It’s always an honor to get the call to represent Team Ireland for a Nations Cup, so when Trevor was selected for the CSIO5* Team in Sopot with Highland President, and the CSIO3* Team in Prague with Germaine W, the whole team were delighted to head out to Europe once again to fly the Irish flag.
We started the first week off at Sopot in fine style – 8-year-old Jicarla T stunned the crowds in the 2* classes, starting off the show just off the podium for 4th place in the 1,40m on the first day. Keeping up her top form, she flew around the 2* Grand Prix for a lovely double clear to claim 5th place. There is so much more to come from this young mare.
Germaine W was her usual impressive self. After an effortless clear in the 5* 1.50m, she made her 5* Grand Prix debut in front of the Polish crowd. She made a huge effort over the massive and technical 1,60m track to have an unfortunate rub keeping her out of the jump off. This wonderful mare by Armstrong has been a pleasure to produce and we are so thrilled with how far she’s come to show us that she is the world class horse we knew she’d always be.
Highland President was once again selected to be on the Irish team, this time for the 5* Nations Cup. Alongside teammates Darragh Kenny, Mark Mcauley and Denis Lynch, the Irish team took the course head on. Highland President and Trevor delivered some spectacular rounds, including a crucial clear for Team Ireland, meaning Ireland took home 4th place. A huge congratulations to Germany for the win, and to Darragh, Mark and Denis who are always a pleasure to ride alongside.
The next week saw the team travel to CSIO3* Prague to compete under the Irish flag once again. Following on from her fantastic debut Nations Cup appearance in Bratislava – where she jumped a crucial clear to help the team take 2nd place- she took centre-stage once again in Prague.
On the first day, both Germaine W and Highland President cruised around the 3* 1,40m – warming up for the week ahead and both producing easy clears. This proved top be a perfect set-up for Germaine W, who went on to perform fantastically the following day- representing Ireland alongside David Simpson, Jack Ryan and Billy Twomey. She finished her Nations Cup on a 0/4 score, helping team Ireland secure 6th place. The tough courses, and exceptionally hot conditions were a feature throughout the weekend, but despite the 37 degree weather on Sunday, Germaine W put in another top performance in the Grand Prix. We are so impressed and proud of the way this mare has stepped up to the upper levels of the sport recently – consistently producing clear round and top results.
Our 8yo mare Jicarla T had another fantastic week – having just an unlucky fence in each 3* 1,45m Longines Ranking class over the weekend, but producing a super clear round over the 1,35m track on Saturday to take home a top-10 finish. She has stepped up to the big sport in fine style during the first half of her 8yo year, and we’re excited for her future.
Thank you to the show organisers in both Sopot and Prague for two fantastically well-run shows – and thank you to our owners, sponsors and team, both at home and at the shows, for their ongoing support.
We are very excited to be heading to Rotterdam, NL this week, donning the green jacket once more at the CSIO5* show with a string of top-class horses.