CLEM McMahon won the third round of the TRM/Horseware New Heights Champions Series at the two-star Mullingar International Horse Show last Monday.

Riding Pauline Gibson’s aptly named gelding Aldaluck, McMahon saw off stiff competition in the 14-strong jump-off to capture the top prize in the weekend’s feature class, which was worth €24,600.

Aldaluck, a nine-year-old, is by Aldato out of My Mystic River, by Rassan Boy.

Speaking after the class, McMahon said: “I think I did one stride less between fences one and two so that gave us a good start. Also we got a good tight turn from three to four. All the fences came up quiet smoothly and I think I got tighter than most into the double, all this combined gave us a pretty fast time.

“I started riding Aldaluck a couple of years ago. Pauline (Gibson) and her daughter Lucy have brought him up through the ranks and I started with him when he was seven. We won the seven and eight-year-olds in the Meadows last year and earlier this year we won a 1.45 in Spain and were second in the mini Grand Prix.

“We were delighted with the win yesterday and are really pleased with how he is progressing” said McMahon.

A competitive field of 54 lined out over course builder Mark McGowan’s track. First to go for Britain were Annabel Shields and the former Jordan Coyle mount Carnoneybridge Challenger.

The pair set the standard with a clear round and earned the spot in the timed decider. A further 13 combinations would remain fault-free through the first round.

The triple combination at fence 12 claimed the most victims, as well as the double of verticals at fence seven, but the challenges were spread out over the entire track. During the first round three combinations retired on course, two were eliminated and 35 managed to collect faults.

Vincent Byrne and Hannibal V Overis Z were first to go in the jump-off. They set the standard with a clear round in a time of 46.36. Britain’s Stacey Babes was next aboard the stallion Quilimbo. They had one fence down to see them out of the running with four faults in 45.75.

Cormac Rafferty and his own nine-year-old gelding Kmr Benzini left all the fences intact in 46.97 which would be good enough for eventual sixth place. Waterford’s Francis Connors and the first of his two mounts Centolina RB also left all the fences up but in a slightly slower 48.73 for seventh place.

Australian rider Jake Hunter and his mount Rpm Cantaurado did not fare so well after running into trouble early on in the course and were eliminated. Madeline Allen and Daroento VDL began well but an error at fence four saw them add four faults and knock themselves out of the final line-up.

Young rider Michael Pender riding Marion Hughes’ nine-year-old gelding Casanova Van Overis Z then produced a clear round in an impressive time of 43.86 to shoot into the lead. Pender did not hang on to pole position for long however, as next in was McMahon.

An accurate and precise round saw the Clones man stop the clock at 42.62, over a second faster than the leader, to secure victory and the biggest pot of the weekend.

Francis Connors and his second mount, the Irish-bred Erne Lady Goldilocks began well and managed to remain fault-free but were slightly off the mark in a time of 45.71 for eventual fourth place.

Next up was Stacey Babes with her second mount, Camillo VDL. They managed to slice over a second off Connors’ time in 44.53 but failed to catch Pender, slotting into third place.

Olympian Greg Broderick, riding Charmeur, was 11th into the ring. They started off well, with six strides from fences one to two, before an error at fence three saw their chances fade away. They finished with the fastest time of the day, in 42.11, but four faults cost them the victory.

Babes’ clear was to be the last of the day as the first two of the remaining trio to compete Jack Ryan (Cavalier Teaca) and Annabel Shields (Carnoneybridge Challenger) notched up 12 faults each.

The final rider in, Shields and her second mount Wet Wet Wet, winner of the Balmoral Grand Prix last month, began well but a misguided turn into the double saw the British rider suffer a refusal and she had to settle for four faults in 52.14 and a place outside of the top 10.

The next and fourth round of the New Heights Champions Series takes place next Sunday, June 18th, in Duffy’s Equestrian Centre in Claregalway, following the decision by Galway County Show to move the show jumping to an all-weather surface.