Langley, Canada – May 28, 2026 – Conor Swail (IRL) cannot be stopped. The Irish rider picked up his sixth international win in just 9 days at Thunderbird Show Park, this time piloting Kazelli VDL to victory in the $31,100 Friends of Tbird Qualifier CSI 2* – 1.45m at the Odlum Brown BC Open.
The victory marked Swail’s first repeat win of tbird’s spring series. Aboard Kazelli VDL (Arezzo VDL x Indoctro), he also won the 2* Qualifier 1.45m at last week’s Canadian Premier tournament. His other four wins have been achieved on four different horses—a testament to the depth of talent and quality of his string.
Swail and the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare produced the only sub-41-second time in the nine-horse jump-off, stopping the clock at a blistering 40.44 seconds.
Braden James (CAN) and Hermes Des Carmilles finished second in 41.20 seconds, while Karrie Rufer (USA) and Shanroe Peeters took third in 41.72 seconds.
Course designer Peter Holmes (CAN) set a first-round track that Swail described as no easy task. “I thought it was a difficult enough track, to be honest. There’s enough questions in the first round,” Swail said. “But the mare had a good week last week. So we skipped the warm-up [class] this week. I felt she was OK just to go ahead and do the Qualifier. She jumped a beautiful first round, actually. Very smooth and really with me. I was really happy with that.”
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A relatively new partnership—Swail took over the ride from owner Chandler Meadows earlier this year—Kazelli VDL has not always been a model of consistency. But Swail sees a turning point in her development.
“She had some nice results, but they weren’t that consistent,” Swail admitted. “I think now we’re getting a little bit of consistency, which is what it’s all about.”
The mare’s sharpness, Swail noted, makes her better suited to his program than to her owner’s. “She’s very sharp, very sharp. She’s dead brave and very good in the ring, but she’s a bit of a challenge on the flatting and things like that.”
Still, the partnership is flourishing. “Obviously we’re enjoying getting good results. We’re just going to see where that brings us, trying to get her to do the 1.50m and a bit bigger. We’ll see what happens after that.”
Two-star competition continues Saturday with the Uyradis Village Grand Prix CSI 2* – 1.45m.
Final Results – $31,100 Friends of Tbird Qualifier CSI 2*
1) Conor Swail (IRL) & Kazelli VDL – 0 / 0 – 40.44
2) Braden James (CAN) & Hermes des Carmilles – 0 / 0 – 41.20
3) Karrie Rufer (USA) & Shanroe Peeters – 0 / 0 – 41.72
Source: Press Release from Thunderbird Show Park
Photo: © Kim Gaudry for Tbird
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