CO DOWN’s Conor Swail continued his superb run of form when taking the runner-up spot in Sunday’s five-star $230,000 Adequan Major League Show Jumping Grand Prix at at the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California, USA.

Riding the Sandy Lupton-owned gelding Count Me In, Swail finished five hundredths of a second behind Brazilian winner Cassio Rivetti with Alanine De Vains.

Course Designer Michel Vaillancourt set an expansive track covering the entire grass field for the 35 competitors. First to jump the track clear and first to take on the jump-off course was Rivetti with the 11-year-old Selle Français mare.

Knowing the depth of the field of qualifying entries that was coming behind him in the jump-off, he did not waste any time, setting a time to beat with a clear round in 43.87 seconds. That put pressure on the rest of the field and plenty of riders faulted while trying to catch him.

The first rider to put the pressure on Rivetti’s time was Adrienne Sternlicht, who piloted Bennys Legacy, her own 13-year-old Oldenberg gelding, to a clear round in a time of 44.86, just off the leading time, slotting her into an eventual third place. Bennys Legacy was previously produced up to international level by Jenny Rankin.

Swail was last to go against the clock and set off on a mission with the 14-year-old gelding Count Me In. He broke the beam with nothing to add in 43.92, just five thousandths of a second behind Rivetti.

Galway’s Andrew Bourns and the Irish Sport Horse Sea Topblue were also among the nine combinations that made it into the jump-off and took fifth place at the finish with four faults in a fast time of 43.98.

Speaking about the jump-off, Swail said: “Cassio was first in and had a blazing round. His horse is very fast and I nearly didn’t watch anything else after that if I am being honest. I knew it was going to be hard to beat him.

“My horse was fantastic and we are in a newer relationship. We haven’t done a ton of classes yet together and this is only our fourth five-star.

“He has been clear in three out of the four classes we have done. He is a fantastic horse and I am really looking forward to what is coming next with him.”

“I had a great round and he really jumped amazingly. I had a little stumble landing off of the last jump in the jump-off which I think took away a little time. I am very happy with second and the horse was just fantastic. Cassio was a great winner today,” Swail added.

It was a first five-star Grand Prix win for Rivetti, who commented: “She is a very special mare and one of the best I have ever ridden in my life.

“She has everything a rider could want in a horse. She has the mindset; she is careful, brave, and fights for a win with the rider.

“She was fighting for me to win and I almost fell off at the last fence.”

Galligan runner-up

Meath show jumper Nicky Galligan was runner-up in Sunday’s 1.50m jump-off class at the venue.

He guided the 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Javas Miss Jordan to one of just three clears against the clock in 41.69 seconds.

The pair were beaten by Sternlicht and Lafayette van Overis, a horse previously ridden by Ireland’s Bertram Allen, in 40.56. By Luidam, Javas Miss Jordan was bred by Judy Murphy out of the OBOS Quality mare Ally Angel.

Jordan Coyle placed fifth aboard Picador with a fence down in 39.28 seconds.