SHOWJUMPING: Sweetnam and Kanns second American Gold Cup secured

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The world number 13 ranked show jumper, Shane Sweetnam and the 15th-ranked Conor Swail bagged an Irish five-star double as the Major League Show Jumping leg at Traverse City came to a conclusion in thrilling fashion on Sunday night.

Castlemagner man Sweetnam and his Olympic partner James Kann Cruz (ISH) were the big winners, landing the €112,200 first prize in the American Gold Cup for Gizmo Partners at the Michigan venue. It was a second triumph in the prestigious competition for the Cork pilot and the gorgeous grey bred in Co Galway by Patrick Connolly, the combination having also done the business in 2022.

James Kann Cruz was only a nine-year-old then and the excitement surrounding his future was palpable, with Sweetnam describing him as a horse you waited your whole career to find. He certainly hasn’t been disappointed as they have scored at the highest level and been regular contenders in five-star Grands Prix, World Cups and, of course, Nations Cups.

This time around, they denied Swail a famous and very lucrative five-star double, coming into the arena last in the jump-off and slicing less than four-tenths of a second off the Down pilot’s time with Casturano, stopping the clock on 39.54, while their nearest challengers registered 39.91.

“(The American Gold Cup) is one of the biggest grands prix in America, if not the biggest,” said Sweetnam. “I’m lucky to have a great horse. Conor really set the bar and then I had to take a risk as well, and I got away with it.”

Swail was understandably a little rueful after getting so close to adding the prestigious competition to his garlanded CV.

“Obviously, the two boys behind me were going to try to beat me and I needed to put a bit of pressure on them,” Swail explained. “Casturano hasn’t done that many five-star grands prix. I would say maybe where I lost it as opposed to where Shane won it; I had a real good shot over to the second-to-last, but Casturano goes a little left and he jumped that extravagantly. That threw me a bit too much to the outside.

“I’m thrilled, but I’m disappointed, obviously, because winning the American Gold Cup would be amazing.”

While he didn't get over the line in the feature in North Michigan, Swail had already topped the podium in the earlier five-star 1.50m class with a double clear on 16-year old Vital Chance and a jump-off time of 41.83 to see off red-hot McLain Ward (USA), riding Quimi del Maset.

It was a second five-star success of the show for the athlete from Darragh Cross, and third international victory of the week, having managed to get the better of Sweetnam on Saturday night in the €63,000 MLSJ individual competition on board the Conall Murray-owned Casturano.

Swail and the 11-year-old were fastest of the ten pairings that navigated the course in the Turtle Creek Casino International Ring without fault with a time of 64.68.

Sweetnam, piloting the ten-year-old mare RR Combella, was the closest to doing so, securing the silver medal with a clear in 65.54. Kildimo rider, Paul O'Shea continued his good form with fifth on Squirt Gun.

Sweetnam's efforts were critical in helping his team, Maccabi United also take the runner-up spot in the €300,000 MLSJ team competition. Despite that first clear, the team had a tally of 12 faults in the first stanza but were flawless second time around, Sweetnam and Combella making it a double clear to enable Maccabi to catapult up the standings,

Earlier that evening, the in-form Swail combined with Gamble to finish runner-up in the two-star Grand Prix, with O’Shea and Dirty Girl in third. That came 24 hours after Swail and Gamble bagged the two-star 1.45m speed stakes, going clear in a time of 62.19 to defeat Ali Ramsay (CAN) and Duke of Doel, who were more than a second back.

Meanwhile, James Chawke exerted a stranglehold on the BCHJA Fall Finale at Thunderbird Show Park the likes of which has rarely been seen at an FEI show – if ever.

The Abbeyleix native won all bar one of the international classes, and the odd one out still made its way to the Chawke household as it was secured by his Canadian wife, Jacqueline.

She got proceedings under way on the Wednesday and it was a victory full of meaning for the operation as her mount, LSF L’Etoile is a homebred that was competing in his first FEI class.

From then on, it was all about James. He had been victorious at Thunderbird with Nacara Van Berkenbroeck Z last month and the partnership confirmed their form and relish for this particular environment on Thursday in the two-star Grand Prix Qualifier.

They prevailed from a seven-combo jump-off to claim the $13,604.63 first prize by posting a second clear in a time of 39.40 seconds. British pilot Charlie Jones and Montserrat OS were their closest rivals, with a time 40.22.

Riding with the confidence of a man that feels he can do no wrong and clearly relishing the Langley air, Chawke garnered $22,000 in prize money with a 1-2 in another two-star class 24 hourse later. This time, he secured the lion's share of the cash with Daido van 't Ruytershof Z, courtesy of a tiebreak time of 45.19, with Nacara Van Berkenbroeck Z slotting into the runner-up position thanks to a clear round in a time of 47.29.

No other pairing could get close, with home athlete, Tracey Epp and Klasse One the best of the rest, stopping the clock on 50.92.

The Laois athlete and his two stars repeated that result again on Saturday, as Daido van 't Ruytershof Z led home Nacara van Berkenbroeck in the two-star Grand Prix.

Five combinations participated in the jump-off but Chawke was a comprehensive victor, with Daido going clear in 42.72 seconds, and Nacara next best on 44.2 to earn an accumulated $53,000 in prize money. Samantha Buirs-Darvill (CAN) was third as Chic D Emma Z also posted a double clear with a time of 46.52.

A couple of weeks after winning at four-star level, Simon McCarthy and Gotcha added another major international victory to the list after scoring in a $65,000 three-star Welcome Stake at Old Salem Farm.

The Cork athlete and his Rock Ridge Farms owned star led home an Irish 1-2, as Darragh Kenny continued his consistent form with Chaccoletto.

McCarthy has been recording plenty of good results in recent weeks too, while Gotcha has been in good order right through the summer, and the €21,450 first prize was garnered at the expense of 53 other combinations attempting to navigate the 1.50m competition.

In the end, McCarthy and Gotcha were just too good, rocketing around the course set by Irishman Alan Wade to best the 11 others through the jump-off, ending with almost a second in hand of Kenny on a time of 37.39 seconds.

Chaccoletto has been a model of consistency for Kenny also and the 11-year-old produced the goods once more for his American-based Offaly rider by securing a runner-up finish in the $125,000 three-star Grand Prix.

The 1.50m class was won by João Eduardo Ferreira de Carvalho (BRA) and Ester de Maugre, while Derry native, Jordan Coyle made it into the top five with Jorisca and Clare's Philip McGuane was also in the money in sixth, riding Edgard de Prefontaine.

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SHOWJUMPING: Sweetnam and Kanns second American Gold Cup secured

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