Allen fifth, Kenny sixth after thriller in Madrid

WEXFORD’S Bertram Allen took fifth and Offaly’s Darragh Kenny claimed sixth place in one of the most nail-biting Grand Prix finishes of the 2015 Global Champions Tour in Madrid tonight (Saturday).

With only four clear first rounds on the board from a start list of 50, Allen on the 17 year-old Romanov and Kenny with Sans Souci Z had four faults apiece, but fast times guaranteed them slots in the top 18 going through to the second round at the five-star Spanish show.

The next round with its shorter course proved almost as challenging as the first, and an unusual number of top combinations failed to go clear and dropped down the rankings as the evening’s action at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid progressed.

However, 19 year-old Allen and 27 year-old Kenny produced textbook clear rounds on their second attempts and soared up the leaderboard to finish fifth and sixth respectively.

The final battle for the top place ended as a duel between France’s Philippe Rozier aboard Rahotep de Toscane and Portugal’s Luciana Diniz on the experienced Winningmood, both on a zero score from the first round. However, though going clear for a second time, the French rider incurred one time fault, and Diniz countered with a zero score inside the time, removing the need for a jump-off.

The Portuguese rider collected 105,000 euro for her victory, while Ireland’s Allen won 19,000 euro and Kenny 9,600 euro.

Bertram Allen (left) and Darragh Kenny