GALWAY’s Michael Duffy finished in third place on the podium in last Saturday’s five-star 1.60m Grand Prix in Hamburg, Germany. Riding 14-year-old mare Che Fantastica, owned by Hibernia Horses, the pair impressed at just their second international show together.

Duffy and Che Fantastica were one of only 12 combinations to jump clear in the opening round and progress to the jump-off. Early to go against the clock, Duffy produced a steady clear round, one of just four in the class, in a time of 50.64 seconds to finish third and earn €45,000.

After an exciting finished, Germany’s Gerrit Nieberg took victory with his 2022 Aachen Grand Prix winner Ben 431 in 46.63. For the second time in a week, Britain’s Ben Maher finished second in a five-star Grand Prix, this time with Dallas Vegas Batilly when clear in 47.22.

Impressed

Che Fantastica joined Duffy’s string at the beginning of the year and the pair impressed at the Global Champions Tour of Doha on their last outing.

Speaking to The Irish Field, Duffy said: “She’s a fantastic mare. I bought her and Cinca for the new company, Hibernia Horses, which is all about breeding and producing all these good young horses. Two mares like them are brilliant to breed from and we are taking embryos already. I’ve only had her at two shows.

“She is a hell of a jumper; she has already won a five-star Grand Prix with Philipp Weishaupt and she has jumped the Nations Cup in Spruce Meadows. We are lucky to have her. The next thing for her now is she is going off to do Global Tours for a few weeks.”

On the track, Duffy added: “Hamburg was a proper tough Grand Prix, it was big and had a great field as it was the only five-star on that week, you had Steve Guerdat and all the Germans there, it was a proper class.

“It was a nine-fence jump-off and there were 12 in it, so I didn’t want to go hammer and tongs, I wanted to be clear first and jump the jumps after. The horse that won also won the Aachen Grand Prix last year, so it’s strong form.”

Duffy splits his string between the UK, Ireland and now Germany where he bases some of the older horses. “I have the two yards, I still have a few in England but a few in Germany too because of Brexit, so we are kind of operating between the two of them, and then all the young ones back home in Galway.”

Breen placed

Shane Breen had a good show at the German venue. He finished third in Thursday’s 1.55m jump-off with his own and Quirke Sport Horses’ 11-year-old gelding Cuick Star Kervec when one of five clears against the clock in 49.65 seconds to earn €12,000.

Breen was then runner-up in Friday’s 1.50m Table A class with the 10-year-old home-bred aptly-named gelding Scarteen (VDL Cartello x Challano Z) who is registered with the Breeders’ Elite Studbook.

He was pipped to victory by Germany’s Andre Thieme and Contadur.

The following day, he was runner-up again in another 1.50m Table A, this time with the nine-year-old Cato Boy. A clear round in 65.32 seconds was just 100th of a second slower than Hans-Dieter Dreher. In third place was the Pam Walshe-bred Irish Sport Horse EIC Cooley Jump The Q (Pacino x OBOS Quality) under Austria’s Max Kühner.

Denis Lynch was runner-up in the Derby qualifier at the venue aboard the 17-year-old stallion Rubens Ls La Silla, owned by Onyx Consulting Ltd and Flaminia Straumann, ahead of Breen in third with Scarteen.