Mill Spring, North Carolina, USA – June 09, 2022 – One of the winningest combinations in the world and the fourth best one according to the FEI ranking, Conor Swail (IRL) and Vital Chance de La Roque added another victorious jewel to their long list of recent accolades at the FEI-level, claiming top honors in Thursday’s $37,000 Horseware Welcome Stake CSI 3* at the Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC).

Out of the original 31 combinations who participated in the first round of the challenge featuring 1.50m obstacles, the Irishman and the 13-year-old bay Selle Français gelding (Diamant de Semilly x Venise des Cresles) topped 9 other pairs in the tiebreaker, doing so in fault-free fashion while being timed in 30.18 seconds.

Lauren Balcomb (AUS) and Verdini D’Houtveld Z (Verdi x Caretino 2) put on a valiant effort, matching the clean scorecard of the winning combination, finishing second due to their jump-off time of 30.99 seconds.

Luis Pedro Biraben (ARG) and Chacco Bumpy (Chacco-Blue x Toulon) posted the third fastest penalty-free jump-off performance of the contest, securing bronze honors in 31.75 seconds.

Final Results – $37,000 Horseware Welcome Stake CSI 3*

1) Conor Swail (IRL) & Vital Chance de La Roque – 0 / 0 – 30.18

2) Lauren Balcomb (AUS) & Verdini D’Houtveld Z – 0 / 0 – 30.99

3) Luis Pedro Biraben (ARG) & Chacco Bumpy – 0 / 0 – 31.75

Text: Jumper News, no reproduction without permission.

Photos: © Natalie Suto Photography

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