Lynch and All Star second in La Coruna Longines Grand Prix

FASTEST combination to go clear in the first round of tonight’s (Saturday) big Longines Grand Prix at La Coruna, Spain, Ireland’s Denis Lynch and All Star 5 came home in second place and 100,000 euro richer after the thrilling 12-horse jump off.

The first round speed of Thomas Straumann’s bay stallion gave the Tipperary rider the advantage of being last to go in the jump-off, but despite their best efforts the duo failed to catch Netherlands leader Leopold van Asten and VDL Groep Zidane, who had stopped the clock at 47.27 seconds, just under two seconds faster than Lynch.

Van Asten collected a whopping 165,000 euro for his win, and, like Lynch, will now add valuable points to his December total in the Longines FEI World Jumping Rankings. Lynch currently holds 22nd place in the table, with Asten at 101st.

Ireland’s other competitor tonight, fellow Tipperary rider Shane Breen with Golden Hawk, had two fences down in the first round and didn’t qualify for the jump-off.

Denis Lynch and All Star 5