IRISH riders gave a good account of themselves at Valkenswaard in The Netherlands over the weekend, with a number of placings across the three days of the Summer Classic show at the venue.
On Sunday, Denis Lynch took a podium place in the four-star 1.55m Grand Prix at Valkenswaard, when he rode the 16-year-old stallion Cordial into third place from a start list of 38. The pair was one of nine to jump clear in the first round to secure a place in the jump-off, where six managed to keep the fences intact for a second time. The top three finished within fractions of each other, with Lynch’s time of 35.96 a mere 0.34 seconds behind the winner, Andres Azcarraga (MEX) on Contendros 2 (35.62), with Dutch man Harrie Smolders on Mr Tac slotting into a very close second place in 35.67.
Meanwhile, Saturday had seen Michael Duffy ride the 11-year-old stallion Dublin to win the 58-strong two-star Medium Tour 1.40m speed class, when they kept all the poles in place in a time of 55.86 seconds. Lynch and Chicago finished in fifth place when clocking 60.89.
In the ribbons
The Summer Festival I Summer Classic show ran at Valkenswaard from Friday, July 11th until Sunday, July 13th. Gavin Harley got off the mark for Ireland in the two-star Big Tour 1.45m speed class riding Nespresso van’t Laekhof into sixth place when clear in 62.63 seconds. Brazil’s Eduardo Pereira De Menezes and Calypso des Matis won the class in 59.87.
The first of the four-star classes was the 1.45m two-phase, which saw Duffy on Be Sky Hawk take ninth place from a start list of 39. Duffy was among 13 combinations who jumped double clear rounds, with a jump-off time of 38.54. Abdullah Alsharbatly (KSA) won the class in a very quick 31.35.
The two-star Medium Tour 1.40m two-phase class saw Lynch take sixth place on board Chicago, when they jumped double clear in a jump-off time of 32.28. Class winner Valentina Arenas Saravia was not to be beaten, riding a fast second phase round in 29.11.
Saturday’s Young Horse one-star six and seven-year-old 1.30m/1.35m speed class saw Lynch place ninth with Anchorman 5 when jumping clear in 72.21. Germany’s Kendra Claricia Brinkop and Abercrombie Pommex Z took the win in 66.63.
Max Wachman got on the scoreboard in the four-star 1.45m speed class when placing sixth with Lexington in a time of 70.23. Belgian winner Koen Vereecke on Oilily de Muze stopped the clock in 65.22.
Meanwhile, in the two-star Big Tour 1.45m speed class, Christopher Megahey on Casian S placed 10th in a time of 71.32.
Harley finished on the podium in Sunday’s one-star 1.35m Grand Prix when third on board Holidays de Riverland in a jump-off time of 38.08.