma Z in Wednesday’s 1.40m Table A. Their time of 60.83 was just over a second slower than American winner Hardin Towell and Carlo 373 (0/ 59.19).

The Claremorris native also guided Copain Z to second place in Thursday’s 1.45m Table A. Some 18 combinations produced clear rounds and Hanley was a second slower than USA’s Kristen Vanderveen.

Beezie wins again

Fresh from winning the $3 million CP International Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows a week earlier, the USA’s Beezie Madden once again landed a huge victory in Sunday’s $210,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup for the American Gold Cup, meaning her name would be etched into the famous trophy for the third time.

Just seven combinations made it through to the jump-off where Beezie rode the eight-year-old gelding Garant to the fastest of three double clear rounds in 40.89 seconds. It was an all-USA podium when Karl Cook slotted into second place with Caillou 24 (41.25), ahead of Katie Dinan in third aboard Brego R’n B (41.94).

Limerick’s Paul O’Shea picked up four faults against the clock with Imerald van’t Voorhof to finish fifth, while Jonathan Corrigan and the Irish Sport Horse Loughnavatta Indigo (Luidam x VDL Arkansas) were denied a place in the jump-off when picking up a single time fault in the first round.