KILDARE’s Niall Talbot was in top form winning last Sunday’s Suzuki Grand Prix CSI** at the Autumn MET in Oliva Nova, Spain, snatching victory as second last to go in the ring aboard the 12-year-old gelding Caracter.

Weather conditions were perfect for the third CSI** 1.45m Grand Prix of this year’s Autumn MET. “The conditions here are fantastic; all the horses are jumping really well on this ground,” said Talbot about the Oliva grass ring that hosted the Grand Prix. With 18 out of the nearly 80 competitors qualified for the jump-off, no fewer than seven were Irish.