MEATH’S Cian O’Connor showed why he is in the top 10 show jumpers in the world when he and the nine-year-old gelding Gengis Kann de Londe won the five-star 1.55m speed class, the first competition of the Global Champions League in Madrid on Friday afternoon.

The one-round class saw 59 combinations on the start list, with 14 of them managing to jump clear within the time allowed. O’Connor and his mount were the fastest of these, stopping the clock in 66.86 seconds, more than a second ahead of their nearest rival, Belgium’s Jerome Guery riding Killer Queen (68.17), who had to be content with the runner-up spot on this occasion. Spanish rider Mariano Martinez Bastida on Jup completed the podium in 68.97, while Denis Lynch on Brooklyn Heights placed fourth in 69.93.