WATERFORD’s Anthony Condon secured a five-star win for Ireland in the feature class at the Nations Cup show in Lummen last Saturday aboard Balzac.

Fifty three combinations started over the difficult 1.50m track which saw plenty of drama, with nine riders retiring out on course, and a further three facing elimination. Just five of the starters managed to jump clear in the first round.

Condon was first to go in the jump-off with his own and Kat Taylor’s 11-year-old gelding Balzac (Oklund x Frisbee Kerellec) and produced the only double clear of the competition in 45.08 seconds to collect the winner’s prize of €6,250.

Sweden’s Angelie Von Essen finished runner-up with Bydalens Qamaieu de Montsec. The pair broke the beam in a quicker time of 44.54 but with four faults. Switzerland’s Paul Estermann finished fifth with the Irish Sport Horse Castlefield Eclipse (OBOS. Quality 004 x Furisto).

The result proved a welcome change in luck for Condon, after he was denied a potential win with Balzac in last week’s Eschweiler Grand Prix in Germany. Balzac’s bit broke in half when jumping clear just two fences from home, leaving Condon with no option but to retire with the finish line in sight.

Speaking after the class, Condon said: “Balzac has a very big stride but he is not the fastest horse in the world so I wanted to make sure to use his stride. It’s great to win the class here, the ground is fantastic, weather is nice, it’s lovely.

“I had a bit of an incident in Eschweiler last week – my bit broke in the middle of the Grand Prix. I was clear to the last two fences and the bit broke so I had to pull-up.”

Speaking about his preparations for the season, Condon added: “I went to Abu Dhabi at the start of the year, that was my first outdoor show, and then I went to Vilamoura for a few weeks where he was placed in two ranking classes and fourth in the Grand Prix, so he is in good form at the moment.

“I am going back to England after this show. I am hoping to get into Windsor and then we have to make a bit of a plan and see where we will go next.”

DERBY

In Saturday evening’s Nick Motmans Memorial Flanders Derby in Lummen, Co Down’s former World Champion Dermott Lennon and the Irish Sport Horse Gelvins Touch (Touchdown x Diamond Lad) grabbed a hard earned runners-up finish.

Five combinations finished the tough first round course with eight faults to set up a jump-off against the clock.

Lennon and the Victoria Loane-owned 11-year-old gelding jumped clear in the second round in 45.43 seconds to finish a second and a half behind Dutch winner Johnny Pals riding Urjul van Generhese, while Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat finished third with Dioleen.

There was no luck for the Irish riders in Sunday’s 1.60m €200,000 Longines Grand Prix, where Guerdat came out on top with a new mount, Hannah, to collect €50,000. The tough track yielded just two double clears rounds, with Sweden’s Peder Fredricson and H&M Christian K finishing second, ahead of Italy’s Emilio Bicocchi.