DENIS Lynch and Michael Duffy were on the podium in five-star competition last Saturday at the Longines Global Champions League in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands.
Lynch and Vistogrand carried on the good form that helped the Irish show jumping team secure second in the Aga Khan Cup at the Dublin Horse Show, by recording a runner-up finish in the 1.60m individual qualifier at the Longines Tops International Arena.
World number one, Henrik von Eckermann (SWE), was the only rider able to get the better of the Tipperary athlete in the 1.60m event, joining forces with Glamour Girl to take the overall win with an electric time of 71.22 seconds.
Lynch and Vistogrand stopped the clock on 74.18 and Galway man Duffy navigated Calypso de Beaufour to third with a clear in 75.91 in the Grass Arena.
Lynch also had a fourth place finish at the event with Four Seasons in the CSI2* Medium Tour 1.40m speed class and a third with this horse in the CSI2* Small Tour two Phase 1.35m, as well as a further fourth place with Mr Boombastic in the CSI5* 1.45m speed class.
Grand Prix
In the exciting Grand Prix that followed, the equestrian world witnessed an exhilarating triumph as Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca and Denver de Talma, captured a heart-stirring victory after seven years without an LGCT Grand Prix win.
Local hero Harrie Smolders and Monaco N.O.P. clinched second place, much to the crowd’s delight and von Eckermann rounded off the podium with Glamour Girl.
An emotional de Luca explained how much the win meant to him and his team.
“I felt everyone cheering for me, even if we stole the Dutch win,” he said.
“But I think we saw very good sport today and I am glad to be on the top of the podium. I believe so much in my horse and I really wanted to give him the best ride because he really deserved to win today. I knew that Henrik was going to be for sure faster, and especially with that horse. He is such an amazing rider, so I really tried my best.”
The best placed Irish rider in the Grand Prix was Mark McAuley and GRS Lady Amaro who, as second-fastest of the four-faulters finished in seventh. McAuley also helped his team, Madrid in Motion, into fourth place riding both GRS Lady Amaro and Fury Nocturne.
After the 13th stage of the 2024 Championship and with only two events remaining, Austria’s Max Kühner leads the table on 234 points, while the Olympic champion Christian Kukuk closely trails with 209 points. LGCT Championship runner-up last year, Maikel van der Vleuten improves on his score to sit in third on 199 points and Andreas Schou holds onto fourth with 192 points. With just a single rail down in today’s LGCT Grand Prix Sophie Hinners catapults into 5th on 187 points as the battle moves on to Rome.