North Salem, N.Y.—Sept. 11  

I kept turning to the person next to me and asking, “Was Conor Swail really that fast?”

He’d gone early in the 12-horse jump-off for the $85,000 American Gold Cup Qualifier and looked slick, but definitely beatable to an observing eye.

But not so. They all chased him, with Ali Wolff launching a determined attack with a huge gallop aboard Casall. But nobody could catch Swail and the rangy mare Viva Colombia over the rolling grass ring at Old Salem Farm. Wolff ended up in second, with Peter Lutz and Robin de Ponthual in third just a hair behind Wolff.

“The course suited my mare—you needed to cover a lot of ground and she’s a big mover,” Swail said. “She’s not the fastest over a jump—she’s a bit slow in the air because she’s got a lot of scope—so it worked in my favor that I was able to land and run and cover as much ground as quickly as possible.”

Conor Swail on Viva Colombia on their way to the top of the $85,000 American Gold Cup Qualifier. Photo by Molly Sorge

When seven of the first nine to go in the 59-strong order of go for the class went clear, it looked like it’d be a long afternoon of jumping off. But Alan Wade’s course over the hilly grass took more of a toll later in the order, and in the end 12 came back to race for the top prize in a galloping jump-off track.

Swail noted that “Viva” has a naturally downhill balance that he tries to adjust, so he was a bit surprised and thrilled that she handled the ups and downs of the hills on course so well. “I watched videos of her jumping here as a younger horse and she seemed to like it here. You would think the hills here wouldn’t suit her, but it’s not true,” he said.

“I’m always working on trying to keep her a little more upright, but she always wants to be a little more careful. She has a lot of scope and power. For example, today I made a big mistake. I went to go for six [strides] to the last jump and changed my mind and did seven at the last minute. She was very good to me there and got it done. She also has a lot of quality like that, which is so important.”

Ali Wolff did her best to catch Swail, but had to settle for second aboard Casall. Photo by Molly Sorge

Swail was watching videos of Viva, a 10-year-old German-bred Oldenburg, because he just took over the ride on her in March. Dealer Ilan Ferder owns the mare, and his fiancé Kirsten Coe had been showing her.

“Ilan is a good friend of mine and we do a bit of business together. I showed her for the first time at the end of [the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.)] in some smaller classes. We went from there to Palgrave and Calgary in Canada and she was very good. We’re finding our feet with each other and building a good relationship.”

Swail, an Irish rider who’s based in Canada and trains Canadian rider Vanessa Mannix. He borrowed Mannix’s horse Grand Cru vd Vijf Eiken to represent Ireland at the Longines FEI Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show this summer, turning in two clear rounds. “He was third in the [Longines International Grand Prix] of Dublin and had some really good results. He was my best horse, but the plan was always for him to go back to her after Dublin. I just stole him for a while! I have a few very nice younger horses coming along,” Swail said. 

This is Swail’s first visit to the American Gold Cup, which is running concurrently with the Spruce Meadows Masters Tournament in Canada and its $1.5 Million CP Grand Prix. “I thought this would be a better idea, especially for Viva,” Swail said. “She jumped the [HITS $ 1 Million Grand Prix] in Saugerties [N.Y.] last week and jumped super and was seventh. She had one down, but it was my mistake. It’s just not quite as difficult as Calgary and I thought it would be a great experience for her.”

See full results of the $85,000 American Gold Cup Qualifier class.

Conor Swail used Viva Colombia’s big gallop to win. Photo by Molly Sorge

Peter Lutz claimed third on Robin de Ponthual. Photo by Molly Sorge

Kirsten Coe ended up fourth on California with a jump-off that was just not quite quick enough. Photo by Molly Sorge

Casall enjoyed snacking in the grass ring during the awards ceremony. Photo by Molly Sorge