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Cian O’Connor and Aramis 573 Win Connolly’s RED MILLS 7 & 8 year old International Final

News Desk — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 06:57:58 +0000

Cian O Connor and Aramis 573, Connolly’s RED MILLS 7 & 8 year old International Champions at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show, photo Sonya Dempsey Jumpingnews.com

Ireland’s Olympic Bronze Medallist Cian O Connor riding Aramis 573, were crowned 2014 Connolly’s RED MILLS 7 & 8 year old International champions, following three thrilling competitions at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show.

Written by Brian Hennessy

A world class line up which included current world cup champion Daniel Duesser from Germany, Swedish super-star Malin Baryard Johnsson and current world number one Scott Brash from Great Britain, joined a list of Ireland’s top riders with their 7 & 8 year old horses, in a competition which began with two qualifying rounds on Wednesday and Friday at the RDS, before Sunday’s grand final in the main arena, just before the Longines Grand Prix of Ireland.

USA based Irish rider Darragh Kenny and Chin Quidam VDL, landed both Wednesday’s opening speed class and Friday’s second qualifying round of the Connolly’s RED MILLS International 7 & 8 year old competition, however Sunday’s final in the RDS saw Meath based Cian O Connor lift The “Corry” Perpetual Challenge Trophy, after a brilliant performance with the eight year old stallion Aramis 573.

Ten of the 22 starters made it into the jump-off, with riders from six different nations taking their chances against the clock, but at the finish it was Cian O Connor who grabbed the Connolly’s RED MILLS sponsored winners prize with Aramis 573, who is by the stallion Askari out of a dam by Campione.

Speaking afterwards, Cian O Connor spoke about his winning mount, who came to him earlier this year having previously competed in Austria,

“This was only my second show with this horse, I have only had him a few months. He is still a bit green but is a very fast horse, he has won a lot already as a 5, 6 and 7 year-old in Austria before I got him. His rideability needs to improve a bit but he has a super technique and I don’t think there is a course he can’t jump and if he does make it to the highest level at least he now has already been in this arena at the RDS”.

Cian O Connor went on to praise the sponsors saying,

“It is a very good class and a lot of credit must go to the sponsors Connolly’s RED MILLS, it is great to see the Irish horses that qualified to get here, compete against some of the best 7 & 8 year old horses in the world”.

Darragh Kenny was again among the prizes in the final, taking runner up spot with another stallion Chin Quidam VDL, while Nicola Fitzgibbon made sure Ireland filled the top three places, coming home in third with the Irish Sport Horse Shantonagh.

British Aga Khan team member Joe Clee slotted into fourth with Gamko S, while Belgian rider Peter Devos finished fifth with Guicci DV.

The top ranked rider in the world, Scott Brash had to settle for sixth place in the Connolly’s RED MILS final with the highest placed mare in the class Hello M’Lady, while Tipperary’s Greg Broderick was the next best placed Irish rider finishing ninth with Javas Keltic Mist.

Full Result - Connolly’s RED MILLS 7 & 8 year-old International Final – Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show 10/08/2014

1. Cian O Connor(IRL)/Aramis 573 0/0 41.85

2. Darragh Kenny(IRL)/Chin Quidam VDL 0/0 42.31

3 Nicola Fitzgibbon(IRL)/Shantonagh(ISH) 0/0 44.27

4. Joe Clee(GBR)/Gamko S 0/0 45.21

5. Pieter Devos(BEL)/Guicci DV 0/0 46.04

6. Scott Brash(GBR)/Hello M’Lady

Twomey and O’Connor Take Top Two Plces At Britain’s Show Jumper of the Year

News Desk — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 09:31:20 +0000

IRELAND dominated the Leading Show Jumper of the Year competition at the Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham, England tonight (Sunday), with Cork’s Billy Twomey taking first place and Meath’s Cian O’Connor claiming second.

On a challenging course that saw the Irish riders posting two of only three zero scores in the Grand Prix’s opening round, a largely British field failed to ignite, leaving O’Connor and Twomey to battle it out with France’s Julien Epaillard and Quarat de la Loge for the top honours.

