ph. Live Oak International
Ireland’s Cian O’Connor and America’s world-ranked No.8 Beezie Madden were the only two to who made it through to the jump-off at the Live Oak international Grand Prix World Cup Qualifier today in Ocala, Florida, but O’ Connor snatched the trophy when Madden faulted once in the jump off round. The course was set by Venezuela’s Leopoldo Palacios and proved to be very difficult, as riders commented it was set both large and difficult, with plenty of width and height to challenge the competitors.
Picking up a zero score in the jump-off was a notable achievement for O’Connor and Adena Springs’s stallion Good Luck, for the horse is not only new to O’Connor but is also just nine years old. Madden was riding the more experienced 13 year-old bay mare Vanilla, a horse she has been campaigning with since 2011.
Madden and O’Connor were the only two riders at the Ocala venue to emerge with a clean sheet from a first round starting field of 46 combinations, but the Irish-based Olympic Bronze medallist had spectators on their feet when he finished with the only double clear round of the two-star Grand Prix.
Source: Horse Sport Ireland