WATERFORD’s Peter Moloney led home a fantastic Irish 1-2-3 in the four-star €146,000 Grand Prix on the final day of the 2019 Spanish Sunshine Tour in Vejer de la Frontera.

In doing so, Moloney beat his first cousin Anthony Condon into second place, while Kilkenny’s Susan Fitzpatrick finished third. The victory marked Moloney’s second four-star Grand Prix win of the tour with Team Harmony’s Ornellaia and rounded off a brilliant win following the announcement that he would welcome the 11-year-old stallion Chianti’s Champion to his stable.

Fifty combinations started over the 1.55m track designed by Javier Trénor and 11 of those produced a foot perfect clear in the first round, while another four left all the poles standing but finished with a time fault.

Susan Fitzpatrick set the standard early on aboard her mother Sharon’s nine-year-old gelding Fellow Castlefield. The talented Je T’aime Flamenco-sired gelding broke the beam against the clock in a time of 47.52 seconds to take the lead.

Moloney followed with the 14-year-old mare Ornellaia and took over the lead when shaving almost a second off Fitzpatrick’s time, crossing the line in 47.08 seconds. He had an anxious wait as the rest followed, including Condon.

Condon was aboard Lisa and Pat Hales’ brilliant 13-year-old stallion SFS Arisito (by Arko III) and looked to be going at a faster pace across the course. However, he was fractions slower when recording a time of 47.20 and slotting into second place with three combinations left.

SURPRISED

It was to be an all-Irish podium when the remaining riders failed to catch the time of the top three. The only other rider to break the 47-second mark was Britian’s Holly Smith and Hearts Destiny, winners of last week’s Grand Prix, but they faulted once and had to settle for seventh place.

Moloney, who is now trained by Cian O’Connor, collect the cheque for €36,425. “I’m pretty surprised to be back on top off the podium, to be honest. I didn’t think I’d win the first Grand Prix, let alone win this one,” he said afterwards.

Talking about the mare, who he only began riding on the tour, he added: “It couldn’t have been better, I really can’t be believe it. The mare gave everything today, I was pretty tight to the time in the first round, but we got away with it and we really made sure we went for it in the second round and got the win.

“I really must thank Team Harmony and Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein of Jordan, for having trust in me and for giving me these good horses and this chance. Without their support none of this would have been possible.

“It has been six weeks here with 11 horses and we have got so much work done and found out who the horses are and have had time to gel with them, especially this mare, and we are really set up now to go on with the season,” Moloney added.

Darragh Ryan took his second victory in as many weeks with Nicola Pohl’s 12-year-old gelding Sir Landal Joter in last Friday’s 1.45m Table A. Ryan, who rides for Cian O’Connor’s Karlswood Stables, produced the fastest time of 59.11 seconds which was good enough to see off America’s Julie Welles in second place.

wachman SECOND

Also trained by O’Connor, Max Wachman finished second in Sunday’s 1.20m with Coolmore Showjumping’s Cesha Old, just behind Britain’s Eleanor Hall McAteer with Unex Handyman.

Tipperary’s Greg Broderick was third in Friday’s 1.40m Table A with Pearl Johnson’s Lackamore Storm, an eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Kroongraaf. Fitzpatrick slotted into seventh place aboard Simone. Other placings for the Kilkenny rider included third in Friday’s 1.35m Accumulator with Keatingstown Gotha de Baudignies.