David Simpson wins Bolesworth Grand Prix as Irish riders dominate

Derry’s David Simpson and the 11-year-old gelding Foudre F claimed victory in Sunday’s three-star Grand Prix at Bolesworth in England with the only double clear of the competition. Just two of the 12 combinations who went forward to the jump-off did so on a clear scorecard with the time allowed in particular causing difficulty to the first round starters. Simpson’s second round clear in 42.22 seconds saw him land the first prize of almost €20,000.

Bolesworth Grand Prix winner David Simpson

Speaking about his win, Simpson said:

“I thought the course builder Louis Konickx did a great job, the time allowed was tight, but being a Grand Prix, it should be tough. I just went over the course; I knew Holly [Smith] was the only one I was focused on that I had to beat. I just stuck to my plan, and it paid off.

“Foudre F was Shane Breen’s horse. I rode him in a couple of classes in Dubai, and we hit it off straight away. After two months riding him in Dubai, we came back and I had to buy him, I had a feeling he was a really special horse. It took about a year to get him to this level of consistency but he’s an incredible horse. He gets a bit tense around the ring but has a great brain. I’ve never ridden something that is so consistently careful and tries so hard, I can’t speak highly enough of him.”

Britain’s William Whitaker finished as runner-up with Galtur after picking up just a time fault in the opening round while third place went to Daniel Coyle and Oak Grove’s Carlyle on the same score but a slightly slower time. Five Irish riders finished inside the top eight with Eoin Gallagher fifth aboard Faltic B, Anthony Condon sixth with Zira vh Kapelhof Z and Michael Duffy eighth with Jeff Ten Halven.

Meanwhile two Irish riders finished in the top six in Sunday’s five-star Rolex Grand Prix at Chantilly in France. Wexford’s Bertram Allen finished fifth with Harley Vd Bisschop while Tipperary’s Denis Lynch was close behind in sixth with GC Chopin’s Bushi. The top prize of €99,000 went to French rider Nicolas Delmotte with Urvoso du Roch.

Across the Atlantic, a double clear round from Mayo’s Cormac Hanley and RMF Chacco Top saw they take third place in Sunday’s $137,000 Meijer Grand Prix CSI3* at the Great Lakes Festival in Michigan, USA. At Valkenswaard in The Netherlands, Tokyo-bound Darragh Kenny finished third in the two-star Grand Prix with Storiall Blue.