THE highlight of the week’s competitions at Vejer de la Frontera was Sunday’s four-star 1.55m Andalucia Grand Prix, which saw Tyrone’s Niamh McEvoy take the runner-up spot on board the 11-year-old gelding Olympic ‘Gl’ ‘Fvd’, owned by Keith Ennis.
There were 50 starters in the class, 14 of whom jumped clear in round one to make it through to the jump-off. Second time out, just six combinations remained without fault, with time deciding the winner. McEvoy stopped the clock in 38.60 seconds, just 0.26 off the winning time of Pedro Veniss (BRA) on Nimrod de Muze Imperio Egipcio (38.34), while Melissa Garbail (FRA) rode Dandy de l’Eyre into a very close third place in 38.63.
In the ribbons
Week three of the Andalucia October Tour was held last week at Vejer de la Frontera in Spain.
Four-star classes kicked off on Thursday with a win for Max O’Reilly Hyland on BP Limitless in the 1.40m speed class, when a clear round in a time of 57.60 proved unbeatable - the nearest challenger, Robin Lesqueren (FRA) on Hamilton du Gery finishing almost four seconds behind in 61.39. Alice Wachman on Atlantic du Seigneur placed fifth in the class.
Max Wachman took fourth place in the four-star 1.50m speed class riding the 10-year-old stallion Kannem JA Z, while sister Alice won the four-star 1.35m speed class on board Thijssen Sr Z. Aine Shortall placed fifth in the class with Killerisk Can Ya.
In the day’s 1.30m two-phase special, JP McGranaghan on Killeenan Ted finished on the podium in third, followed by Gabrielle Enright on Unreachable Z in fifth. Meanwhile, in the one-star six-year-old 1.25m speed class, Jack Geaney on Argento Conte was among the joint winners, with Isabel O’Brien on HHS Bambi, Shane Moloney on Hollypark Sassy and James Derwin on Mr Priority joint winners in the five-year-old 1.15m speed class.
The Wachman brothers both featured in the top 10 of Friday’s four-star 1.50m speed class, with Max placing fourth on Tipperary and Tom finishing 10th on Hawaii, while the 1.40m speed class saw a fifth-place finish for Niamh McEvoy on Miro NS, followed by Dermott Lennon in eighth place on Kinmar Right On Time.
Winning ways
Shortall on Killerisk Can Ya won the four-star 1.30m speed class, while the one-star five-year-old 1.15m two-phase special saw O’Brien on HHS Bambi, Moloney on Hollypark Sassy and James Derwin on Mr Priority placing sixth, seventh and ninth.
The four-star 1.20m accumulator class was won by Gerard Campbell riding Livio, with full points in a super-quick time of 51.89 - almost two seconds ahead of their nearest rival. Enright and Tangilo Wi Ro Z placed eighth in the four-star 1.10m speed class.
Saturday saw a runner-up finish for Athlone’s Francis Derwin riding his own 12-year-old gelding Flexi K (ISH), bred at Knightfield Stud in Kildare, in the four-star Karlswood Trophy 1.45m jump-off class, with Lennon and Millview Cicero placing eighth.
The day’s one-star five-year-old 1.20m two-phase special saw James Derwin on Mr Priority place fifth, ahead of Moloney on Hollypark Sassy in eighth, while the four-star 1.20m speed class saw Campbell place fourth with Livio.
The 1.30m speed class saw Shortall place third on Killerisk Can Ya, with the 1.10m two-phase special resulting in a seventh place for Enright on Tangilo Wi Ro Z and ninth for Oliver Holden on Amaretto T.
Sunday saw Geaney place seventh on Argento Conte in the one-star six-year-old 1.30m speed class and 10th with Marble Arch in the seven-year-old 1.35m speed class.
Alice Wachman finished fourth in the four-star 1.35m two-phase special riding Thijssen Sr Z, with Campbell on Livio third in the 1.25m speed class.