GALWAY’s Michael Duffy scored his second five-star Grand Prix podium finish in the space of a month when placing third in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Cannes, France, last Saturday.

Riding the Hibernia Horses-owned 14-year-old grey mare Cinca, he was first to go in the 13-horse jump-off and his quick time of 40.15 held for the majority of the class. It wasn’t until Belgium’s Pieter Devos entered the ring as 10th to go was Duffy’s time beaten; Devos flew into the lead with Mom’s Toupie de la Roque in 39.92.

Then, last to go, Dutchman Maikel van der Vleuten looked dangerous as he set off with his Olympic medallist Beauville Z NOP. The pair went flat out to the final fence and clinched victory in 39.37 seconds.

Different plan

Speaking afterwards, Michael Duffy said: “Someone has to go first, and she jumped great. When it didn’t look like there were going to be that many clears, I had a different plan… and when there was 13 clears I said ‘I’m not going to leave it behind me, may as well throw the kitchen sink at it and see what happens, you know’ - she jumped great, she jumped amazing - and she deserved it as well.”

Denis Lynch scored three top 10 placings at the venue, including finished third in Saturday’s 1.50m Table A with Onyx Consulting Ltd and Flaminia Straumann’s Rubens LS La Silla, just ahead of Trevor Breen in fourth with Gonzalo.