BILLY Twomey enjoyed one of his best five-star shows in quite some time when winning three classes – including the Longines Falsterbo Grand Prix at the Swedish Nations Cup show last weekend.

Friday’s victory marked the sixth CSIO five-star Grand Prix win in Twomey’s career. Riding Kim Barzilay’s Kimba Flamenco, a nine-year-old gelding by Twomey’s former Nations Cup mount Je T’Aime Flamenco and out of a Heartbreaker-sired mare, Twomey stormed to the top of the podium to mark the gelding’s biggest career win to date.

Speaking this week to The Irish Field, Twomey was delighted with Kimba Flamenco, saying: “The horse has been with us now for a year and a half and he has been doing pretty well lately. He was second in the four-star Grand Prix at Bolesworth a couple of weeks ago and won a four-star Grand Prix in Spain at the beginning of the year.

“The results had been coming so he was looking like he was getting ready for a big five-star result, and that is why we were selected I suppose.”

Part of Rodrigo Pessoa’s five-man squad for Sunday’s Nations Cup, Twomey decided to leave the gelding for another day after Friday’s big win.

“We were all happy (after the Grand Prix). The horse is only nine and on Saturday morning he was a bit wiped out. I had a conversation with Rodrigo and we said we would save the horse for another day. He had other really strong competitors there and the lads did really well on Sunday to finish second,” Twomey said.

The British-based rider is now hoping to be part of Pessoa’s five-man squad for the Dublin Horse Show in four weeks, and he thinks he has a championship horse on his hands. “I think that’s the plan (to do a few more CSIO shows), there is talk of maybe being on the five for Dublin, but there are few shows before that and the team manager will decide what he wants to do.

“I think he is my next championship horse – this championship is maybe a bit soon, I’m not sure, but he is gaining experience all the time,” he added.

A unique atmosphere made for an exciting jump-off and Twomey was one of eight clears plus four combinations on four faults in the 12-horse jump-off, from a startlist of 49.

The Co Cork native was second last to go in the jump-off and he posted the winning time of 55.80 second to collect €66,000. Sweden were in second, third and fourth place with Irma Karlsson, Peder Fredricson and Malin Baryard-Johnsson, respectively.

Ireland’s Mark McAuley also made it through the jump-off aboard Eva Lundin’s nine-year-old Jasco v. Bisschop when clear in the first round and his time was the winning one, but the very last fence fell and he had to settle for fifth place on this occasion.

DUKE ON FORM

Twomey’s other two wins came aboard the prolific winning Irish Sport Horse stallion Ardcolum Duke. Owned by Joe Flynn from Co Roscommon, the 14-year-old traditionally-bred stallion by Gypsy Duke won Thursday’s 1.45m speed class, before also taking the top prize in Friday morning’s Derby qualifier.

Derry’s Daniel Coyle was runner-up aboard Farona, and Bertram Allen slotted into fourth place with Christy Jnr.

Twomey has much admiration for his loyal servant. “He [Ardcolum Duke] should have won the Derby as well but I had a stupid mistake. He is an outstanding horse, he wins at practically every show. He jumped another level there this weekend and he is just a wonderful horse to have.”

French-based McAuley was also in the winners’ enclosure on Thursday when he landed the Grand Prix qualifier with Jasco v. Bisschop, just ahead of Limerick’s Paul O’Shea and Skara Glen’s Presence.