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Darragh Kenny and Ann Thompson’s Balou du Reventon
Photo: Ashley Neuhof Photography
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“I was a bit nervous going in the ring but I’m very lucky. I have an incredible horse – he’s absolutely amazing and he tried so hard. On Thursday he jumped an incredible clear and today I was just trying to make sure I left all the jumps up,” Kenny commented in the press conference. “My goal coming here was to try and do a double-clear, to try and get Ireland to Tokyo – that was the most important thing, and I’m glad I could be a part of this great team. We were all fighting together.”
During the first round of competition on Thursday, Team Ireland fought their way to make it into the top eight teams to qualify for Sunday’s final round. Kenny and Balou Du Reventon produced a vital clear round to secure their advancement in the tough competition. Heading into Sunday’s final round, all teams entered on a blank slate, leaving the three podium spots and the final ticket to Tokyo wide open. Comprised of Peter Moloney, Paul O’Shea, Kenny, Cian O’Connor and led by Chef d’Equipe, Rodridgo Pessoa, all of Team Ireland’s members came ready to win. Ultimately, the team ended on just one fault to take home the coveted gold medal and their Olympic qualification.
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The winning Irish show jumping team standing atop the Longines FEI Nations Cup Final podium (from left to right): Paul O’Shea, Peter Moloney, Chef d’Equipe Rodrigo Pessoa, Darragh Kenny and Cian O’Connor.
Photo: Ashley Neuhof Photography |
Balou Du Reventon, a 13-year-old Oldenburg stallion by Cornet Obolensky owned by Ann Thompson, has played an essential role for the team at Oakland Stables and for Team Ireland. Oakland Stables would like to thank their entire team, Thompson for her endless support, and Kenny’s head groom and caretaker of Balou, Nickki O’Donovan, for helping to make Sunday’s exceptional result possible. With Oakland Stables’ global operations, stretching from their bases in Wellington, Florida; Lexington, Kentucky; and Meijel, the Netherlands, there has been no shortage of support from all corners of the globe.
“Darragh has been so driven for the past couple years and as you can see it is really paying off. His passion for his country and to qualify for the Olympics was obvious yesterday as he jumped the last fence,” said Hardin Towell. “Now he needs to keep pushing himself for Tokyo. We have a great team and I honestly believe this is just the start. I am happy for him as a business partner, but mostly proud of him as a friend.”
As always, operations at Oakland would not be possible without the continued support of each and every sponsor, including Equiline, Parlanti, GPA Safety Legend, Equine Omega Complete, Walsh, Roeckl, Enviro Equine, Veredus, Dy’on, Theraplate, Flexineb, ReinRite, Butet, Acavallo, CWD, Iron Horse Transport and Flex On.
To continue to keep up with Team Oakland as they travel throughout the fall and continue the road to Tokyo, follow their Instagram and Facebook pages and visit their website to learn more.
