IN blinding rain at the five-star Global Champions' Tour venue of Valkenswaard in the Netherlands on Saturday, Tipperary's Denis Lynch picked up 60,000 euro for a Grand Prix second place aboard Thomas Straumann's bay gelding 'Lantinus', missing victory by just half a second.
With 49 starters, the challenging course and difficult weather conditions left only four riders with a zero score after two rounds. The 35 year-old Irish rider was then up against three of the world's top competitors in the jump-off - the USA's Beezie Madden, Australia's Edwina Alexander and the Netherlands' own Jur Vrieling.
With Alexander narrowly avoiding a fall and taking down two fences, and Vrieling picking up four faults, Lynch produced the first clear of the jump-off when second-last to go. However Madden, riding the talented gelding 'Cortes 'C'', held her nerve and left all the poles standing, beating Lynch's time by just over half a second and collecting the massive winner's prize of 92,000 euro.
With wins in the major classes eluding him for the previous few days, Lynch on Sunday finally tasted victory at the five-star Dutch show, coming home with almost two seconds in hand over his nearest challenger in the Medium Tour Final.
The Tipperary rider piloted Flaminia Straumann's Calvaro Z gelding 'Night Train' in the six horse jump-off, picking up the winner's prize of 7,400 euro when last man in, local rider Maikel van der Vleuten with 'VDL Groep Sapphire B', failed to match him on time.
On Friday Lynch was runner-up to Van der Vleuten in the day's feature class, both riding the same horses as on Sunday.
SHOW JUMPING RESULTS: CSI2*/5*VALKENSWAARD NETHERLANDS AUGUST 11-14 2011
Global Champions' Tour Grand Prix
International Jumping Competition
Table A with two rounds and one jump-off
FEI Art. 273.3.4
1m60
Saturday, August 13, 2011
1) Cortes 'C'; Beezie Madden (USA) Faults 0.00/0.00/0.00 Time 38.38
2) Lantinus 3; Denis Lynch (IRL) Faults 0.00/0.00/0.00 Time 38.92
3) VDL Bubalu; Jur Vrieling (NED) Faults 0.00/0.00/4.00 Time 39.52
49 starters
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| Denis Lynch (left) receives his award at Valkenswaard while winner Beezie Madden looks on. |