MAYO’S Ciaran Nallon came out on top of Saturday’s five-star €164,700 1.50m jump-off class at the Longines Global Champions Tour fixture at Rabat, riding the 12-year-old gelding Christians Carado. From the 40 starters, there were 11 combinations who jumped clear in round one to make it through to the jump-off, where six maintained their clean sheet.
Nallon and his mount were first to go in the jump-off, but didn’t hold back, leaving out strides and making tight turns wherever possible. They were the only pair to break the 40-second barrier, stopping the clock in 39.65 to take the win, ahead of Emanuele Gaudiano (ITA) in second riding Nikolaj de Music in 40.26. Germany’s Christian Ahlmann on Diamantino completed the podium in third in a time of 40.48.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting this at all, so it makes the win even more special. To go first in the jump-off against so many incredible riders, you never really think your time is going to be enough, so I was just hoping I’d done enough to be competitive,” commented 24-year-old Nallon afterwards.
“To watch everyone else come in and not quite catch us was an unbelievable feeling. It really means a lot to me, especially at this stage of my career, and I’m so grateful to the whole team behind us that make moments like this possible. Rabat is an amazing event, the venue is incredible and the whole show is organised to such a high standard. To win here, against this level of competition, is something I’ll remember for a very long time.”
Grand Prix
Tipperary’s Denis Lynch came so close to winning the five-star €612,100 1.60m Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Rabat on Sunday, but had to settle for the runner-up spot with Cordial. It was a good class for Ireland, with three Irish riders in the top 10.
The start list of 40 produced nine clear first rounds, who proceeded to jump again. The jump-off track proved challenging and all but two of the combinations faulted. Lynch and Swedish rider Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli on Iron Dames Calvino II de Nyze Z were the only two who managed to leave all the fences standing, but the Swede’s time of 47.91 was just a whisker faster than Lynch’s 48.02 to secure her first place and the lucrative top prize of €201,993. Lynch took home a very respectable €122,420 for his efforts in second. Christian Ahlmann (GER) on Untouched LB took third place to complete the podium, while Wexford’s Harry Allen on Edison de Hus placed fourth. Nallon on Iglesias DV finished ninth in the class.
The Rabat result moves Lynch to third place in the overall standings on a score of 233, with Belgium’s Abdel Said maintaining his lead to finish first on 245, with Ahlmann slotting into second place on 240.
Denis Lynch and Cordial were runners-up in the five-star €612,100 1.60m Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Rabat \ Liuba Buzzola/LGCT
Team effort
The Longines Global Champions Tour moved to Rabat, Morocco for its conclusion over the weekend, with classes running from Friday until Sunday.
Friday’s GCL first competition, a 1.60m speed class, saw Nallon riding Iglesias DV for the Riesenbeck International team, who along with teammate Philipp Weishaupt on Oreo DR, sat in fourth place. At that stage, Madrid In Motion took the lead.
In the GCL second competition, a 1.55m speed contest, Nallon and Weishaupt each rode another horse - Christians Carado and Callao L respectively - to post clear rounds for their team, moving them up to second place overall behind Monaco Aces (Yuri Mansur and Ioli Mytilineou) in first.
The all-Irish New York Empire team of Denis Lynch (Cordial and Brooklyn Heights) and Michael Pender (Madgeslane Louis) secured third place, while Allen (Edison de Hus) was part of the sixth-placed Basel Cosmopolitans team.
Individually, Allen and Edison de Hus placed seventh, ahead of Lynch on Brooklyn Heights in ninth.
Their runner-up finish at leg 15 in Rabat cemented Riesenbeck International’s position in the overall standings, where they were the clear leaders on 322 points. Their closest rivals were Istanbul Warriors in second on 259 points, with New York Empire in third place on 242 points.