TWO Irish men were in the money in Prague over the weekend, as they were on the third-placed New York Empire team in the five-star 1.60m GCL Super Cup final at the Global Champions Playoffs. Denis Lynch on Cordial and Bertram Allen on the 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Pacino Amiro were accompanied by Britain’s Scott Brash riding Hello Jefferson to a podium finish in the very lucrative competition.
The third and final team competition for the GCL Super Cup was the crescendo of the Global Champions Playoffs, held in Prague. A staggering €6,500,000 in prize money in the class warranted some world-class competition and the best in the business were out to claim their share.
The best six teams from the preceding rounds had progressed to Sunday’s finale, so a thrilling afternoon of competition was assured.
Each team had three members and each of them jumped two rounds. The Rome Gladiators team of Emanuele Gaudiano on Esteban De Hus, Yuri Mansur on QH Alfons Santo Antonio and Peder Fredricson on Alcapone Des Carmille led from the outset, incurring just four faults in round one. Their eight-fault score in round two gave them a finishing score of 12 in a time of 215.28, which made them the clear winners of the €2,500,000 top prize, with Fredricson jumping one of just three double clears in the class.
Phenomenal
Valkenswaard United were next best with a finishing score of 28 in 199.33, having picked up 20 faults in the first round and eight in the second, to secure them a €1,500,000 prize.
New York Empire saw Lynch pick up four faults in round one and an unfortunate 12 second time out; Allen and Pacino Amiro (Pacino x Carnone Dancing Queen by NC Amiro), bred by Simon Scott in Co Donegal, incurred 12 faults in the first round, but jumped a super clear in the second, while Brash rode a phenomenal double clear over the 1.60m track. The team finished on 28 faults, equal with Valkenswaard United, but in a slightly slower time of 203.33 seconds to claim the €1,000,000 third prize.
The Global Champions Playoffs were held in Prague in the Czech Republic last week, with the huge prize money on offer attracting a very impressive list of competitors!
Super Grand Prix
The highlight on Saturday was the five-star 1.65m Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix, with a prize fund of €1.25 million, which saw just 15 competitors - the winners of each of the Grands Prix at the legs during the year - go to post. Inside a sold-out O2 Arena, more than 15,000 fans witnessed one of the tightest finishes in LGCT Super Grand Prix history as the world’s elite battled over two demanding 1.65m rounds. The winner, by a very narrow margin, was Abdel Saïd (BEL) on Bonne Amie, whose four faults in 62.43 seconds was a mere whisker ahead of Simon Delestre (FRA) on Cayman Jolly Jumper (4/62.45). Brash (GBR) filled the third place on the podium with four faults in 62.81.
Saïd took home just shy of €300,893, with Delestre pocketing €250,893 and Brash €200,893.
“It’s unbelievable, I am still trying to take it in - I am very proud of my horse… I am annoyed with myself because that is how we are… we criticise the small thing that went wrong. But she’s a big lady to go fast in an indoor arena. In my heart I knew it was a long shot to win with so many good horses and riders to follow. I certainly didn’t expect to win the LGCT Super Grand Prix in Prague,” the delighted winner said afterwards.
Fearon placed
Classes commenced on Thursday with a five-star 1.45m speed class, which saw 66 on the start list. Of those, an outstanding 42 combinations managed to jump clear. There was a wide range of times recorded, with the fastest coming from Ales Opatrny (CZE) on Kapsones W, for an opening home win in 52.90 seconds.
Ireland’s Neal Fearon on Deirdre Reilly’s Derryglen Obsidian got their show off to a good start when placing sixth (56.52), while Lynch on Katja finished eighth (56.83). The 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding EIC Cooley Jump The Q (Pacino x Jump The Q by OBOS Quality 004), bred by Pam Walshe, came fifth in the class under Austria’s Max Kuhner (56.20).
The second individual five-star competition was held on Friday, a 1.50m speed class with 37 starters, of whom 17 remained fault-free.
The win went to Maher (GBR) on Enjeu de Grisien in a time of 55.93, with Germany’s Jorne Sprehe on Toys a close second (56.11) and, while no Irish riders featured in the placings, Kuhner (AUT) on EIC Cooley Jump The Q (ISH) placed third (56.46).
The second team competition, the semi-final, was held on Friday evening, with €2,000,000 up for grabs. Riesenbeck International took the top spot in this five-star 1.60m speed class for a fabulous first prize of €250,000. Basel Cosmopolitans finished as runners-up for €220,000, ahead of New York Empire in third - this time comprising of Lynch on Cordial and Allen on Pacino Amiro, alongside Brash on Hello Jefferson - for a very nice €200,000.
Saturday’s five-star 1.50m jump-off class was the third individual class of the show and saw a start list of 34. Just 10 combinations jumped clear in the first round to make it into the jump-off, where just over a second divided the top three.
The win went to Germany’s Sophie Hinners on Iron Dames Combella in an unbeatable time of 33.57, ahead of Abdel Said (BEL) on Quaker Brimbelles Z in second (33.79) and Andreas Schou (DEN) on Billy Matador in third (34.72).