CORK’s Austin O’Connor left Irish team selectors in no doubt of his Olympic spot, when he stormed to second place in the CCI4* at Defender Bramham Horse Trials in Britian last weekend.

Riding the Salty Syndicate-owned Colorado Blue, the pair finished on their dressage score on 26.4, which had them in sixth after the first phase. That score was a big international personal best for the pair, who have been working on their flat work over the winter months.

Clear show jumping and the second fastest round of the day across the country, adding no faults, the pair finished second behind British Olympic hopeful Kitty King and Vendredi Biats (25.2).

Susie Berry slotted into seventh place with Anne Marling and Sue Wilkinson’s Wellfields Lincoln on 34.2. The combination added just 3.6 time penalties to their opening score. O’Connor was 10th with Isazsa (35.4), while Berry was 11th with John The Bull (35.6).

Commenting afterwards, O’Connor said: “It was great preparation personally and for the entire squad really. I made the decision to be competitive here, because if you’re going to Olympics, you want to think you’re in a competitive frame of mind. Hopefully, it will set us up well and I can’t wait for it to happen now.”

Leading after the dressage on a 22.5, the British Olympic favourites of Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo took it steady across the country, clocking up 15.2 time penalties to finish in 16th.

Irish-bred all the way

Irish-bred horses have showed once again why they are consistently the top performers in world eventing, by filling all of the top four places in CCI4*-L at the venue.

The 12-year-old mare Annaghmore Valoner (ISH), bred in Co Offaly by Sinead Healion and ridden by Britain’s Harry Meade, took the top spot on a final score of 31.3.

Second place went to Deerpairc Revelry (ISH), bred in Co Galway by Dara O’Malley and ridden by Max Warburton (GBR) on 31.5, while the Mary Brennan-bred MHS Seventeen (ISH) finished third with Ros Canter on a score of 31.9.

Cooley Snapchat (ISH), bred in Co Limerick by Alan Wheeler and ridden by Selina Milnes (GBR), completed the Irish domination with a fourth-place finish.

Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy was the recipient of this year’s Defender Bramham Horse Trials George Lane Fox Memorial Trophy. The trophy, named for the founder of the event, is presented to the combination who showed the best improvement on their dressage placing. Padraig and Lady Ophelia, owned by Emma De Haan and Pamela Idelson, climbed from 25th to finish in 12th place in the CCI4*-L.