Conor Swail Sweeps the $20,000 CSI2* Speed Stake, Presented by Walter Oil & Gas Corporation

Conor Swail and Gamble. Photo by McCool Photography

San Juan Capistrano, CA – May 11, 2023 – For the second day in a row, Conor Swail and Gamble led the CSI2* victory gallop at the San Juan Capistrano International CSIO5*, this time after topping the $20,000 CSI2* Speed Stake, presented by Walter Oil & Gas. Swail also finished second in the class aboard Vital Chance de la Roque. 

“I was very happy with my two horses,” said Swail, who is currently ranked eighth in the world on the Longines Rankings. “Vital Chance had a wee break there, and I’m just trying to rebuild him a little bit, so I’m doing a few smaller classes, so I was very pleased with how he went.”

Swail and Vital Chance de la Roque, owned by Mannon Farm, were the 12th of 45 total entries to take on the track set by Leopoldo Palacios, and they laid down a time to beat of 64.91 seconds. Eighteen rounds later, Swail produced a nearly identical time to his first ride, shaving off just three one-hundredths of a second to cross the finish in a winning 64.88 seconds.

Conor Swail and Gamble were presented as the winners of the $20,000 CSI2* Speed Stake, presented by Walter Oil & Gas Corporation. Photo by McCool Photography

“It’s great to see [Gamble] winning back-to-back,” said Swail of the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood, owned by Asta Torokvei, that he has been partnered with for the last several years. “He’s had a few months off as well. It’s nice to see him back up in the good form that he finished in [last year].”

Swail continued, “They’re total opposites. ‘Vinny’ is smaller with a lot of blood and a lot of fire in his belly, whereas Gamble, he’s a much bigger with a slower step. He’s actually quite sharp in his mind. So, there are totally different ways to ride the two of them. One you have to generate a bit of energy, and the other one you have to take a bit of the energy away.”

For the win, Swail was awarded a Topline Design Ribbon Wreaths Custom Shadowbox and a Riderzon gift certificate. Rounding out the top three in the class was the USA’s Shawn Casady aboard Castelissimo, owned by Tiffany Sullivan. For full results of the class, click here.

Competition at the San Juan Capistrano International CSIO5* continues through Sunday, with the highlight events including Friday’s CHF200,000 CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix, Saturday’s $77,300 CSI2* San Juan Capistrano International Grand Prix and Sunday’s grand finale CHF250,000 CSIO5* Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup USA. To learn more, visit USANationsCup.com.