Huge five-star wins for Swail and Howley

Down and Sligo athletes shine in Calgary and Monaco Conor Swail crashed over the $2m mark in Spruce Meadows earnings alone by winning just shy of a cool quarter of a million in topping a stellar field of 40 in the five-star Queen Elizabeth II Cup in the early hours of Sunday morning. It was very evident from interviews after the conclusion of the Calgary venue’s 1.60m class, in which Cavan native, Neal Fearon also finished fourth, that the money was the furthest thing from Swail’s mind, however. The man from Darragh Cross, just outside Downpatrick, was visibly emotional as he recounted the travails of his long-time equine partner Count Me In. The 17-year-old “horse of a lifetime” was making a stunning return to form after a bout of stomach ulcers had threatened his future at the elite level. Known in the stables as Crosby, Count Me In, who is […]