Conor Swail (IRL) has always felt at home at Thunderbird Show Park. The County Down native was based out of Ontario when working his first North American job at Lothlorien Farm, and he’s made winning a habit over the course of the last decade at tbird.

But his mount Casturano lived even closer. Before being paired with Swail, the talented 11-year-old gelding—affectionately called “Stan”—was developed by Fort Langley-based Sam Buirs-Darvill (CAN), just minutes down the road from the tbird venue.

So when the pair came flying toward the final fence in a 9-horse jump-off in the CSI5* Uryadi’s Village Qualifier 1.50m, a few extra cheers carried them home as they crossed the timers fastest. “Stan” has some extra fans in Langley.

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