Lynch takes first Irish win of weekend at Gothenburg

TIPPERARY native Denis Lynch took Ireland’s first victory of the weekend at the five-star show in Gothenburg, Sweden in last night’s (Thursday) feature class.

Picking up some valuable world ranking points as well as prize money of almost 9,000 euro, the 38 year-old rode Thomas Straumann’s bay gelding Abbervail van het Dingeshof through a faultless first round, qualifying for the jump-off with 16 other international combinations, and then showed an unbeatable turn of speed in the second round to claim first place.

Lynch’s nearest challenger was talented Netherlands rider Maikel van der Vleuten with VDL Groep Arera C, but he ended up almost two seconds adrift of the time set by the Irishman.

Lynch is joined at Gothenburg by Cork’s Billy Twomey, who has already had a sixth place this weekend with Tinka’s Serenade.

Both riders will be focused on the last of the 2015 World Cup Qualifiers that takes place in Gothenburg on Sunday afternoon, where points will decide which international riders qualify for the World Cup Final in Las Vegas this April. Ireland’s 19 year-old Wexford rider Bertram Allen currently leads the Western European World Cup league on 71 points.

Denis Lynch and Abbervail van het Dingeshof