PHÉNOMÈNE Bleu VDM is certainly living up to his name as the eight-year-old stallion earned his second Gain/Alltech National Grand Prix victory in as many weeks last Saturday at Castle Irvine, Necarne.

Ridden by Sven Hadley and owned by Belgian Axel Verlooy, he is by Diamant De Semilly, out of the international Grand Prix mare Nuance Bleue VDM Z, by Nabab De Reve.

Hadley is enjoying a very successful run of form this year having taken first and second place in the Showjumpers Club Spring Tour League in April aboard another two of his string, Fabuleu VD Watertoren and Uidam.

The seventh round of the league offered a prize fund of €4,000 and attracted a start list of 22 combinations.

Some nine of these posted a first round clear to make it through to the timed jump-off. First to go was Harry Marshall riding his own mare Daylight VHS Z (Douglas x Indorado). They had one fence down in a time of 41.15 to set the pace.

Next in, Catherine Thornton and Coachella (Ustinov x Cruising) left all the fences intact in 43.89 which would be good enough for eventual fourth place.

Dermott Lennon and MJM Pursuit (Aldato x Limmerick) collected four faults in the fastest time of the day of 39.93 as the next pair in. This would keep them just inside the money in sixth place.

Fourth to go was Hadley and his first mount Jim O’Neill’s eight-year-old gelding Castlefield Blue (Plot Blue x Puissance). They produced a fault-free second round in quite a cautious time of 52.58 which would leave them in fifth place.

Jonathan Smyth partnered Noletta Smyth and Roy Craig’s Mulvin Lights Out (Kroongraaf x Diamond Serpent) to the third double clear, theirs coming in 40.19 which would see them snatch the lead.

Marshall and his second mount, the eight-year-old Tango E.T (Cornet Obolensky x Laughton’s Flight) had one fence on the ground in 54.33.

Hadley and Phenomene Bleu VDM then posted their second clear round in 40 seconds exactly to head proceedings.

Sean Foley and Bronte Stables Ugadi Hero Z (Udancer Hero x Touchdown) joined the list of four-faulters in 44.44, while last to go Luke Campbell and his father David’s Derryinver Truffle (Tornesch x Cruising) left all the poles in place in 41.85 which would see them take third place in the final line-up.