Barcelona victory for Allen as Splaine announces Nations Cup Final Team

WEXFORD’S 18 year-old Bertram Allen beat 66 of the world’s best show jumpers today (Thursday) in the opening competition of the Nations’ Cup Final weekend at Barcelona in Spain, finishing with almost two seconds in hand on Ballywalter Farms’s mare Molly Malone V.

Meanwhile Ireland’s show jumping team manager Robert Splaine has announced his line-out for the first round of the epic Nations’ Cup Final on Friday, the first time that the world’s top 18 teams will battle for the new Furusiyya trophy.

Ireland’s team, in jumping order, is:
Cameron Hanley/Antello Z
Denis Lynch/All Star
Shane Breen/Balloon
Billy Twomey/Tinka’s Serenade.

Only the top eight teams from Friday’s competition will go through to Sunday’s final. The remaining ten teams will line out on Saturday in the Team Consolation competition, which is a one-round 1m60 class, and which offers €300,000 in prize money.

Sunday’s third and last leg of the Final offers a massive €1,500,000 in prize money and is a one-round competition with a jump-off, if required, to decide first place.