CO Clare show jumper Eoin McMahon and Meath’s Alexander Butler were both in the winners’ enclosure at the Winter Masters in Kronenberg, The Netherlands, last weekend.

McMahon’s win came in Friday’s three-star 1.50m jump-off class aboard his relatively new mount, the 13-year-old gelding Chacon 2, who is owned by Madeleine Winter-Schulze and was previously ridden by his boss Ludger Beerbaum and Philipp Weishaupt.

Some 83 combinations started the class with 13 producing clear rounds first time out and seven managed to keep a clean sheet once again against the clock. Dutchman Leopold van Asten has set the standard with VDL Groep Miss Untouchable, the former mount of Michael Duffy, in a time of 37.94, a time which looked unbeatable.

However, drawn second last to go, McMahon broke the beam in 37.85 seconds with the Chacco-Blue sired gelding to snatch victory from van Asten.

“To be honest I thought I had no chance to catch Leopold,” McMahon said after the class. “I just tried to do my own round and go as fast as I could with my horse, and everything just worked out so smooth.

“I could not really believe that I was faster. I thought I did a good round, but I know Leopold’s mare is crazy quick so I thought the clock must be broken or something!” said the 23-year-old with a laugh.

“My boss Ludger Beerbaum rode the horse before and had a lot of success with him in five-star Grand Prix classes.

“Then Philipp Weishaupt took him over, and he also won some good classes with him like the Speed Challenge in Hong Kong. So, I was very lucky that I got him when I came to Ludger last summer – he has been such a good horse for me,” he added.

young horse

Butler’s victory came in Thursday’s one-star seven-year-old class with Houston B. His time of 28.62 seconds was the fastest of 25 clear rounds.

Butler was the runner-up on the same day in the three-star 1.40m. Riding Ugolin d’Authou, at their first FEI show together, Butler was the second fastest of an incredible 32 double clear rounds in a time of 27.78 seconds. Victory went to Germany’s Jens Baackmann and Quantara 5 (0/0 26.57).

Jason O’Malley was also in action at the Dutch venue and he placed third in Saturday’s 1.35m Accumulator aboard Deskana.

He scored the maximum points of 65 in a time of 53.87 seconds. Britain’s Robert Whitaker won the class with Monica (65/ 51.01).

Sarah Lynch, daughter of Denis, placed fifth in Saturday’s one-star 1.25m with Calida G (0/4 37.99).