Equestrian - Darragh Kenny wins in Rome before thunderstorms force cancelation while Irish Eventers feature at Blenheim
Offaly’s Darragh Kenny stormed to victory in the two-star speed class at Rome in Italy today. Kenny partnered the eight-year-old mare Chanel to the fastest clear round in 65.16 seconds to finish with a winners margin of over two seconds and collect just over €8,000.
Irish riders Bertram Allen (Hector van d’Abdijhoeve) and Denis Lynch (All Star 5), didn’t feature in the prizes in the morning’s five-star Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Rome, with both riders picking up four faults in each of the two rounds. Allen however did add to his league points tally when finishing in 13th place and now lies in fourth place overall on the Global Tour standings with just two rounds remaining.
The Rome Global Tour Grand Prix was eventually won by Dutchman Harrie Smolders and Don VHP, having been rescheduled from Saturday following thunderstorms at the Italian venue, and Sunday’s closing competitions also had to be cancelled after storms returned in the afternoon.
At another five-star show at Lausanne in Switzerland, Mayo’s Cameron Hanley finished fifth in a speed class with the nine-year-old gelding Cas.
Meanwhile at the Event Rider Masters at Blenheim Palace in the UK, Sarah Ennis and Horseware Stellor Rebound (ISH) finished best of the Irish in ninth place overall on a score of 55.60 after a clear jumping round Cross Country with just 4.80 time penalties. Ireland’s Aoife Clark and Fernhill Adventure (ISH) had started the final Cross Country phase in second place, however 20 jumping and 14.8 time faults dropped them down to 26th place at the finish.
Thomas Carlile (FRA) won Blenheim’s final round of the ERM series with Upsilon, while Britain’s Oliver Townend was crowned Event Rider Masters series champion.
In the CCI3* competition at Blenheim, Susie Berry and Carsonstown Athena (ISH) finished in 10th place on a score of 61.10 penalties behind German winner Bettina Hoy riding Seigneur Medicott.