Ireland have made steady progress up the leaderboard thanks to sterling cross-country performances at the eventing World Championships in Aachen.
The Irish team have moved up from seventh after dressage to press for the podium in fourth, less than one showjumping rail behind Switzerland. However, they do not have a rail in hand to fend off the US or France, breathing down their necks in fifth and sixth.
Leading the quartet is Aoife Clark, who produced one of the rounds of the day, on The Ace of Spades Syndicate’s 11-year-old Full Monty De Lacense. The pair had a fall at the Blenheim Europeans on their championship debut last season but set the record straight here over a course Aoife described as “a racetrack”.
They added just 1.2 time-faults to complete this phase on 32.7, which moved them up 20 places to 12th overnight.
“He’s some horse, and he feels like he’s getting better and better,” said Aoife, whose last visit to the worlds was in 2014. “I could have cruised round inside the time, I was saying ‘whoa’, but in my head I was thinking, ‘I’m on the team, be clear before being fast’. Actually, over the last couple of fences, I took his rhythm away and should have let him go.”
How Ireland moved up the leaderboard in the eventing World Championships cross-country phase
Ian Cassells was Ireland’s pathfinder with his Blenheim European team silver medallist Millridge Atlantis. He ensured a solid start for the team, despite having to sit tight at the first water, with a clear round and 7.2 time-faults. However in 30th place, his mark of 40.7 currently stands as Ireland’s drop score.
The grey lost a shoe at the silver birch rail-ditch-rail (fence 8ABCDE), so Ian had to nurse him round after that.
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“I had to start thinking and riding more cautiously around my turns,” he said. “That takes more energy out of the horses. But that’s cross-country riding and team riding. We have to get a solid score for the team, and thankfully I rode with my head.”
Austin O’Connor, at number three, also prioritised a safe clear over speed with his cross-country specialist Colorado Blue (Salty). They’d posted an outstanding dressage of 29 but couldn’t capitalise on that individual placing, dropping from 14th to 21st with eight time-faults.
Salty suffered a splint bone fracture earlier in the season, and has had few runs.
“He hasn’t really had a competitive run this year, and the course is quite twisty and surprising,” Austin explained. “Maybe he struggled to get into his rhythm, but once again he just gave it his all. He’s short of runs this season so I think it’s been an awesome performance.”
Austin took an unscheduled long route to ensure another clear in the bag.
“It wasn’t a case of bottling it but I thought maybe I didn’t have quite as much engine as I might need there. I’m probably kicking myself over that but the main thing is from a team perspective it’s going well.”
Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue en route to a clear round in Aachen
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
With three clears in the bag, the pressure was off Padraig McCarthy and his 2024 Blenheim young horse champion MGH Zabaione. But they also jumped clear, for 7.6 time-faults and 28th place overnight.
“He’s only 10 so it’s a big ask bringing him here,” said Padraig, a former double world silver medallist from 2018. “We came [to Aachen] last year and had 20 penalties so used that information to get back to the drawing board. He’s an incredibly good horse and what a performance from the team.”
Eventing World Championship cross-country results: team standings
The top six team standings are:
Britain 75.6
Germany 90.4
Switzerland 106.5
Ireland 110.1
US 112.3
France 113.9
Ireland’s individual rider makes eyecatching debut
Ireland’s individual Georgie Goss, making her senior championship debut having changed nationality from British three years ago, completed the full complement of Irish clears.
Riding 11-year-old black gelding Kojak, she added 12 time-faults to sit in 32nd overnight.
“He was class – a little bit slower than we hoped but he came home well,” said Georgie.
“He made one little error at the coffin – he hung a leg and I dropped both reins and he jumped his way out. Then I made a little error at the bank when he launched and than tore down on a curve to the angle on no line at all and said, ‘Mum, I think it’s that one’.”
“So he is an unbelievable horse, he just needs miles on the clock to be a real contender.”
Follow the final trot-up with Horse & Hound
Horse & Hound’slive reports service will be covering the final horse inspection from 8.30am (UK time) on Sunday 16 August, so make sure you join us to stay abreast of the latest developments, followed by the showjumping phase, which begins at 12noon (UK time).
Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
