MONAGHAN’s Clem McMahon won the seven-year-old final at Spring MET IV in Oliva, Spain, last weekend with the Irish Sport Horse Hilton Up The Banner. The Je T’Aime Flamenco-sired gelding, who was bred by Gerard Kelly out of the Cruising mare Daytime Cruise, was best in the five-horse jump-off in a time of 39.74 seconds to secure victory and €1,250.

McMahon has spent a number of weeks at the Spanish venue and has had good results throughout. “My horse was also here for this year’s Spring MET III, he jumped eight times clear – and was second in the final. Last week I jumped him in the Silver Tour, just for experience and I moved him back in the seven-year-olds this week,” Mc Mahon explained.

“I have had him since he was three, and I own him along with his breeder. I think he is a very good horse, a Grand Prix horse in the future. Today’s course was challenging enough, it was only five clears in the first round. It was a good test for the seven-year-olds,” McMahon added.

Belgium’s Ines van den Bosch took the runner-up spot with Zirocco (0/0 40.37), ahead of Spain’s Luis Plaza-Vidal on Mylord’s Bandit Del Keroytin (0/0 43.29).

McMahon also came close in the six-year-old final, but eventually had to settle for the runner-up position with Gary McNamara’s Legaland Team Spirit, a six-year-old Sandro Boy-sired stallion. The pair were then fourth in the following day’s two-phase class.

Tipperary’s Greg Broderick finished fifth in Saturday’s three-star Grand Prix at the venue. Riding Gretchen Johnson’s Dabelle, he was among six riders to make it through to the jump-off, where he faulted once to finish with four faults in a time of 34.72 seconds. Brazil’s Pedro Veniss was victorious with For Felicila.