AUSTRALIA’s Edwina Tops-Alexander became the second female rider to win the five-star Grand Prix at the Longines Masters of Paris on its 10th anniversary last weekend, where Tipperary show jumper Denis Lynch completed with a podium finish.

Lynch was one of seven riders to make it through to the jump-off from the 43 combinations who started over Frank Rothenberger’s track, a tough test in the first round. Riding the 10-year-old gelding The Sinner (Sanvaro x Landgold 3), owned by Onyx Consulting Ltd & Zach Lukas, he posted the first clear against the clock in a time of 47.03 seconds when third last to go.

However, the two combinations to follow also produced clears and pushed him to third place. Tops-Alexander rode the brilliant 11-year-old l’Esprit-sired mare California and broke the beam in 44.43 seconds to take the lead with just one combination left.

Italy’s Alberto Zorzi, who is based with Tops-Alexander and her husband Jans Tops in Valkenswaard, was last into the ring with Contanga 3 and the Austalian had an anxious wait as she watched him clear the course. However, Zorzi stopped the clock fraction slower in 44.79 to take second place. Tops-Alexander claimed the top prize of €99,000, while Lynch took home €45,000 for third place.

happy

“With my time of 50 seconds [47.03 precisely], I knew I was never going to win. But I am really happy with the horse and his improvement. I am really happy to finish in the top three, particularly here, in Paris, in front of this amazing crowd,” Lynch said afterwards.

A relieved Edwina said: “I wasn’t sure I had been fast enough to beat Alberto who started last. I should have gone faster if there had been more to come after me.”

Lynch had taken victory the night before in the Six Bar compeititon with The Sinner.

He shared the podium with Frenchman Simon Delestre after both riders failed to clear the fifth and final round, where the last vertical stood at 2.02m. However, they had successfully cleared 1.92m in the fourth round and took victory, securing €4,500 each.

Cork’s Billy Twomey placed second in Thursday’s 1.45m Table A class with the consistent Irish Sport Horse stallion Ardcolum Duke (Gypsy Duke x Clover Hill). His clear round in a time of 53.76 seconds was just slower than America’s Spencer Smith and Happiness (0/ 53.09), to earn him €4,940. France’s Félicie Bertrand slotted into third place with Urano de Cartigny (0/ 56.88).

Joanne Sloan-Allen was also in action at the Parisian venue and she placed sixth in the one-star Grand Prix. Riding Amigo Cascada M, she picked up four faults in the jump-off.