Bertram Allen and Molly Malone take fifth place in Swiss Longines Grand Prix

Wexford’s Bertram Allen finished best of the Irish in last night’s (Friday) five-star Longines Grand Prix at Basel in Switzerland, after taking fifth place with the 15-year-old grey mare Molly Malone.

Bertram Allen (second from right) stands on the podium after finishing fifth with Molly Malone in the Longines Grand Prix of Basel

A thrilling 14-horse jump-off saw just over a second separate the top five at the finish, with Allen and Molly Malone stopping the clock clear in 37.86 seconds to collect 14,000 Swiss Franc. Tipperary’s Denis Lynch (The Sinner) and Billy Twomey (Kimba Flamenco) also made it into the jump-off and finished just outside the top 10.

The top prize of 50,000 Swiss Franc went to in-form Belgian rider Niels Bruynseels with Delux van T & L after they clocked the winning time of 36.81.

Basel will host the latest round of the Longines FEI World Cup on Sunday afternoon.