However, the French rider had one rail down in the jump-off, and O’Connor with The Serendipity Group’s bay gelding Cooper then briefly held the lead with a second clear round.

Twomey, however, riding Sue Davies’s mare Tinka’s Serenade, produced a blazingly fast zero penalty round and collected the 16,000 euro first prize with almost six seconds in hand over his fellow-countryman, who took home 10,000 euro for his runner-up place.

The Irish riders were the only competitors from a starting field of 23 to record double clear rounds in the prestigious three-star British competition.

Horse Sport Ireland

O’Connor Wins German Grand Prix, Donates Prize to Groom

News Desk — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:12:29 +0000

Cian O’Connor, Ireland, on Blue Loyd 12, celebrates after his team’s victory in the FEI Nations Cup. Dublin Horse Show 2012, Main Arena, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin. Picture credit: Matt Browne / SPORTSFILE

IRELAND’S Olympic Bronze Medallist Cian O’Connor today won a Golf GTI car when taking first prize at the Grand Prix in Sommerstorf, Germany but immediately donated it to his long-time groom, “Frenchy”.

Riding Beverley Widdowson’s 12 year old gelding Unique clear over two rounds, 33 year-old O’Connor, who is based in Co. Meath, was one of ten combinations through to the jump-off, but claimed the white performance car as his prize when romping home almost two seconds faster than German challenger Carsten-Otto Nagel and Holiday by Solitour.

Afterwards O’Connor said: “Unique has been a consistent performer since joining my stables at the beginning of the year, and has delivered great performances in the United Arab Emirates, Austria and more recently in Norten Hardenburg in Germany. We came here to win the Grand Prix and that’s just what we did.”

Asked about his decision to hand over the Golf GTI to his groom, O’Connor said: “Frenchy (real name Clement Waras) has been with me through thick and thin over the last seven years, including the London Olympics, and the decision was quite simple – my wife and I both have cars and he does not. So Frenchy gets the Golf.”

Horse Sport Ireland Release

Cian O’Connors Olympic Horse Blue Loyd Returns to Irish Team for Swiss Nations Cup

News Desk — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:16:24 +0000

17 August 2012; Cian O’Connor, Ireland, on Blue Loyd 12, celebrates after his team’s victory in the FEI Nations Cup. Dublin Horse Show 2012, Main Arena, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin. Picture credit: Matt Browne / SPORTSFILE

IRELAND’S Team Manager Robert Splaine this morning (Friday) revealed that Cian O’Connor’s Olympic Bronze Medal horse Blue Loyd will return with him to the Irish team for the vital Nations’ Cup competition at St. Gallen in Switzerland next Friday, May 31st.

Though sold late last year, Blue Loyd’s new Canadian owner Nicole Walker has offered O’Connor his former London mount to jump as part of the Irish squad competing at the country’s second fixture of the Furusiyya FEI series.

Robert Splaine said this morning: “This is an exceptionally generous gesture by Nicole, as there is no doubt Blue Loyd will greatly enhance Ireland’s competitiveness at St. Gallen. Under the 2013 rules we have just four venues where we can gain world series points, so we need the very best horsepower available to us, and they don’t come much better than Blue Loyd.

“Owners play an incredibly important part in making horses available to the Irish team, and for St. Gallen we also have to thank the Minister for Defence for providing Capt. Michael Kelly’s Annestown, and Mrs. Jackie Bolger and Mel Sutcliffe, who own Shane Carey’s Ballymore Eustace.

“Shane Breen has two possible combinations for La Baule – Edmund Simpson and Anatoli Pysarenko’s Balloon, and John Griffin and Shane Breen’s ‘Cos I Can – and I hope to shortly confirm which of these two will appear at St. Gallen, as well as a fifth combination to complete the full squad.”

After their first outing at La Baule in France, the Irish currently lie in joint second place in the Furusiyya FEI Europe Division One with 75.67 points, with Switzerland in the lead on 90 points.

