EOIN McMahon from Co Clare had a champion weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he helped his Reisenbeck International team to claim the 2023 Global Champions League for the second year running!

28-year-old McMahon and his mount Mila (Monte Bellini x Linton) and his team mate Philipp Weishaupt on Zineday (Zinedine x Polydor) took on the challenge for their team and finished in the top spot at the final leg of the competition.

The Reisenbeck International team is owned and managed by Ludger Beerbaum, with whom McMahon has been based in Germany since September 2018. Along with McMahon and Weishaupt, the team consists of Christian Kukuk, Jane Richard, Patrick Stuhlmeyer and their required Under 25 rider, Philipp Schulze Topphoff.

The team had started the league as they meant to go on, winning the first leg in Doha and five further legs throughout the course of the league.

Shane Breen on Haya in action in the Global Champions League at Riyadh for the Rome Gladiators team \ Stefano Grasso/LGCT-GCL

Team manager and owner, Ludger Beerbaum was proud of his team’s achievements during the league: “It is six wins, with leading the overall from the first competition to the last, most of the time with a comfortable margin with 20 to 30 points, it got tight at the end and Paris Panthers made it really exciting, but we’ve never had a team dominating the season more than we did this year.”

To Weishaupt, McMahon and Kukuk, Beerbaum said: “I am extremely, extremely proud of the guys here, I want to underline this – thank you guys. The class and the way of the performance throughout the whole season – it’s just outstanding. Thank you very much.”

They finished on a final league score of 332 to scoop the generous top prize of €2 million; their next nearest rivals were the Paris Panthers, who finished on 318 to claim the runner-up prize of €1.5 million.

At the final leg, the Stockholm Hearts came second, followed by the Prague Lions in third and the Paris Panthers in fourth.

The top four teams in the 2023 Global Champions League - Reisenbeck International, Paris Panthers, Madrid in Motion and Stockholm Hearts – have gained direct entry into the semi-finals of the Global Champions League Super Cup at the Global Champions Prague Playoffs.

Irish riders Shane Breen on Haya and Michael Duffy on Cantana 32 both rode for the Rome Gladiators team, who placed fifth at the final and eighth overall.

Michael Pender, pictured riding HHS Calais, also had HHS Catwalk at Riyadh, where they competed in the CSI5* 1.50m class \ Stefano Grasso/LGCT-GCL

Meanwhile, in the individual classes at Riyadh, McMahon and Mila placed eighth in the 1.60m Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Riyadh, in a class that was won by his Reisenbeck team mate, Germany’s Christian Kukuk riding Checker 47. Ireland’s Denis Lynch on Vistogrand also rode in the Grand Prix.

Michael Duffy and Cantano 32 placed 10th in the CSI5* 1.45m presented by SAL class on Thursday, whilst in the CSI5* 1.45m class presented by Invest Saudi, McMahon placed fourth on Christians Carado, with Bertram Allen in fifth riding Mikias vd Bisschop.

Michael Pender rode HHS Catwalk and Denis Lynch rode Dark Chocolate 48 in the CSI5* 1.50m class.