MAJOR League Show Jumping continued with the American Gold Cup being held at Traverse City, Michigan last week and the Irish dominated proceedings, taking several significant wins.
The highlight of the show was Sunday’s five-star $340,000 American Gold Cup, where a start list of 34 battled it out for the generous prize fund on offer. Nine combinations managed to jump clear in the first round to get through to the jump-off and these included two prolific Irish winners, Cork’s Shane Sweetnam and Down’s Conor Swail.
As it turned out, the pair scored a one-two for Ireland, with Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz (ISH) (Kannan x CSF Telly Cruz x Cruising), bred by Patrick Connolly, claiming victory after clocking the fastest jump-off round in 39.54 seconds, taking home $112,200 for their efforts. Swail and Casturano finished close behind in 39.91 for a runner-up prize of $68,000. The last podium place went to Michael Morissey (USA) on Incento S.A. (44.32) for a third prize of $51,000.
“[The American Gold Cup] is one of the biggest Grand Prix in America, if not the biggest,” said Sweetnam, who also won the title in 2022. “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.”
Ribbons
Swail had gotten off to a good start at the show on Friday, when winning the $32,000 FEI 2* 1.45m Speed class with Gamble, jumping clear in 62.19 seconds – over a second ahead of runner-up, Ali Ramsay (CAN) on board Duke of Doel (63.25).
Meanwhile, the $181,170 FEI 5* 1.55m qualifier saw Sweetnam take seventh place with James Kann Cruz.
Swail and Gamble were back on the podium again, when finishing as runners up in Saturday’s 50-strong $40,000 2* 1.45m Grand Prix, jumping double clear in a jump-off time of 36.95. Fellow Irish man, Paul O’Shea finished fractions behind with 10-year-old mare Dirty Girl in 37.09 for third. The top spot was claimed by Giavanna Rinaldi (USA) on Snapchat van de Broekkant Z (36.26).
Conor Swail and Casturano won the $63,000 FEI 5* MLSJ Individual Competition on Saturday at Traverse City, Michigan \ Andrew Ryback Photography
Swail was just getting warmed up for the $63,000 FEI 5* MLSJ Individual Competition, which he won riding a super round on the 11-year-old Casturano (64.68), which was timed to perfection, as they finished just ahead of Sweetnam on the 10-year-old mare RR Combella in second (65.54). It was a competitive class and, from the start list of 39, only 10 jumped clear. O’Shea was among them and continued his good form, placing fifth on Squirt Gun.
Sweetnam’s clear round here helped his team Maccabi United into the runner-up spot in the $300,000 FEI5* MLSJ Team Competition.
Swail demonstrated his form, as he also won Sunday’s $32,000 5* 1.50m Winning Round class, when he steered Vital Chance to a double clear in a fast jump-off time of 41.83. Runner-up McLain Ward on Quimi Del Maset could not catch the pair and finished in 43.18.