THE Major League Show Jumping season got off to a great start at the weekend, with the first leg of this year’s league being held at Thunderbird Horse Show in Vancouver, Canada.

The Major League Show Jumping concept is designed to promote five-star show jumping in North America, with legs at 10 venues across Canada, Mexico and the USA throughout the year, incorporating individual and team competitions.

Co Down’s Conor Swail, currently number 18 in the world, started the show as he meant to go on when he won Friday night’s $62,500 CSI5* 1.50m qualifier with the 11-year-old gelding Casturano (Castelan 3 x Canturo), owned by Conall Murray.

Twelve of the 26 starters jumped clear over tracks set by course designer Gregory Bodo (FRA), who is tipped to build at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, to proceed to the jump-off, with six completing double clear rounds. Swail’s time of 35.47 seconds was the fastest to secure the win, just ahead of Canadian runner-up Erynn Ballard on Libido Van’T Hofken (35.77), while Swail’s Trelawny Trailblazers team mate Daniel Bluman placed third with Ladriano Z (36.20).

Swail has partnered Casturano for a year, during which time, the gelding has surpassed expectations. “In the beginning, he was going very high [over the fences], so we wondered if he could jump at the highest level. You can’t jump 1.60m going 2.10m. The horse always had a lot of quality and he’s understanding how to manage the height better with ease, rather than being as strong and extravagant.

“Major League helped him a lot,” continued Swail. “Last year, he jumped six or seven team events and was clear. He’s learning, getting better and, at the moment, he’s not showing me any signs of stopping.”

Teamwork

Six months ago, the Trelawny Trailblazers were 2023 Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) season champions. In Vancouver at the weekend, the team picked up where they left off, as winners of the opening leg.

From the team list of Daniel Bluman (ISR), Lillie Keenan (USA), Darragh Kenny (IRL), Conor Swail (IRL) and newcomers to the line-up, Charlotte Jacobs (USA) and Philip McGuane (IRL), team owner Cara Raether-Carey called on Bluman, Jacobs and Swail to ride at the first leg in Canada.

Following the first round, Bluman, Swail and Jacobs were sitting in second place, but a change of format means the second round is now a Table A Speed round. Swail on Vital Chance De La Roque and Bluman on Corbie VV were both clear and fast, which sent Jacobs to the medal round.

Jacobs made her debut a winning one, riding the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Rincoola Milsean, when she outpaced Vanessa Mannix (CAN) and Carmela Z in the gold medal round, with a time of 37.49 seconds to Mannix’s 38.03 seconds. Rincoola Milsean (ISH) is by Aldatus Z (OLD) out of Rincoola Abu (ISH)[TIH] by Cruising (ISH)[TIH] and was bred by Harold McGahern in Co Longford.

Following Jacobs’ winning round, Bluman noted: “It doesn’t come very often that you have a team where everyone is amazing. On paper, we feel extremely strong. We respect each other as individual competitors, and then we are able to ride together. In other circumstances, we would never have the opportunity to ride together.”

In conclusion, Swail said: “We’ve got to go in and keep backing up why we are the strongest.”

Irishmen Andrew Bourns and David O’Brien were part of the Helios team that took third spot on the podium.

The Trelawny Trailblazers team of Daniel Bluman (ISR), Charlotte Jacobs (USA) and Conor Swail (IRL) topped the podium after winning the first Major League Show Jumping competition of the season on Saturday at Thunderbird Horse Show in Vancouver \ MLSJ

Irish placings

Major League Show Jumping had kicked off on Friday, May 24th, with Swail and My Lady Lavista placing third of 63 starters in the $31,100 CSI2* 1.45m qualifier. There were 20 first-round clears, but only seven of those were able to keep the poles intact in the second round. Swail jumped double clear with a jump-off time of 37.98 seconds. James Chawke placed eighth in the class riding One Edition.

Swail was runner-up in the $31,000 CSI2* 1.45m Grand Prix on Saturday evening riding My Lady Lavista. From 49 starters, only 10 managed to keep all the poles in the cups in round one; six of those jumped clear again second time out, with time being the deciding factor. Swail stopped the clock in 34.27 seconds, just 0.18 behind the winner Johnny Pals (NED) on Chacco’s Girl (34.09). Swail also placed eighth on board Fasole Du Seigneur.

In the $62,500 CSI5* Canadian Individual class, Swail was once again within touching distance of the top spot, taking another second place, this time with Vital Chance De La Roque. Their time of 62.78 seconds was just 0.11 seconds off the winning time set by Canada’s Nicole Walker on Atout Des Trambles (62.67). O’Brien on El Balou OLD placed fifth in 64.43 seconds, while Charlotte Jacobs (USA) rode Rincoola Milsean (ISH) into eighth place (65.01).

O’Brien and El Balou OLD were best of the Irish in Sunday’s $340,000 CSI5* 1.60m Grand Prix, when they placed seventh of the 25 starters. They were among the seven combinations to ride clear over the first-round course, but faults in the second round left them in seventh place overall.

Only two combinations managed to jump double clear, winner Canadian Erynn Ballard on Nikka VD Bisschop (41.59) and runner-up Grant Seger (USA) on Frieda (42.35).