BELFAST show jumper Sophie Dalm won the one-star Silver Tour Grand Prix at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour (MET) in Oliva, Spain, last Saturday.
Dalm, who is based in Belgium with Brazilian show jumper Marlon Zanotelli and Sweden’s Angelica Augustsson, guided the VDL Stud’s 10-year-old mare Fastday VDL to victory in a huge 17-horse jump-off. Their time of 43.92 against the clock was the fastest of 10 double clears to land the victory ahead of top Belgian rider Gregory Wathelet (Sandero).
Dalm was then runner-up in Sunday’s 1.40m Table A Bronze final riding Volnay de Choc Z. The combination produced one of five double clear rounds in a time of 41.96 to finish runner-up to Germany’s Lauren Budde.
In Saturday’s two-star Grand Prix, Louth’s Mark McAuley was best of the Irish when finishing in eighth place with Scea La Tuiliere’s nine-year-old gelding Thunder G Z. They were among the 12 double clear rounds in the class, which was eventually won by Frenchman Julien Epaillard and Jalanta P.
Mayo’s Alex Duffy was victorious in Thursday’s seven-year-old 1.35m class at the venue.
Picking up where he left off in 2019 with Eva Müller’s talented Diarados Girl TW, the pair posted the winning time of 32.82 seconds after 15 combinations produced double clear rounds. Duffy slotted Niall Talbot’s MEC Look At Me into ninth place.
Alexander Butler
second in Peelbergen
MEATH’s Alexander Butler placed second in last Friday’s two-star 1.40m in in Peelbergen, The Netherlands. Riding Ecuries D’Ecaussines’ eight-year-old gelding Gaston d’Ecaussinnes, he posted a clear round in 64.28 to finish runner-up to Luxembourg’s Victor Bettendorf. Bertram Allen was also clear with Harmonie L to finish ninth.
Mayo’s Michael G. Duffy finished fourth in Sunday’s two-star 1.40m jump-off. Riding Carl Hanley Sporthorses and Gerald Geessink’s eight-year-old mare Money Penny, he was one of 12 double clears in the 16-horse jump-off, breaking the beam in 35.11 seconds to slot into fourth place.
Victory went to Belgium’s Thibeau Spits and Isolde Vd Heffinck (0/0 34.05).