THE Longines Global Champions Tour moved to Cannes at the end of last week and saw five-star competition being held from Thursday, June 5th until Saturday, June 7th.

Thursday saw the Global Champions League competitions take place, the first over a 1.55m course and the second over a 1.60m course, both against the clock. The team competition used the results from these classes, with two rounds from the first class and two from the second counting towards the team result.

A clear round from Max Wachman on the 10-year-old stallion Fancy De Kergane in a time of 64.80 contributed to the St Tropez Pirates team taking the win, along with his teammates Duarte Seabra (POR) on Dourados 2 and Mariano Martinez Bastida (ESP) on Jup.

Speaking to GCTV of the St Tropez Pirates recent successes, Duarte Seabra said: “I think we know the formula… we just need one of the Wachmans in our team. Last time in Madrid we had Tom, and this week we had Max… so it doesn’t matter which one - I think that’s the key now to a podium!”

Irish individuals got on the scoreboard in Friday’s 1.45m two-phase class, when Michael Duffy and Be Sky Hawk rode into fifth place out of 27 starters, followed by Neal Fearon on Deirdre Reilly’s Derryglen Obsidian (Kafka Vd Heffinck) in seventh. Both Irish men completed double clear rounds, with Duffy stopping the clock in 25.35 seconds and Fearon clocking 26.12. The class was won by Jur Vrieling (NED) on Cornet Blue PS in a time of 24.08.

Jump-off

Saturday’s Longines Global Champions Tour 1.60m Grand Prix saw two Irish men in the top 10, with Cavan man Fearon on Derryglen Othello, another owned by Deirdre Reilly by her stallion Kafka Vd Heffinck, in eighth, followed by Tipperary’s Max Wachman on Lexington in 10th. They were both among 10 of the 40 starters who jumped clear in the first round to secure their place in the jump-off, where both incurred faults in their quest for a podium placing.

Only three combinations managed to jump double clear, with Dutch rider Harrie Smolders the best of these in 42.30 seconds to take the win. Simon Delestre (FRA) on Cayman Jolly Jumper was second (42.70), with Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) on O’Bailey vh Brouwershof NOP in third (45.33).