LIMERICK’s Paul O’Shea galloped to victory in last Sunday’s three-star $125,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix aboard the reliable 15-year-old gelding Imerald van’t Voorhof who is owned by the Imerald Partners LLC.

Alan Wade designed a track that asked plenty of questions from the 35 who lined out in the first round and 15 of those were clear to progress to the jump-off. Early to go against the clock, Derry’s Jordan Coyle, who won the class last year, set the standard with a clear in 41.24 seconds aboard the 12-year-old gelding For Gold, owned by Falkirk Farm.

In the end that was good enough for third place when only Mimi Gochman with Cosmos BH (40.21) and O’Shea managed to beat the time. Breaking the beams in 40.09 seconds, O’Shea snatched the victory to win $41,250. Coyle collected $18,750 for third place. Finishing ninth was the Irish-bred stallion Celtic Hero BZ (Calikot Hero x Caretano Z), bred by Andrea Etter and ridden by USA’s Heather Caristo-Williams.

“My horse was fantastic today,” O’Shea commented. “He really gave me everything and I’m delighted with the results. I didn’t see anybody else go against the clock; I just stuck to my plan and my horse is naturally quick against the clock. Classes like these are often so fast that when we walk the jump-offs, we wonder if certain things can be done and in this case, they could.

“Imerald has been fantastic for me and for his owners,” O’Shea added. “He’s won a few other three-star Grands Prix and I’m very confident in him. He’s a very brave horse, you just turn him and he takes on the jumps. He won’t do the four-star next week, he is 15 now so we will give him three weeks off until his next big class.”