The Irish team of Bertram Allen, Darragh Kenny, Cian O’Connor and Greg Broderick won the Aga Khan Trophy at the Dublin Horse Show yesterday.
Broderick had two clear rounds and in the end there was no need for Kenny to jump in the second round as Ireland had already established a winning position ahead of the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Three of the Irish team went clear in the opening round, with only Allen bringing down a fence. Both Allen and Broderick went clear in the second round and O’Connor had four penalties – a good enough team performance to secure victory, with only the three best riders counting in each round.
Irish chef d’équipe Robert Splaine’s week of deep thought and concentration on his Aga Khan team paid off with a magnificent exhibition of riding by the squad to win the coveted trophy.
Splaine said: “To win at five-star level with four faults and a man to spare is a tribute to the riders and their planning. This was an incredible day for me personally to win the most famous trophy in the world.”
Early plan
O’Connor, winning on his 100th Nations Cup appearance, said: “We made our plan early on, it was not easy to win.”
Allen, who had the pressure of being first to go on the imposing track, added: “I have jumped all over the world but jumping in front of the crowds in Dublin and the atmosphere today was a great honour.”
Kenny, who was not required to jump in the second round, said he wanted to go again, “if only to hear the roar from the crowd – it was unbelievable.”
In addition to lifting the Aga Khan, Ireland has qualified for the Barcelona Furusiyya Nations Cup final of the European Division 1 league final in September.
The win, which saw newcomer Broderick deliver a double clear with the steady-headed, Irish-bred nine-year-old Mhs Going Global, made for exciting viewing, both in the arena and on television, as team after team faded.
Allen, on the stallion Romanov, had the pressure of being first to jump and despite tipping a vertical on the 17-year-old bay, the others rallied round and regrouped. Broderick, O’Connor and Kenny with the awesome Sans Soucis Z showed their class to leave Ireland in the lead after round one with a zero score.
As they held aloft the trophy and punched the air, the Irish collected a cheque for €64,000 after finishing on a total score of four penalties ahead of the Netherlands on eight penalties.
Switzerland, whose Olympic champion Steve Guerdat had a day to forget when he was eliminated, finished third on 13 points despite a great clear from Christina Liebherr and second round time penalty with her Darco stallion LB Eagle Eye.
It was a Nations Cup to forget for the US, who won last year in style, but finished on 32 penalties.
