Conor Swail & Vital Chance de La Roque Defend their Title Winning $228,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Sacramento CSI 4*-W

By Jumper News on 10 10America/Sao_Paulo October 10America/Sao_Paulo 2022

Sacramento, California, USA – October 08, 2022 – Heading into the opening leg of the 2022-2023 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League season in Sacramento (USA), the expectations of Conor Swail (IRL) were high. Swail not only won Sacramento’s World Cup leg a year ago, but he also led the NAL in points at season’s end.

He picked up right where he left off, defending his Sacramento title with Vital Chance de La Roque and jumping into a familiar place at the top of the NAL standings Saturday night before a sold-out crowd at the Murieta Equestrian Center.

“[Vital Chance] has had an incredible year. Every time I ride him, I know he’s going to give me a good shot [to win]. The two of us just seem to have a good partnership. Today, he jumped so well.”

**Conor Swail** (IRL) & **Vital Chance de La Roque**

Olaf Petersen, Jr.’s (GER) course proved tough to navigate, and a clear round was not produced until Swail cracked the code 19 riders into the starting order. The jump-off field would ultimately consist of three, and Swail put his competitors away with a second clear effort in a sharp time of 38.19 seconds, impressing with two bold inside turns.

“When you go first [in a jump-off of this size], you’re either first, second or third. I’d prefer to be first, and I wanted to try to put it away early,” Swail said. “I was going to do what my strengths are. My plan was to be fast [and not] leave the door open.”

No one could match him, but a duo of rising talent followed him on the podium, with 20-year-old Sophia Siegel (USA) and A-Girl (A-Dur x Careful) securing second place, having one unlucky pole down for four penalty-points and a jump-off time of 50.02 seconds.

**Natalie Dean** (USA) & **Chance Ste Hermelle**

As the only other combination that had qualified for the jump-off, Natalie Dean (USA) and Chance Ste Hermelle (Calvaro F.C. / Hemmingway) claimed bronze honors despite having two poles down for eight penalty-points and a time of 43.65 seconds.

Swail accrued 20 points for his victory and has taken an early lead in the NAL standings. Siegel sits second with 17 points, and Dean is third with 15 points. Seven legs remain through March; the North American League continues at the Washington International Horse Show in Upper Marlboro (USA) on 29 October 2022.