August 11, 2022 
Darragh Kenny’s (IRL) Tokyo 2020 Olympic partner, stallion VDL Cartello, has disappeared from the start-lists this week.
Citing the welfare interests of the horse, the pair will not compete in Herning, Denmark this week.
“I am very sad to say we decided to withdraw Cartello VDL from participating this week in Herning at the World Championships. We made the decision in the best interest of the horse and of the Team. I want to thank my owners, sponsors and all the people behind me who worked so hard to get us here. Sometimes this is how our sport goes and difficult decisions need to be made. We will continue to work hard and have him back in the ring in no time,” Kenny wrote on social media.
The 15-year-old stallion has accumulated a 46% top ten finish rate, according to JUMPR App. His withdrawal from the Championships has unfortunately interrupted what appeared to be an upwards trend. For now, at least.
While VDL Cartello is a fairly new ride for Kenny, they’ve taken no time to get acquainted. Kenny took over the ride from fellow Irishmen Lorcan Gallagher in May of 2021. They began winning right off the bat, starting with a CSI2* 1.45m in Valkenswaard in April of last year. Not long after, the pair found success at the 5* level, and placed second with the Irish team in the CSIO5* Nations Cup Final in Barcelona in October, 2021.
In May the pair took another second in the CSI5* LGCT of Madrid 1.60m, and sported a top ten result last month in the CSIO5* in Aachen.
While the stakes of the World Championships are high enough on their own, it also is the first qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The top five ranked teams from Herning will have their spots secured for the upcoming Games.
The ultra competitive Irish team saw representative Cian O’Connor place seventh individually in the Tokyo 2020 Games, yet failed to finish within the top ten as a team. So, they’re hungry for another Olympic bid. Luckily, despite one of their strongest horse and rider combinations sidelined this outing, they still sport an effective team.
Riding out the Championships is Denis Lynch, Bertram Allen, Cian O’Connor and Daniel Coyle.
Reserve combination Allen and Pacino Amiro step in Kenny’s place.
Coyle will campaign his faithful 12-year-old mare Legacy, whose dependability helped the Irish team win the CSIO5* Nations Cup at Thunderbird Showpark in June. The pair also jumped on a 0/0 score at the CSIO5* Nations Cup in Rotterdam, where he medaled bronze with the team alongside Lynch.
However, 13-year-old gelding Brooklyn Heights is relatively new in the saddle of Denis Lynch. The pressure will weigh heavily on O’Connor and Allen to embellish the team with their breadth of championship experience.
It is still a win wherever horse welfare is prioritized
While we will miss seeing Kenny and VDL Cartello take a crack at the courses in Herning, the best interest of the horse is always the right decision. We look forward to seeing him back in the chute!
