Allen first, Talbot second in Portuguese Grand Prix

ROUNDING off a very successful weekend at Vimeiro in Portugal, Irish riders Bertram Allen and Niall Talbot confirmed their dominance of the show with first and second places in the Grand Prix this evening (Sunday).

Seventeen year-old Allen took tonight’s first prize on board Billy Twomey’s chestnut stallion Romanov, beating fellow Irish rider Talbot and the 12 year-old gelding Nicos de la Cense, owned jointly by the rider and Jean-Claude Engisch, by just under a second.

Allen, who is from Wexford and at 17 is still eligible to compete with the Irish Junior team, nevertheless outclassed some of Europe’s top senior riders at Vimeiro, taking a first place on Saturday with Zenzation, a win on Friday with Wild Thing L, as well as several second places.

Kildare-born Talbot also had a third place in Friday’s Grand Prix Qualifier together with a win on Thursday in the Two Phase competition.

In Canada, meanwhile, Mayo’s Cameron Hanley, a member of Ireland’s winning Nations’ Cup team on Thursday, took third place in the Spruce Meadows Derby last night with Player du Quesnoy, while fellow team member, Co. Down’s Conor Swail, had a second place in Friday’s jump-off class on Martha Louise.

Later, Swail took seventh in the Spruce Meadows Grand Prix with Lansdowne, while Richie Moloney and the irish Sport Horse Slieveanorra came home in 13th. The Grand Prix was won by the USA’s Kent Farrington and Uceko.

In Cannes, Tipperary’s Denis Lynch was ninth in the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix with All Star, the first prize going to Germany’s Marcus Ehning and Plot Blue.

At Hagen in Germany, Ireland’s Michael Duffy took second place in Saturday’s Junior Grand Prix with Murchu.