DENIS Lynch, Ireland’s sole competitor at the four-star show in Braunschweig, Germany, made it a hat trick of wins on Sunday 22nd March with victory in the Grand Prix aboard Thomas Straumann’s Abbervail van het Dingeshof. Remarkably, the Tipperary-born rider won three consecutive major competitions at the German venue on the 15 year-old gelding over a period of 48 hours.
On Sunday Lynch won a Volkswagen Tiguan car as first prize in the Grand Prix after showing a blistering turn of speed in the 12 horse jump-off. Despite a heart-stopping hesitation in direction by Abbervail van het Dingeshof halfway through the final round, the duo still managed to outpace their nearest challengers, Germany’s Henrik von Eckermann and the nine year-old For Sale, by just over a second. Eckermann collected 15,000 euro for his runner-up place.
Lynch and Abbervail won Friday night’s Grand Prix Qualifier at Braunschweig, then followed up with another victory in Saturday’s Two-Round feature class before completing the hat trick with Sunday’s Grand Prix win.
In addition, Friday’s 1.45 class was won by TRM Ambassador Pius Schwizer and his new ride Antello Z (Animo x Continue), while TRM Ambassador Reed Kessler won Thursday’s 1.45 class on Soraya de l’Obstination (Kashmir van’t Schuttershof x Skippy II).
Cian O’ Connor
Over in America, in the Live Oak international Grand Prix in Florida, Cian O’ Connor snatched the 12,000 euro trophy.
Picking up a zero score in the jump-off was a notable achievement for O’Connor and Adena Springs’s stallion Good Luck, for the horse is not only new to O’Connor but is also just nine years old.
Madden and O’Connor were the only two riders at the Ocala venue to emerge with a clean sheet from a first round starting field of 46, but the Meath-based Olympic Bronze medallist had spectators on their feet when he finished with the only double clear round of the two-star Grand Prix.
O’Connor was also awarded the $10,000 leading rider prize in Florida on Sunday after taking two wins and a second place at the Live Oak International show over the weekend.
Susan Fitzpatrick
Back at home, TRM Ambassador Susan Fitzpatrick, riding Cavalino, took the leading Young Rider honours in today’s leg of the Spring Tour at the Cavan Equestrian Centre, the combination also took the runner-up slot in the class.