Ireland team named for Longines League of Nations second leg in Ocala

Jessica Kurten has named the combinations who will represent Ireland at the Longines League of Nations (LLN) second leg in Ocala, Florida on March 21st.

Ireland finished sixth of 11 nations in the Abu Dhabi opener and have since finished an excellent second at the four-star Wellington Nations Cup last weekend.

There, Cian O’Connor, Tom Wachman and Shane Sweetnam joined Jordan Coyle in the team and Kurten retains three of that quartet for Ocala, with Bertram Allen replacing Coyle.

Allen will partner Quonquest De Rigo, who jumped double clear for Ireland in last year’s LLN final, while O’Connor will be the mount of the London five-star World Cup podium finisher Chatouline Ps.

Wachman and Tabasco De Toxandria Z, the duo who jumped double clear in last year’s Aga Khan on Wachman’s debut in the Dublin showpiece and Sweetnam with his Paris Olympics mount, Irish Sport Horse James Kann Cruz, who last week took third in the five-star Wellington Grand Prix, make up the team.

Kurten said: “We have selected a strong team of in-form combinations and I’m looking forward to competing against the world’s best nations again at such a spectacular venue.

“I’m excited to see what this team can do but, as you would expect, there are very strong teams in opposition. We’ll be doing are very best to get a result.”

Ireland won the Ocala leg of the LLN in 2024, and currently lie in sixth position of the standings on 60 points. France leads with 100 points after winning in Abu Dhabi, followed by Germany on 90 points and Brazil on 80 points, with Switzerland (70), Great Britain (55), USA (50), Italy (45), Belgium (40) and the Netherlands (35) close enough behind to ensure every clear round matters.

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