IRELAND’S Denis Lynch and Cordial won the one-star 1.30m jump-off class at Sentower Park, Opglabbeek on Sunday, when riding a double clear round in a jump-off time of 29.02 seconds. There were 27 starters in the class, with just eight jumping clear in round one to proceed to the jump-off, where five combinations kept all the fences intact for a second time.

In a very close finish, the top three were within a whisker of each other - Lynch’s closest challenger was Norway’s Benedikte Serigstad Endresen on Little Girl du Plein Vent, who stopped the clock in 29.34. The podium was completed by Belgium’s Brecht Goossens on Quinin V/H Dingenshof (29.60).

Placings

The two-star show at Sentower Park in Opglabbeek, Belgium got underway on Wednesday, January 29th. Denis Lynch rode Anchorman 5 into eighth place in the opening one-star young horse seven and eight-year-old 1.30m/1.35m two-phase special class from a large start list of 82. Lynch jumped double clear in a phase two time of 33.69 seconds, which just couldn’t catch Belgian winner Pascale Haep on Macumba Sitte, who finished in a very speedy time of 29.28.

Friday saw Lynch take the runner-up spot in the two-star 1.40m class riding Cornets Iberio, when clear in 60.38. The class was won by Kevin Jochems (NED) on Shanroe Peeters in a time of 59.71.

The day’s opening one-star young horse seven and eight-year-old 1.30m/1.35m two-phase special class saw Lynch take another top 10 placing, this time finishing ninth with Anchorman 5, with a double clear round in a phase two time of 32.60. Germany’s Katrin Eckermann won the class riding Viva Fly Nrw (28.80).

Rhys Williams secured a podium finish in the two-star 1.45m jump-off class riding Conthanja into third place from a start list of 79. The pair jumped double clear and negotiated their way round the jump-off course in 35.04, just over a second off the pace of class winner, Edouard Schmitz (SUI) on Abdul-Jabbar du Gibet (33.95).

Saturday’s one-star Young Horse seven and eight-year-old 1.35m/1.40m jump-off class saw Ireland’s Kevin Thornton ride Rendez-Vous Aeg into seventh place when double clear in a jump-off time of 32.26. Lars Kersten won the class with Dynamite Dillon Z in 29.84.