FRANCE’S Francois Xavier Boudant won the Longines International Grand Prix of Ireland at the Dublin Horse Show last Sunday afternoon on his first visit to the RDS.

Riding the 12-year-old French-bred gelding Brazyl Du Mezel (Halloubet de Gorze x Apache D’Adriers) the pair were one of only three double clear rounds over Alan Wade’s challenging 1.60m track.

The victory makes him the third French rider to claim the prize since 1934 and the first since Patrice Delaveau in 1995. It was a first visit to Dublin for Boudant and the first five-star Grand Prix win of his career.

“It is my first time here, it is an amazing show, it is really for the horse person from the ponies to the big classes. There are a lot of people and the atmosphere in the main arena is amazing,” Boudant told The Irish Field after lifting the Government Trophy.

“Brazyl du Mezel has been in my stable since he was seven. He was bought by the owner, my friend (Lionel Maurice), he is an amateur and he bought him to ride himself. He broke his shoulder and after I began to ride him, he was jumping clear all the time, and we realised he was a fantastic horse, we love him very much.

“It is my first five-star Grand Prix win and also first win for the horse. We were in the jump-off at Dinard and the Hermes Paris show but this is the first win. We hope to be back to Dublin next year for sure!”

Difficult

Worth €350,000, it is the richest equestrian competition on offer in Ireland and attracts the best of the best.

Of the 39 combinations that qualified for the showpiece, some 12 produced a clear first round. Four of them were Irish, with the Allen brothers Bertram and Harry accounting for two, as well as Trevor Breen and Michael Duffy.

The genius of Wade’s course design became apparent with no one fence causing a problem but faults came in several places; the triple combination at fence four – with an oxer and long two strides to another oxer as the middle element, followed by a vertical out – took no prisoners while, like in the Nations Cup on Friday, there were a few combinations in the wide open water at eight, and the Logines double at nine also caused hassle.

The pressure was unrelenting right up to the final oxer which caught out four riders including one of Ireland’s strongest hopes, Daniel Coyle and his multiple Grand Prix winner Legacy (Chippendale x Bon Ami) who looked foot perfect throughout, and Jack Ryan with the home-bred BBS McGregor who also had an excellent round.

Jump-off

First to go in the jump-off, Belgium’s Jerome Guery and the Dutch stallion Floris TN (Quality Time x Vancouver) started well with a nice angle over the first allowing him a very tight turn to the second.

After that things began to unravel. They had the third and fourth down to finish on eight and set the pace in 38.17.

Fellow Belgian Abdel Said, riding Bonne Amie (A Big Boy x Landfriese), was next to go. They too began well but were caught at the end of the track, incurring faults at the second to last and last fences, but in a faster time of 37.27 which would keep him in the money in eventual seventh place.

Boudant was third in. He delivered a superb clear but in a slightly slower time of 38.15 and, with nine still to go, it looked like it could be bettered, but that wasn’t to be.

Tipperary’s Trevor Breen, riding his mother-in-law Heather Black’s home-bred Highland President (Clinton x Kannan), was first to go for the home side. They managed the angles for the first and second well, cleared the tall vertical at three. They sailed through the double, but were caught out by the back bar of the oxer three from home for four faults in 38.79 for fifth place.

Irish hopes then turned to Galway’s Micheal Duffy and his mother Kathryn’s and HMF Equestrian’s Zilton SL Z (Zirocco Blue x Indoctro). Duffy, who jumped a clear for Ireland on his Nations Cup debut two days earlier with Cinca, also fell foul of the same oxer as Breen and had the final fence down for eight in 37.82.

Out of luck

The final fence was also the downfall of the next pair in, Switzerland’s Bryan Balsiger and Chelsea Z who were part of the winning Swiss team in Friday’s Aga Khan. They stopped the clock at 38.78 and slotted into sixth place.

Britain’s Samuel Hutton and the German-bred mare Casablanca H (Conteur x Landor S) provided the second clear round, breaking the beams at 39.35 which would eventually see them take third place.

Another of the Swiss Nations Cup winning team, Martin Fuchs riding Leone Jei (Baltic VDL X Corland), saw their hopes fade early when they faulted at the first and then added another four faults at the third for eight faults in 39.15.

Britain made it two from two when Harry Charles, son of Peter Charles who won the Aga Khan trophy at Dublin when riding for both Britain and Ireland, managed a fault-free round in 38.65 aboard Romeo 88 (Contact Van De Heffinck x Orlando) which would see him claim the runner-up spot.

Spain’s Eduardo Alvarez Aznar and Legend (Ogano Sitte x Nabab de Reve), who had finished as runners-up in the Sport Ireland Classic on the opening day of the show, were not so lucky this time collecting faults at the second part of the double and the last.

With just two riders left, both of them Irish, all eyes were fixed on the Allen brothers.

Harry (22), the younger, riding Calculatus (Cachassini x Contello) was first. They started well and got a great shot to the second fence but the wheels came off at the double and they had both parts down for eight faults.

All the hopes of the Irish rested on Bertram Allen’s shoulders as he entered the arena as last to go. Allen is a former winner of the class, nine years ago in 2014 when he was just 19 years old aboard the amazing grey mare Molly Malone.

Partnering Aiden McGrory’s Irish Sport Horse Pacino Amiro (Pacino x NC Amiro), bred by Simon Scott, it was clear the Wexford native meant business from the off.

A determined start at breakneck speed saw them clear the first three fences, but, much like his brother, his fate was sealed at the double. Four faults at the first part in what was by far the fastest time of the day (36.79) saw him having to settle for fourth place.

Not just for Bertram, but for every member of the massive crowd, the dream of having an Irish rider on an Irish horse take the title would, unfortunately, have to wait for another year.