AS the Olympic Games in Paris get ever-closer, the Irish show jumping team secured an impressive runner-up finish in the five-star Italian Nations Cup in Rome last Friday. Rome is part of the new Rolex Series, which also includes Dublin Horse Show in August.

Ireland had won the Rome Nations Cup, held at the picturesque Piazza di Sienna, for the first time in 2023. Hoping to retain the title, Michael Blake had selected a strong team, with Offaly’s Darragh Kenny on Amsterdam 27; Cork’s Shane Sweetnam on the Patrick Connolly-bred CSF James Kann Cruz (ISH); Derry’s Daniel Coyle on Legacy and Meath’s Cian O’Connor on Maurice lining out. First in for Ireland, Kenny clocked up an uncharacteristic 19 faults, a score which was discarded.

Coyle incurred four faults, but Sweetnam and O’Connor rode super clear rounds to leave Ireland on a first-round score of four and in fourth place at the halfway stage, just a fence behind leaders Germany and the USA, who were both on a zero score.

The second round saw Kenny and Amsterdam 27 pick up eight faults, but Sweetnam and the 11-year-old CSF James Kann Cruz (ISH) completed a brilliant double clear. At that point, Germany had taken the outright lead, as they were the only team on a zero score. Coyle and Legacy jumped an excellent clear, before anchorman O’Connor and the 12-year-old gelding Maurice completed a fantastic double clear to leave Ireland on a final score of four faults.

Germany took the win, as the only team to finish on a zero score; while Belgium finished third on eight faults.

Placings

Show jumping had commenced last Thursday at the Piazza di Siena, but the Irish weren’t in the placings until Friday, when Shane Sweetnam on Irandole du Flot placed fifth in the five-star €40,000 1.55m class.

Saturday’s €20,000 1.60m Six Bar class saw Coyle and Lena VDL in runner-up position, while Michael Duffy and O’Balou van de Plataan finished joint seventh.