IRELAND’S Denis Lynch claimed the runner-up position in Thursday’s Youngster Tour seven and eight-year-old 1.30m/1.35m two-phase special class at Peelbergen Equestrian Centre in Kronenberg, The Netherlands, with the seven-year-old stallion Anchorman 5.
From a start list of 63, an impressive 38 combinations finished on a zero score, with the second phase time being the deciding factor. Lynch’s time of 33.91 wasn’t quite fast enough to catch American winner KC van Aarem on Elabeeleen V/H Vijverbos Z, who stopped the clock in a very fast 32.42.
Seven riders flew the Irish flag at the two-star show at Peelbergen over the weekend, which ran from Wednesday, August 13th until Saturday, August 16th.
No limits
Molly Taylor and Limitless won the one-star Medium Tour 1.20m two-phase special class, when they were the best of 41 double clear rounds, out of 60 starters. Taylor was the clear winner in 24.01 – more than two seconds ahead of nearest challenger Freek Vestjens (NED) on Keanu (26.06).
Taylor started well on Friday, when winning the one-star Medium Tour 1.20m speed class with Limitless, this time jumping clear in 56.22, almost two seconds ahead of Turkish runner-up Derin Surozu on Kiara (58.14).
Harry Allen rode Little Bitty into ninth place in the Youngster Tour five and six-year-old 1.10m/1.20m class with a clear round in 70.29. The win went to Dylara Peters (NED) on Off The Road (62.08).
On the podium
Ireland secured two of the three podium places and finished with three in the top 10 of the two-star Big Tour 1.45m Grand Prix qualifier, when Alexander Butler on Tequila des Sequoias Z (67.10) took the runner-up spot, closely followed by Lynch on King Blue in third (67.19). Dutch rider Nicole Caris on Lynette NH won the class in 66.36. Jenny Rankin placed seventh on Dawsons Trend (72.73).
Saturday saw Rankin place fifth with Ibiza in the two-star Medium Tour Final 1.45m jump-off class, jumping double clear in 39.53. Valentina Arenas Saravia (GUA) won the class on Lacido in 36.47. Meanwhile, Allen on Little Bitty placed 10th in the Youngster Tour five and six-year-old 1.15m/1.25m two-phase special class in a time of 35.94. The class was won by Dylara Peters (NED) riding Off The Road (29.71).
Butler rode Sweet N’Sour Jw Van’T Meulenhof into seventh place in the day’s Youngster Tour seven and eight-year-old 1.35m/1.40m two-phase special class.
Bonheiden
Two Irish riders attended the two-star show in Bonheiden, Belgium over the weekend, namely Helen Gould with one horse and Eoin Gallagher with three horses. Gould and Khaleeshi placed seventh in the one-star 1.20m two-phase special class on Friday, jumping double clear in a phase two time of 37.60 seconds.