Two Irishmen sat atop the rankings in the $50,000 UHealth Ear Institute Grand Prix during the ESP Holiday Finale, but Conor Swail got the better fellow countryman Darragh Kenny during the afternoon of Jan. 10 in Wellington, Fla. American Amanda Derbyshire was a competitive third with David Gochman’s Lady Maria BH. Riding Ariel and Susan Grange’s Martha Louise, Swail jumped a double clear to kick off their 2016 season at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Swail has been riding the Swedish Warmblood mare since 2012. He warmed her up for the grand prix this week in the $10,000 Hedrick Brothers Construction Open Stake, but the pair had two rails and time fault for 9 penalties. During the grand prix, he also campaigned Vanessa Mannix’s Rubens LS La Silla, jumping clear the first round, but had a rail in the jump off. Showing great improvement only days later for the grand prix, Swail and Martha Louise logged an 81.229-second clean trip in the first round, one of nine pairs who kept all the jumps in their cups. It was a competitive field for the jump-off. Seven of the original faultless nine came back to post zero penalties in the second round. But Swail and Martha Louise’s jump-off time of 42.29 seconds bettered Kenny’s round of 44.264 seconds with Oakland Ventures LLC’s Picolo. Swail has been a winner throughout the early Wellington circuit with other horses. On Nov. 28, 2015, he topped the $212,000 Holiday & Horses Grand Prix CSI**** with Viva Colombia, and came right back the next day—Nov. 29, to own the $34,000 1.45m Consolation Classic on the final day of the Holiday & Horses CSI**** competition with Cita.
Two Irishmen sat atop the rankings in the $50,000 UHealth Ear Institute Grand Prix during the ESP Holiday Finale, but Conor Swail got the better fellow countryman Darragh Kenny during the afternoon of Jan. 10 in Wellington, Fla. American Amanda Derbyshire was a competitive third with David Gochman’s Lady Maria BH. Riding Ariel and Susan Grange’s Martha Louise, Swail jumped a double clear to kick off their 2016 season at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Swail has been riding the Swedish Warmblood mare since 2012. He warmed her up for the grand prix this week in the $10,000 Hedrick Brothers Construction Open Stake, but the pair had two rails and time fault for 9 penalties. During the grand prix, he also campaigned Vanessa Mannix’s Rubens LS La Silla, jumping clear the first round, but had a rail in the jump off. Showing great improvement only days later for the grand prix, Swail and Martha Louise logged an 81.229-second clean trip in the first round, one of nine pairs who kept all the jumps in their cups. It was a competitive field for the jump-off. Seven of the original faultless nine came back to post zero penalties in the second round. But Swail and Martha Louise’s jump-off time of 42.29 seconds bettered Kenny’s round of 44.264 seconds with Oakland Ventures LLC’s Picolo. Swail has been a winner throughout the early Wellington circuit with other horses. On Nov. 28, 2015, he topped the $212,000 Holiday & Horses Grand Prix CSI**** with Viva Colombia, and came right back the next day—Nov. 29, to own the $34,000 1.45m Consolation Classic on the final day of the Holiday & Horses CSI**** competition with Cita.