Horse Sport Ireland, Colin McClelland

Cian O’Connor at Castle Leslie

News Desk — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:34:49 +0000

Castle Leslie are getting ready for an exciting weekend with Cian O’Connor this Friday and Saturday 12th & 13th April.

A private demonstration is planned for the main arena on Friday night, with tickets priced at 20 euro per person ow VIP gallery tickets at 35 euro including a glass of bubbly and canapes.

Saturday will see lessons starting at 9.30am priced at 180 euro per person including lunch in the gallery with Cian. To purchase tickets, you can call 00353 (0)47 88535 or email stables@castleleslie.com

Olympic Medalist Cian O’Connor to visit Castle Leslie Equestrian Centre

News Desk — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 08:41:14 +0000

Castle Leslie Equestrian Centre is delighted to announce that Cian O’Connor, Irish International Rider and Olympic Medal Winner will visit the estate on 12th & 13th April to conduct a demonstration and a series of lessons. On Friday 12th April Cian will conduct a private demonstration in the arena with tickets costing €20 per person. You can also purchase VIP gallery tickets at €35 per person which includeVIP Gallery Ticket: €35 per person (includes prime viewing gallery, glass of bubbly and canapés) prime viewing from the gallery, a glass of bubbly and canapés. On Saturday, Cian will conduct a one hour private group lesson which will commence at 9:30am and includes lunch in the gallery with Cian. Tickets cost €180 per person. Jenny Richardson, Castle Leslie Equestrian Centre Business Manager commented: “I am delighted to welcome Cian to Castle Leslie Equestrian Centre. This will be his first official appearance since winning the Olympic Bronze Medal. We expect a great turnout as there’s been huge interest so far”. Cian O’Connor is already probably Ireland’s greatest ever showjumper at the young age of 33. Undoubtedly he achieved his biggest success ever when he won a bronze medal at the London Olympic games 2012. This was immediately followed up by being a member of the Irish Nations Cup team, which won the Aga Khan Trophy at the Dublin Horse show in August 2012 which enabled Ireland to finish third in the World Superleague. Cian’s achievement in winning an Olympic medal in London was all the more remarkable when as a last minute nomination to the Irish Team for the London Olympics he made it all the way through five epic rounds of the toughest showjumping tracks in the world to reach his goal of Olympic glory. Ultimately Cian’s Olympic success story reads like a blockbuster novel and his story is one of dedication, passion for excellence, and drive for success which he puts down to working harder and being more organised and planned than anybody else! Cian first saw and spotted the potential talent of his Olympic horse, Blue Loyd, back in 2010 and immediately he formed a plan which saw him buy the horse in November 2011 and subsequently trained him to reach the podium of success at the Olympics which he famously achieved. By way of background Cian was born in Dublin, Ireland and raised in the horse rich area of Co Kildare. He has a great sporting pedigree in his background as his late grandfather, Karl Mullen, was one of the all time great Irish international rugby legends. Married to Ruth and now living just outside Dublin in County Meath he trains his horses at a world class facility and stables, Karlswood, also in County Meath where he trains young and upcoming riders at the stables and from where he also trades in all classes of showjumping horses. For the past five years Cian has been the highest ranked Irish rider based in Ireland and he is regularly seen competing all over the world from Europe and the Middle East to the USA and Canada. Cian is also a well-known breeder of top class Irish showjumping horses which are well known and in great demand throughout the world as brave and intelligent equine athletes. He also has an exceptional talent in spotting potential jumping superstars and has traded many top international horses to other countries including the horse ‘Temple Road’ which reached the final round of the London Olympics this year. It is now Cian’s intention to set up a world class and independent Showjumping Centre of Excellence which will be unique and will be one of the leading centres of its kind in Europe. Equipped with leading international standard facilities with purpose made stabling, arenas, treatment areas, paddocks as well as teaching classrooms, this new venue will be based at Cian’s new base at Blackhall Manor near Dunboyne in Co Meath. For further information on these events and to purchase tickets, please contact the Equestrian Centre directly on 047 88 535 or email stables@castleleslie.com per person.