MEATH’s Alexander Butler scored a big four-star win in the Grand Prix at the at Arezzo Toscana Tour in Italy last Sunday.

Riding L.C.J. Berben’s 15-year-old stallion Chilli B (Belin x VDL Cardento), Butler was among 13 combinations to jump clear over the first round of the big 1.55m track. Against the clock, just four combinations were clear and Butler was the fastest of them in 43.29 seconds to earn the top prize of €25,000.

Poland’s Adam Grzegorzewski and Issem also crossed the line clear, in a slower time of 43.97, to take second. Third place went to French former world number one, Kevin Staut with Bond Jamesbond de Hay in 44.06 seconds.

Butler, who is based at Milestone Farm in The Netherlands, commented: “The horse this year has been very very consistent. He was in Spain at the Sunshine Tour for three weeks and he was unlucky not to win a four-star Grand Prix there; he was the fastest time and had the last fence down. He is just very consistent in every Grand Prix, even the first week in Arezzo he had a time fault.

“I wasn’t expecting a win because the two weeks in Arezzo I was having a very bad show with all the horses, they were jumping poor. I was always probably banking on him because he is always very solid, so I knew he was going to put in a good round but to get the win was fantastic.

“The next step now is we make a plan to hopefully do a few teams for the summer because he is a very reliable horse to have, so hoping for a few more big days this year.”

Butler and Chilli B finished sixth in Friday’s 1.45m Table with another great clear round in 69.49 seconds.

Malahide-based Jenny Rankin continued her good run of form when winning Thursday’s four-star 1.40m with Vanessa Mannix’s 11-year-old mare Carmela Z. in a class with 54 starters, the pair were the best of 19 clear rounds in a time of 24.77 seconds to win €1,000.

Rankin also won Tuesday’s seven-year-old 1.30m aboard Barry O’Connor’s Numero Uno mare Kainville VDS; the pair went clear in a time of 34.02 seconds.