THERE were five-star wins for Denis Lynch and Richard Howley at the Longines Global Champions Tour of Monaco last weekend.

On the opening day, Denis Lynch and Cornets Iberio turned it up a gear to win the 1.45m Federation Equestre de la Principauté de Monaco. Competing in the adrenaline-charged speed class, Lynch and Cornets Iberio demonstrated their speed ability with navigating the smallest arena on the entire tour, stopping the clock in a time of 57.31 seconds to pip Francisco José Mesquita Musa and 15-year-old Catch Me Marathon to the post by less than half a second.

Richard Howley and Mansini Ltd took an early lead but had to settle for third place overall.

It was the second five-star win in a number of days for Lynch, who commented: “Cornets Iberio is a really competitive horse, he’s won all around the world and he likes to go quick, and he really tried again tonight. There was seven strides from the Longines oxer back to the narrow vertical, which I’d walked - everyone else seemed to do the eight… then there was the inside turn back to the second last which he’s really smart and stuff with that, and I knew if I did that I had a good chance of winning.”

Howley then won Saturday’s five-star 1.50m ranking class aboard 14-year-old Mansini Ltd, owned by his own HK Horses. He was the fastest of 14 clear rounds in 60.06 seconds to take victory ahead of Sweden’s world number one Henrik von Eckermann and Dzara Dorchival (60.22), earning just over €13,000.

Grand Prix

Frenchman Julien Epaillard and Donatello d’Auge won the €1.5 million Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco. Securing his second LGCT Grand Prix win of the year, just four weeks after the first in St Tropez, he saw off Dutchman Harrie Smolders and Monaco N.O.P who secured their ticket to the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix in Prague later this year. Young Greek talent Ioli Mytilineou collected her first ever LGCT podium taking third place on the uber consistent Levis de Muze.

Howley finished in 10th place after a fence down in the first round with Consulent de Prelet Z to collect €30,000. Epaillard scooped €495,000 for first place. Only five made it through to the jump-off, where four delivered a second round clear.

Speaking after his win, Epaillard smiled: “Maybe this is the best Grand Prix I’ve ever won , so we will enjoy! Donatello is a special horse for us - I bred him with my wife, he is now 10 years old and he has now won three or four five-star Grands Prix, so it is very nice to breed a horse like this and celebrate the win with him.”