Irish Eyes are Smiling Tonight

Young Irishman Bertram Allen was able to accomplish just exactly what his Natonal Federation was hoping for - setting the pace in the first leg of the World Cup jumping final.  

Bertram Allen and Molly Malone

Tight turns and blazing speed on his wonderful partner Molly Malone beat the 66.46 seconds set by Patrice Delaveau of France early in the order.  That time had been tied by Dutch rider Jur Vrieling.  When the dust settled at the end of the competition, Delaveau and Vrieling were able to hang on to earn joint third place.  

But toward the end of the order, Rich Fellers and his 19-year-old Irish sport horse stallion Flexible, the pair who won the World Cup Final in 2012,  just missed the lead by 0.26 of a second.  

Rich Fellers and Flexible

Since the complex scoring system for the World Cup final converts faults into points in which the spread is quite narrow, all of those who finished in the top several placings have a good shot at the title, but there is a lot of jumping left before the victor is crowned.

/KatyM., Community News Photos:  moranequinephoto.com

Barnmice News story brought to you by:

Everything Horse Related: Apple Saddlery