DENIS Lynch and the nine-year-old stallion Chicago claimed a top-five finish in the four-star 1.55m Maastricht Grand Prix on Sunday, when a double clear round in a jump-off time of 42.44 put them in fifth place.

From a start list of 38, only five combinations made their way around the first-round track without fault to book their place in the jump-off. It was testament to their abilities that all five jumped clear for a second time, so time was the deciding factor.

Belgium’s Gilles Thomas claimed first place on board Qalista DN in a time of 35.49, while Robert Murphy (GBR) on Hulde G and Christian Ahlmann (GER) on Dourkhan Hero Z shared second place when they both stopped the clock in 36.51.

Thomas said afterwards: “Winning is always special, but especially in Maastricht. Jumping Indoor Maastricht has been on our calendar for years, and I’m thrilled to add this title to my list of achievements.”

He was quick to give credit to his mare: “Qalista is only nine and doesn’t have much experience yet. This is her first indoor competition after a successful outdoor season. It’s almost unbelievable that she wins it right away. She’s cheerful, fiery and has a real fighting spirit. Very careful, but even faster in the jump-off. That’s when she jumps at her best, when I can let her move a bit. She’s fantastic, a real dream horse to have in the stable.”

Placings

Maastricht in The Netherlands hosted four-star show jumping over four days at the end of last week, with Denis Lynch and his daughter Sarah representing Ireland. Denis rode the seven-year-old Shogun STS into fourth place from a start list of 20 in the 1.40m Small Tour two-phase class. The pair jumped double clear in a phase two time of 29.70, which was just over two seconds behind the winner, Marriet Smit-Hoekstra on For Chacco TN, who stopped the clock in 27.40.