Today's (Thursday 3rd March) $5,000 CSIO Welcome Stake class in Wellington had 64 entries, and they competed over a course designed by Steve Stephens of Palmetto, FL. There were 16 clear rounds, and the speed ratcheted up as the class continued. Going 44th in the order, O'Shea and Daydream St. Ghyvan Z cleared the course in a blazing time of 52.51 seconds for the win. Their winning pace was almost four seconds faster than the second place finishers, Ian Millar (CAN) and Dryden.
O'Shea knew that he would have to put in a very fast trip to beat the strong field. "I saw somebody go at the start, and then I heard Richard Spooner's time and compared them. I realized he had gone quite quick. I decided to go quite fast after that," he said.
Daydream St. Ghyvan Z, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Darco x Ramiro Z, is competitive in the speed classes, and it's her handiness that helps bring home blue ribbons. "Mainly in the turns is where she is brilliant," O'Shea noted. "She's the most clever horse I've ever ridden. To turn back, she's got a mind of her own. All you have to do is point her and she figures it out. She's quick in a straight line as well, but definitely in her turns back she gets ahead there. This course suited her."
O'Shea and his grey mare won the speed derby in week 1 of the FTI WEF, and then took time off until last week, where they placed second in a 1.40m class. O'Shea mentioned, "Harry Gill is her new owner. It was very nice that he could be here and she could win her first class with Harry as the owner. Hopefully it's the first of many."
A win in the CSIO week "means a little bit more," O'Shea said. He continued, "It's great to hear the national anthem played when you win."
O'Shea will be part of the Irish team in Friday night's $75,000 FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm. He will compete with Realman. This is his 10th Nations Cup appearance, and he feels that it is an important part of his riding career. "Nations Cups are very special to Irish people. It's a big deal for us, and it's what we all aim for. We like to ride for our country and it's a big honour," he expressed
(Source: Jennifer Wood for Jennifer Wood Media)