Eleven combinations have met the qualification criteria for the upcoming Europeans – the highest number of Irish athletes ever to do so for a championship – and HSI Dressage High Performance Director Anne Marie Dunphy has named the nominated entries as follows;

Jennifer Harnett (based in Amsterdam) with Pilates Amsterdam’s Eximio (by Zircon).

Sorrell Klatzko (Co. Kildare) with her own and Janine Shoffner’s Turbo (by Totilas).

Abigail Lyle (Co. Down) with Fenella Quinn’s Farrell (by Fabergas) and with her own and Caroline Clarry’s Giraldo (by Harmony’s Rousseau).

Anna Merveldt (Co. Kildare) with Mario Greco and Giovanna Mazza’s Esporim (by Pagaw).

Fenella Quinn (based in Aberdeen) with her own, Compton Ross and Jacqui Ross’s Hawtins Delicato (by Diamond Hit).

Judy Reynolds (Co. Kildare) with her own and Patrick Heavey’s For Fun 51 (by Furstenball OLD) and BG J. Hinnemann & Next Generation Dressurpferde’s Rockman Royal NG (by Rock Forever).

Also long listed for Ireland having achieved the qualification criteria:

Carolyn Mellor (Co. Down) with her own Gouverneur M (by Voice).

Dane Rawlins (based in Sussex) with his own and Greg Powell’s Espoire (by Ehrenmann).

Judy Reynolds (Co. Kildare) with Wejdan Majed A M AL Malki’s Faisao (by Spartacus).

The final squad of four to represent Ireland in Riesenbeck next month, plus non-travelling reserves, will be announced ahead of the definite entries.

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Vancouver K is the greatest horse to represent Ireland on the international Dressage stage and has inspired a new generation of Irish Dressage riders with his record-breaking performances around the world.

Reynolds and the now 19-year-old Vancouver K, better known as JP, reached heights never before seen by an Irish Dressage combination. The pair represented Ireland in an Olympic Final, a World Championship Final, a European Championship Final and three World Cup Finals. Vancouver K regularly smashed Irish Dressage records. He currently holds all three Irish International record scores in Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle To Music.

A breath-taking performance of Vancouver K and Judy Reynolds at the 2019 European Championships in Rotterdam was key to helping the Irish team to make history and qualify for the Olympic Games for the very first time. Though Vancouver K will not now compete in Tokyo, Ireland will still have a Dressage team at the Olympics.

Emotional Tribute

Speaking after announcing the retirement of Vancouver K, Judy Reynolds paid an emotional tribute to her horse of a lifetime:

“I know I have always said that JP would decide when it was time to retire but I’ve had to make that decision for him. This horse has more heart than anyone can imagine and at 19 he still tries to give me everything. I’ve decided that it’s time to stop asking. What a trip it’s been. A good horse can carry you all around the world and back again. 1 Olympic Final, 3 World Cup Finals, 1 WEG Final, 1 European Championship Final. A good record for any horse but a great one for a horse that many thought wasn’t good enough.

“Many people may ask why I’ve waited until now to make this decision but the fact is JP still wants to work. We have given him every chance to be able to perform on the world’s biggest stage one more time but alas it is not to be. It has been a massive team effort over the years to allow JP and I to perform, my Parents, Patrick, Libby, Johann, farrier Errol, my vets the late Dr Stihl, Dr Hülsey, Dr Beeke, Marcus & Davide and many many more people along the way. JP you legend.”

Vancouver K also scored major international wins at Achleiten and Fritzens-Schindlhof in Austria, Dortmund in Germany, and at Pennsylvania and New York in the USA.

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The Irishwoman recorded an impressive ninth place finish in the FEI World Cup Freestyle Grand Prix at Salzburg, Austria.

Merveldt and the 12-year-old gelding Esporim produced an excellent score of 73.705% when drawn second to go of 13 combinations.  The score kept the Irish competitor in second place until the midway point of the competition.

German Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB took victory on a score of 87.960%. Her compatriot Isabel Werth was second with Weihegold Old on a score of 84.720%.

Western European League Table

Anna Merveldt’s result yesterday now moves her up to equal fifth place on the Western European League table on 26 points. The top nine combinations will qualify for the World Cup Final.

One final qualifying round remains, at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, in March.

The 2021 FEI World Cup Dressage Final will take place in Gothenburg from March 31st to April 5th.

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Merveldt and Esporim finished third in Saturday’s Grand Prix at the same venue, and went one better in yesterday’s Freestyle to take second place overall with an impressive score of 73.650%.

It left the Irish combination just behind French rider Morgan Barbancon and Sir Donnerhall II OLD who took victory with a score of 76.575%. Austria’s Christian Schumach and Donna Karacho, who had finished ahead of Merveldt on Saturday, had to settle for third place behind the Irish rider this time when scoring 73.600%.

