LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND – Cork Olympian austin O’Connor achieved Ireland‘s most triumphant result at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials in 62 years, finishing as runner-up with his 16-year-old gelding, Colorado Blue, on sunday.
The achievement marks Ireland’s best Burghley performance since harry freeman-Jackson’s victory in 1963. Three of the top four finishers at the prestigious five-star event were riding Irish-bred horses.
O’Connor and Colorado Blue, bred by Kate Jarvey of Mellon Stud in Limerick, began the competition with a personal best five-star dressage score of 27.8, placing them eighth after Friday’s phase.
A clear cross-country round on Saturday, with just 0.8 time penalties, propelled the pair into second place. They maintained that position through Sunday’s show jumping, incurring only one rail down for a final score of 32.6.
Victory went to Britain’s Rosalind Canter and Lordships Graffalo, who secured their second consecutive Burghley title. Lordships Graffalo is the frist horse to win both Burghley and Badminton twice,and only the third to win back-to-back Burghley titles,following Priceless and Avebury.
“Being second to this lady [Rosalind Canter] is as good as winning because this combination, as history will show, is the best there is,” O’Connor stated after the event. He had previously finished third behind Canter and Lordships Graffalo at Badminton in May.
“I am over the moon. To finish the year like this is unreal. My horse has been unbelievable. He is 16,but I think he thinks he’s six.”
O’Connor acknowledged Colorado Blue’s energy, explaining, “He was mad fresh today and pulling my arms out, which is why we had a rail down, but it didn’t make any difference in the end.”
“Its surreal, he is an incredible horse. He has changed my career, I think he has changed eventing in Ireland, just his sheer consistency, there are very few horses in the world with that consistency at this level.”
