TIPPERARY’S Denis Lynch had a good show at the five-star Longines Global Champions Tour fixture at Rabat in Morocco, crowned by a podium finish in the 1.60m Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Rabat on Sunday. The class saw 40 combinations lining up to take on a testing track, with just seven of them jumping clear to make it through to the jump-off. Such was the challenge second time out that all but one combination faulted - Monaco’s Anastasia Nielsen was therefore the deserving winner when securing the only double clear with Action Man in a jump-off time of 50.25.

The runner-up spot went to Andreas Schou (DEN) on Napoli vh Nederassenthof (four faults, 45.59), with Lynch and the 16-year-old stallion Cordial finishing third after picking up four faults as first to go in the jump-off in a time of 46.51. Lynch brought home a very pleasing prize pot of €95,100 for his third-place finish, which also sees him rise to sixth place in the current overall standings after leg 15.

Placings

The Longines Global Champions Tour moved to Rabat at the weekend and Lynch flew the flag for Ireland, getting off the mark in the first GCL competition, a 1.55m speed class, when placing 10th on Cordial, jumping clear in 69.32.

Saturday saw Michael Pender place fourth in the five-star 1.45m speed class with Madgeslane Louis, when clear in 70.58.

Lynch and Brooklyn Heights placed sixth in the five-star 1.50m jump-off class, when they were among 33 starters, just nine of whom jumped clear in round one to proceed to the jump-off. Seven combinations kept all the fences standing, with Lynch’s time of 39.94 just off the pace of German winner Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann on Iron Dames High Level in a fast 37.18.

Lynch was in the top 10 again in Sunday’s five-star 1.50m speed class when eighth with Brooklyn Heights, jumping clear in 64.24. The win went to Thibault Philippaerts (BEL) on Quilano (60.68).