Rookie rider and four rookie horses give Ireland Nations Cup win

It was an experimental night for Ireland in the $150,000 CSIO 4* Nations Cup at the Winter Equestrian Festival as they fielded a team featuring four horses and one rider that had never before competed in this international contest.

David O’Brien, the rookie of the team, ended the day with just two time faults aboard El Balou OLD and his family, clients and owners were in town to watch.

“On big days, he’s a fighter,” David said of El Balou OLD. “And it’s really special for me to be sitting up here with these three Olympic riders. The horse has a long history and I got him because he was a difficult child, and he needed a continuing program. To me, he’s my number one, so every day we’re out for a long time and it’s a process to keep him focused. But results wise, I’m very happy with him. He’s probably been the reason I was able to go out on my own and have a business.”

It was Ireland’s fifth win in the 23-year history of the Nations Cup at WEF. “Tonight’s team was a little unusual in that we’d never had a full team when none of the horses had been in a Nations Cup before,” said Ireland’s chef d’equipe, Michael Blake of the line up that also included seasoned riders Darragh Kenny with Eddy Blue, Shane Sweetnam on RR Combella and Cian O’Connor with Fancy de Kergane. “That shows the depth [in the Irish riders] that we can put out a team of new horses, very, very good horses.”

He had praise for David’s performance: “It was his first Nations Cup and his horse’s first Nations Cup, so, he did good,” he said.

Darragh, who already has a five-star win in the bag this season at WEF, set Ireland on course with an opening clear for the team, finishing the two rounds with just four faults on Eddy Blue.

“I love to ride for Ireland. It’s one of my favorite things, second to winning, of course,” he said. “But winning with an Irish team, that’s even better.

“[Eddy Blue] has never done two rounds like that before, but he seemed to step up to the occasion very well,” continued Kenny.

Ten teams entered the contest with Mexico and New Zealand culled in the first round, narrowing the field to eight countries – Australia, Great Britain, Columbia, Brazil, Israel, Canada, USA and Ireland.

Canada took runners up and the USA third in a competition that tested the teams twice over the same course, in varying light, in one day in the International Ring at Wellington International with very few clears emerging.

“It was a good course,” said Cian O’Connor who, as anchorman for the Irish team was able to sit out the second round, with Ireland already assured the win. “It plays a part with one round in the daytime and one at night.”

Prior to the start of this Nations Cup, others were viewing Ireland as a contender. “Ireland seems to have a strong team,” Great Britain’s Ben Maher commented earlier in the week. Michael Blake dismissed them as pre-post favorites.

“On paper we didn’t look like the favorites, but I knew we’d be hard to beat,” Michael said. “Canada looked strong, the U.S. looked very strong, but we had a lot of experience, and we know how to dig deep. We love to come here because the atmosphere is amazing. To see a full house, that’s what lifts you—it’s very special.”