Four star win in Salem for the Irish contenders across the Atlantic

The Tricolour dominated show jumping proceedings at New York’s Old Salem Farm, with Irish athletes winning the two international classes to take a big bite out of the Big Apple prize money right from the start of the show.

Darragh Kenny began the bonanza in the four-star feature while Simon McCarthy was also on the mark at two-star level.

It was a good night too for Down rider Conor Swail, who maintained his stellar form with a runner-up finish in five-star competition at the Traverse City Horse Show in Michigan.

Kenny’s success was the highlight, however, emerging triumphant in the two-phase challenge with Serendepety and collecting fifth-place dollars into the bargain along with Chaccoletto.

It was the lightning double-clear recorded in conjunction with exciting nine-year-old Serendepety that stole the show, the Beerbaum Stables-owned mare's 25.36 time for the speed phase guaranteeing the victory for the Tokyo Olympian over 40 other rivals in the 1.45m class.

“Serendepety is a really fast mare,” Kenny said. “She’s really stepped up to the 1.45/1.50m level, and I just had a bit of fun with her today. She’s super quick across the ground and really light, and I just had to turn back in a couple of places for the time. She was great. She’ll jump the 1.45m class again on Saturday.”

Later on, McCarthy made it an Irish double by steering Good Mood Semilly to top spot on the podium in the two-star 1.40m speed class.

Swail and Vital Chance De La Roque were in five-star winning form in Ottawa last month and they went close to following up last night but found just one too good in another top-flight speed class.

Swail, who was among the winners at Spruce Meadows last week, has had a long, prosperous relationship with the 15-year-old gelding he owns with Conall Murray of Mannon Farm and they set a stern examination on the opposition by going clear in a time of 58.07 seconds.

Despite being just 14th of 64 into the arena, that was too strong for all bar red-hot USA pilot McLain Ward, whose Aga Khan Cup heroics at the Dublin Horse Show appear to have propelled him to a rich vein of form subsequently.

Ward and First Lady were the 40th combination and they were just too quick and nimble on this occasion, sprinting to a time of 56.32 that bagged the spoils, with the Irish pairing earning the silver medal.