Ireland complete hat-trick of La Baule Nations Cup wins
For the third time in history, the Irish show jumping team emerged as winners of the five-star Nations Cup of France in La Baule.
In a team that included a mixture of youth and experience, they were pushed all the way by Belgium, but it was the Irish who came out on top at the French seaside venue after a flawless display.
Ireland arrived in La Baule on the back of a Nations Cup win last weekend in British Columbia and knew they would face an event tougher test in La Baule where a world class field had assembled.
Wexford's Bertram Allen got Ireland off to the perfect start when he jumped clear as the first rider to enter the arena with 9-year-old gelding Qonquest De Rigo.
Seamus Hughes Kennedy and ESI Rocky (ISH) were next to go, fresh from an impressive fourth-place finish in the Rolex Grand Prix of Rome a week earlier. They delivered a textbook clear to keep Ireland on a zero score.
Tom Wachman with Tabasco De Toxandria Z then picked up 8 faults, but that could be discarded when anchor rider Cian O'Connor jumped clear with the 14-year-old gelding Bentley De Sury.
That left Ireland on a zero score at the half-way stage and in a tie for the lead with Belgium.
The second round saw Allen again jump clear, while Nicola Philippaerts matched the score for Belgium to keep the two nations out in front.
Hughes Kennedy then added another Irish clear, and when 20-year-old Wachman also jumped clear second time out, Ireland were guaranteed to finish on a zero score without the need for Cian O'Connor to jump in the second round.
With Peter Devos having one fence down in his second round, Belgium's final rider, Gilles Thomas, had to jump clear to force a jump-off with Ireland.
Thomas picked up four faults at the second fence in what was an otherwise perfect round meaning Ireland were clear winners as the only team to finish on a zero score.
Belgium finished second on four faults, while Brazil took third place on the podium with 8 faults.
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