OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALLIST Cian O’Connor brought Blue Loyd out for the climax of the Longines Grand Prix, at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show, and took home €30,000 for third place.
Irish riders also claimed four other places in the top 10, but ultimate victory, and €66,000, went to Germany’s Carsten-Otto Nagel and the grey mare Corradina on one of the competition’s two double clear rounds.
The second double clear went to French ace Kevin Staut and the gelding Reveur De Hurtebise, who collected prize money of €40,000 for the runner-up spot.
The two-round competition qualified just 10 combinations for a second appearance in the RDS main arena, and O’Connor, who dropped a pole on his first attempt, came good with a zero score on his final attempt, to finish on a score of four faults overall.
Positive Irish showing
Sixth place went to Derry’s Trevor Coyle and Jubilee d’Ouilly, who also had an aggregate score of four faults, as did eighth-placed Andrew Bourns and the Irish Sport Horse Roundthorn Madios, together with Capt.
David O’Brien on the Irish Sport Horse gelding Annestown, who finished in ninth.
Shane Carey rounded off the Irish presence in the upper ranks of the Grand Prix with a tenth place on Ballymore Eustace, also on a combined two-round total of four penalties.
Earlier in the day, Tipperary’s Shane Breen claimed victory in the Speed Championship on board the consistently-placed Ominerale Courcelle, with Conor Swail once again taking a top five spot with the mare Martha Louise, finishing in third today.
Billy Twomey and Romanov picked up a seventh place in the championship, with 17 year-old Michael Duffy once more showing promise on the Irish Sport Horse Killard Horizon with a tenth place finish.
