On the same day that Ireland secured victory in the opening leg of the Longines League Of Nations in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Irish riders dominated last night's $300,000 five-star Longines FEI World Cup Grand Prix at Ocala in Florida.
At the finish it was Meath's Cian O'Connor who claimed the winners prize in a competition where the Irish filled all of the top four places.
As Cian O'Connor watched the jump-off unfold in 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 line clear in 36.62 seconds. It was a race to the finish, as he narrowly edged Cork's Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz (ISH) by two-tenths of a second (36.81s), followed by Derry's Daniel Coyle and Incredible three-hundredths of a second behind (36.84s).
Adding to the Irish dominance, O'Connor's student, 20-year-old Tom Wachman from Co Tipperary finished fourth with Tabasco de Toxandria Z.
"Shane had a brilliant round, and I knew Daniel was coming behind [me], so I just did what I thought Bentley could do," O'Connor added.
The North American League has typically been dominated by Irish riders, with Coyle and Conor Swail 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.
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