Anna Merveldt and Esporim’s previous best placing in a World Cup came at Mariakalnok in Hungary back in June when they finished fourth.

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Allen, riding the nine-year-old gelding Lafayette Van Overis, claimed the top prize of €6,350 in the 1m50 speed contest in France.

The Irish rider was almost two seconds ahead of American runner-up Jessica Springsteen with Volage du Val Henry, with Brazil’s Yuri Mansur taking third place with Casaktie in a class which attracted 54 starters.

In Dressage, Ireland’s Anna Merveldt and Esporim were fourth overall in Friday’s CDI4* Grand Prix at Achleiten, Austria.

The Irish combination produced a score of 69.544% when last of nine competitors to compete.

Last week Merveldt and Esporim were also fourth in the FEI World Cup Dressage Freestyle To Music Grand Prix at Mariakalnok, Hungary.

Victory in today’s competition went to Germany’s Isabel Werth and DSP Quantaz on a score of 78.152%.

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Darragh Kenny scored a victory in the $137,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI3* on Saturday at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, Florida.

Canadian course designer Michel Vaillancourt built a track for 45 starters with 12 advancing to the tie-breaking jump-off. Returning near the end of the jump-off round, Kenny and Scarlett du Sart Z stopped the clock at 33.54 seconds to claim the lead and relegate Israel’s Sydney Shulman down to the runner-up position. Shulman and J-Boston S.E. posted a time of 33.96 seconds.

“I’ve been very lucky – I had a good winter and all the horses went very well,” said Kenny of his season at WEF. “I had a great feeling coming into this winter because I have an incredible group of horses, and I’m very lucky that I have those horses.”

Kenny got the ride on Scarlett du Sart Z, a 10-year-old Zangersheide mare, during the horse’s seven-year-old year. He has high hopes for the mare’s future, saying, “This is a mare that Teddy Vlock and his owner bought for me, and we’ve been slowly producing her. She’s really starting to turn a corner, and I think she’s an incredibly talented horse that will end up jumping at the highest level.”

At the Palm Beach Masters, which are also taking place in Florida, Co Down’s Conor Swail and GK Coco Chanel finished as runners-up in Saturday’s $137,000 CSI5* Palm Beach Masters Classic.

Last to go in a 12-horse jump-off, Swail finished just behind British winner Emily Moffitt with Tipsy du Terral. Billy Twomey (Kimba Flamenco) and Darragh Kenny (Billy Dorito) also made it into the jump-off and finished in ninth and tenth places respectively.

Bertram Allen clinched the $37,000 Douglas Elliman Real Estate 1.45m CSI3* riding Lafayette van Overis on Wednesday at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, Florida.

Allen continued a streak of 1.45m victories at WEF with another win over tracks set by Michel Vaillancourt. Seventy horses contested the two-phase course, but Allen and his quick gelding could not be caught. They stopped the clock at 32.68 seconds, which proved to be less than a half a second faster than runner-up Natalie Dean (USA) riding Ceitasi (32.68 seconds), with Derry rider Jordan Coyle rounding out the top-three in a time of 32.70 seconds aboard Picador.

“He was very relaxed, and straight away won this easily,” said Allen of his Ballywalter Stables-owned mount. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to go full speed, but because it was a two phase, I could see how he was feeling and he felt very good.

“He is so naturally fast,” continued Allen. “There were people doing more galloping or less strides, but I did not want to do that with him today. I thought I would do as good a round as I could, and see where that left us. Because he’s so fast, he was able to get out on top.”

Meanwhile Offaly’s Darragh Kenny claimed the $6,000 Bainbridge Companies 1.40m riding Cicomein VDL in the International Arena.

Derry’s Jordan Coyle and Eristov raced to victory in the five-star $89,500 Palm Beach Masters qualifier, while Cork’s Billy Twomey finished third with Lady Lou just ahead of Wexford’s Bertram Allen and Gun Powder in fourth.

There was also an Irish win for Stephen Moore and Team de Coquerie in the $36,600 CSI2* Bruins Tour Challenge, the final event of the inaugural Sunset Challenge at the 2020 Palm Beach Masters Series.

Moore and the 13-year-old gelding crossed the timers of Alan Wade’s 1m45 shortened track in 37.24 seconds, beating Eve Jobs (USA) and Valentino Tuiliere on 38.37 seconds and Beat Mändli (SUI) and Dibatsja on 38.96 seconds.

Tipperary’s Denis Lynch and GC Chopin’s Bushi took victory in last Friday’s three-star 1m50 jump-off at Dortmund Show while Co Clare’s Eoin McMahon was also in the prizes, taking third place with Chacon 2.

Irish Dressage rider Heike Holstein and the Irish-bred mare Sambuca took sixth place in the Grand Prix in Dortmund. Holstein scored 70.571% with victory going to Germany’s Ingrid Klimke with Franziskus on a score of 75.217%.

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