As Cian O'Connor (IRL) watched the jump-off unfold in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Ocala, he found himself inspired by his Irish teammates.
"When there's so many Irish in the jump-off, and I knew they'd go so hard, it kind of motivated me a little bit to have a proper go," he said.
Five of the seven athletes in the jump-off represented Ireland, and ultimately, they made up the entire podium. O'Connor won the class with Bentley de Sury, crossing the timers of Bernardo Costa Cabral's (POR) short course in 36.62 seconds. It was a race to the finish, as he narrowly edged Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and James Kann Cruz by two-tenths of a second (36.81s), followed by Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Incredible three-hundredths of a second behind (36.84s). Adding to the Irish dominance, O'Connor's student, 20-year-old Tom Wachman (IRL) finished fourth.
"Shane had a brilliant round, and I knew Daniel was coming behind [me], so I just did what I thought Bentley could do."
Cian O'Connor
(IRL)
Saturday seemed to be the Irish's day, as hours earlier the country recorded the opening win of the 2025 Longines League of Nations season in Abu Dhabi (UAE). The North American League has typically been dominated by Irish riders, with Coyle (IRL) and Conor Swail (IRL) leading the league standings in the last three seasons. But heading into Ocala, the Irish had yet to lead a victory lap on the current season. They made up for it in spades.
Accounting for more than 70 percent of the jump-off, Ireland made its presence known under the lights at the magnificent World Equestrian Center venue, which will hold its own Longines League of Nations leg next month. Sweetnam put the pressure on with a nearly flawless round aboard his Paris 2024 Olympics partner, James Kann Cruz, but he also gave his countrymen a target to chase.
"My turn wasn't good enough [between the second and third jump-off fences]...I had a feeling I didn't have enough done," Sweetnam said. "[My horse] jumped great. I'm delighted with him. I can always be a little bit better, but he did his part."
O'Connor managed to forge ahead narrowly, and his smile as he crossed the line hinted that the longtime Irish captain thought he may have done enough. Still, it was a tense wait through the remainder of the class. Darragh Kenny (IRL) was up on the clock with Eddy Blue when he cut the turn boldly into the combination. Eddy Blue showed off his athleticism by clearing the first element of the double, but he brought down the oxer jumping out. That left only Coyle to chase, but he had to change his plan in the final line.
"The plan was to try to do eight [strides] to the last fence, but I had emptied the horse and myself, and I thought, 'Well, I will do something I never do, and I took an extra stride,'" Coyle shared. "I thought, 'If I'm fast enough, I'm fast enough,' and tonight I wasn't.
"If anyone's going to beat you, it might as well be two Irishmen."
The penultimate line was a defining moment, with riders chasing to a tall vertical with a water tray. The winning round required seven strides.
"It walked eight and three-quarter strides, so we all thought we'd do eight, but when Shane and Tom went down in seven, I said, 'You have no choice. You have got to keep going in seven,'" O'Connor reflected. "It really made the class, that run."
O'Connor has only been partnered with "Bentley," a 14-year-old Selle Francais gelding, since the fall, acquiring the ride through his student, Anastasia Nielsen (MON). The partnership was initially meant to be temporary.
"She actually found the horse a little bit strong, and she asked me to ride him for a while, so I rode him from October up until [December], and then I decided to buy him," O'Connor shared. "I felt that having an experienced horse like Bentley would be great for me, because it would take the pressure off some of the newer horses and younger horses that I bought and allow me time to develop them. The plan is working out okay."
The night resulted in three Irish riders earning tickets out of the North American League to the upcoming World Cup Finals in Basel (SUI) in April. Kenny, Sweetnam, and Coyle qualify as Extra Athletes.
"The Irish are good all over the world. We punch above our weight, I suppose for a small nation, but [Irish riders] are horsemen, and they want to win, and we all motivate each other," O'Connor said. "Everyone has a relationship. We work together, we discuss the courses together, people are behind the other person doing well, and that kind of culture creates a movement where everyone wants to go well."
Kent Farrington (USA) ends the season atop the NAL standings with 58 points, ahead of Daniel Bluman (ISR) with 54 points and Kristen Vanderveen (USA), who has 38 points. The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final happens in Basel, 1-6 April 2025, with the NAL season beginning anew in fall 2025.
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