CORK’s Billy Twomey scored an excellent win in Sunday’s four-star 1.55m Grand Prix at Valencia in Spain, beating off a field of 50 horses and riders to take the top prize of €26,500.

Riding the experienced 16-year-old stallion Chat Botte E.D (Casall x Darco), Twomey was one of seven clears over the technical first round, set by course designer Elio Travagliati. Against the clock, Twomey posted the fastest clear in 35.32 seconds with a smooth round, finishing over a second ahead of French runner-up Alexa Ferrer with Vitalhorse Fleur.

Co Meath’s Cian O’Connor also made it through to the second round with Bentley de Sury, a horse he welcomed to his string just last month, and finished fourth with one fence down against the clock. The 13-year-old gelding was formerly ridden by Monaco’s Anastasia Nielsen. Rounding out the top 10 in ninth place was Tyrone’s Niamh McEvoy with GBBS International’s 10-year-old gelding Jargon DN with four faults in the first round.

“I am extremely proud of Eddie’s (Chat Botte E.D) performance, he’s been consistently knocking on the door. Thank you to my entire team of owners, staff, sponsors, and all those who contribute to keeping this 16-year-old stallion at his very best,” Twomey said afterwards.

Win for Allen

On Friday at the venue, Harry Allen came out on top of a big four-star 1.50m jump-off class aboard Calculatus. Some 61 competitors started in the class, with 17 making it through to the second round against the clock.

Allen and the 10-year-old stallion by Cachassini, who is owned by Chinese rider Qin Yu Pang and Ballywalter Stables, set a blistering fast time of 38.90 seconds to take the top spot and €14,200. He beat off the challenge of Germany’s Dimon Widmann in second with Qlawella Denfer (0/0 40.04). Twomey slotted into eighth place with Helen and Michael Enright’s Diego Del Caribe (0/8 40.65).

Allen also finished fifth in Sunday’s 1.40m jump-off with Balouwinsky, when double clear in 43.75 seconds, before going on to place sixth in the 1.30m aboard Kazelli VDL. Harry’s brother, Bertram, won Thursday’s four-star 1.30m class with the seven-year-old gelding Raffaella, owned by Ballywalter Stables, with a clear round in 62.88 seconds.

In Saturday’s 1.45m ranking class, Cian O’Connor finished in fifth place with Paseo Farms’ nine-year-old Snowmass, clear in 63.93 seconds. Niamh McEvoy slotted into seventh place with the North Star Sporthorses-owned Pablo C (Pollux de Muze Z x Pacino), bred by Jordan Campbell.