SOMETIMES, positive thinking is just what the doctor ordered. Positive thinking has the power to turn something difficult into something manageable, and a good day into an even better one.

What a contrast there is at present between the sports of horse racing and showjumping. It seems at every turn that there are hurdles being placed in front of racing, with few enough good news stories emanating from that sector.

Contrast that with the success headlines that are now the norm when it comes to showjumping, and particularly among our talented young riders.

Last week there was so much success enjoyed by our underage showjumpers that something like Bertram Allen’s great win, thanks to a lightning-fast round in the jump-off, in the five-star Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of La Coruña in Spain, almost went under the radar.

He collected €100,000 for winning on the exceptional Irish horse, Pacino Amiro (ISH), bred by Simon Scott. This was Bertram’s first LGCT Grand Prix win since 2018.

Capacity crowd

The thrill of this win was enhanced by the fact that Bertram was last to go in a nine-horse jump-off, and he won the competition by fractions of a second in front of a capacity crowd. This victory also secured his place at the LGCT Super Grand Prix in Prague later this year.

Ireland currently has two riders among the top 10 in the FEI rankings, Shane Sweetnam and Conor Swail, four more among the top 50, Daniel Coyle, Darragh Kenny, Bertram Allen and Denis Lynch, and a further seven in the top 100. What a record for a country of our size, and it is no wonder that the nation will be holding its breath in a couple of weeks as we try to retain the coveted Aga Khan Trophy at the RDS. Who can forget last year’s stunning success?

Young riders

Back for a moment to our young riders. Last weekend was one that will never be forgotten. At the FEI European Show Jumping Championships in Italy, Ireland made history by winning two team golds, an individual gold and an individual silver medal. Managed by James Kernan, we won team gold in the Young Rider final and in the Junior final.

The Young Rider individual final saw Kilkenny’s Seamus Hughes-Kennedy and ESI Rocky (ISH), bred by his uncle, confirm their prowess as the best combination in Europe, doubling the young man’s gold medal haul.

Then, on Sunday, Tipperary’s Tom Wachman won individual silver for Juniors when he moved from fifth place at the start of the day to finish in second after two fantastic rounds of jumping. Roll on Dublin.