The Irish reigned in Thursday's Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen! The Irish team had already secured themselves the gold rosette after the third rider jumped clear. Lynch, O’Connor, Sweetnam and Allen – it is the same team that claimed the European Championship title together in 2017. And lo and behold, Bertram Allen conjured up a neatly folded piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. Inside the same four-leaf clover that he had been carrying in Gothenburg, Allen assured. “I have been carrying it around with me for seven years! We are very superstitious…”
One might ask oneself whether it was the lucky charm that was mainly responsible for today’s victory or the skill of the horse and rider pairs involved. One thing is for sure, the four riders hadn’t been on a team together since Gothenburg and united again today they repeated their triumph. So it was definitely a very special victory for them: “That is the stuff that dreams are made of,” according to Shane Sweetnam. "I was not on the team in 2010, this is my first win here. We have been knocking on the door before but today we felt we had a strong chance."
Cian O’Connor, who was also a member of the Irish team when they last won in Aachen in the year 2010 added: “It was the same adrenaline. It gets your blood racing. It is fantastic to be here! As always.”