Swail Third in Rich Florida Grand Prix
CO. DOWN’S Conor Swail claimed third place in tonight’s (Sunday) Grand Prix at the four-star show in Wellington, Florida.
In a 50-strong field that attracted the cream of international talent, all hoping to gain a share of the 150,000 dollar prize pot, it was US rider Kent Farrington and the bay mare Blue Angel who finally snapped up the 49,500 dollar first prize.
But the 42 year-old Malahide-based Irish rider piloted Ariel and Susan Grange’s stallion Lansdowne though to the 11-horse jump-off and at the finish was just a third of a second off the pace of winner Farrington, collecting 22,500 dollars as consolation. The USA’s Beezie Madden took the runner-up slot with the gelding Cortes C, winning 30,000 dollars.
US-based Irish rider Darragh Kenny also made it through to the jump-off at Wellington, but had an unfortunate single fence down with Watch Me vd Mangelaar, to end in ninth place overall.
In Spain, meanwhile, Ireland’s Capt. Michael Kelly took sixth place today in the three-star Vejer de la Frontera Grand Prix on the Irish Sport Horse Annestown, with Jessica Kurten placing eighth in the two-star Oliva Grand Prix in Valencia with VDL Zapatero and Kevin Thornton finishing second on Kobold V Schloesslihof in the one-star Grand Prix at the same venue.
Supplied by Colin McClelland, Horse Sport Ireland
Category: News, Show Jumping
