Shane Sweetnam goes from costume to classic

Shane Sweetnam had a fun weekend – dressed up as Robin from Teen Titans Go! for Saturday night and getting back to business on Sunday with a win in the 1.50m Classic on Sunday aboard Irandole Du Flot.

Shane and his daughter Oliva and son Collin came second in the Wellington Equestrian Festival’s [WEF] Great Charity Challenge but Shane went one better on Sunday, winning the FEI 4* 1.50m Classic on the Derby field, where weather was a factor.

“Here I’m jumping for myself. Yesterday I’m jumping for a charity,” he said after going midway in the 19-strong jump-off to finish in 38.4 seconds, ahead of fellow Irishman Cian O’Connor and Eve d’Ouilly on 38.95. 

“They did a good job by moving the class up,” said Shane after organizers tried to pre-empt a downpour. “In the jump off I was in the middle and I had a plan and I sort of stuck to that plan and I wasn’t sure it would be enough. The weather just broke after me,  so it made it harder for the others. I might have been caught if the weather hadn’t changed.”

Shane was happy with Irandole Du Flot, a 10-year old bay Belgian Warmblood mare, who he feels is making progress and who had an impressive week, winning the 1.45m on day one of WEF week four and finishing second on Friday in the 4*1.50m before closing out with the Classic win.

“She’s really maturing – she’s really stepping up and I’m very happy for her,” Shane said. “We’re still building. She only did her first 1.50 at the end of last year and she’s still growing and to be this competitive with all these riders and this standard of horses, shows how good she is.”

For Shane WEF provides a lot of options. “It’s great to have the variety. The field is a big bonus. The horses like it out here – obviously the main ring as well, a different environment whether your jumping under lights or not.”

Under the lights Shane and his family were part of a fundraising night that pulled in over $2million for local causes. “Last night they did a great job raising that kind of money for all those charities,” he said. “We do it every year and I actually did it with my two kids – so it’s a nice thing to do with the family and also to give back to the community.”