TIPPERARY’s Denis Lynch and the 14-year-old stallion All Star 5 produced yet another superb performance in the Longines World Cup Jumping series, to take fourth place in the penultimate round at Bordeaux in France last Saturday night.

Some 39 combinations lined out for the 12th leg of the league at the French venue over Uliano Vezzani’s track. Lynch and the Thomas Straumann-owned Argentinus-sired entire were one of 19 combinations who jumped clear in the opening round of the five-star competition, to set up a thrilling jump-off against the clock.

French rider Julien Epaillard and Quatrin de la Roque LM put huge pressure on those who followed when posting a clear round in a scorching time of 35.92 seconds. This forced many of the world’s top riders to take chances and poles began to fall all around the course.

Rio Olympian Leopold van Asten took runner-up spot with VDL Groep Zidane after setting the early target of 37.71 seconds. Reigning European young rider champion, 21-year-old Guido Klatte from Germany, clinched third with Qinghai in a time of 38.09.

Towards the end of the class, Lynch and All Star produced one of just six double clear rounds on the night and their time of 38.41 saw them finish fourth overall, collecting €15,500, and the remaining six competitors all faulted on the course.

Epaillard gave the home crowd the French win they craved and walked away with over €51,000, while Leopold van Asten (NED) finished as runner-up with VDL Groep Zidane N.O.P.

“Things have not been going great for me, and after La Coruna (early December) I felt my horse was tired so I gave him a little break,” said Epaillard after the class.

“Then we started again in Oliva and came here, but I was only really preparing for the Grand Prix tomorrow, I wasn’t expecting this to happen! With this horse I have only won at three-star level - the Grand Prix at Lummen and Paderborn” he added.

Ireland’s only other competitor in the competition, Wexford’s Bertram Allen and Molly Malone V, missed out on the jump-off when finishing with a single fence down in the opening round.

The Bordeaux result cements Lynch’s position in third place on the Longines World Cup league table with 58 points, with one qualifying round remaining before the World Cup Final in Omaha, Nebraska, this March.

Frenchman Kevin Staut leads the way on 78 points, ahead of Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca on 67.