Lynch takes home 50,000 Euro for Grand Prix fourth in Ukraine

IN what was one of the richest weekends in show jumping, one million Canadian dollars (750,000 euro) were up for grabs at the five star Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows in Canada today (Sunday), while 500,000 euro was the prize pot at the Donestsk Grand Prix in the Ukraine.

Tipperary’s Denis Lynch was the Irish rider to get his hands on the biggest slice of the riches on offer, when he finished fourth at Donetsk and collected 50,000 euro.

Piloting the ten year-old stallion All Star 5, Lynch was one of just five top international riders to make the jump-off from a startlist of 21, and briefly held the lead with four faults on the board. In the end, however, the 37 year-old had to yield to combinations recording similar faults but faster times, and ultimately the zero score of German winner Ludger Beerbaum, who collected 125,000 euro on the grey mare Chiara 222.

Lynch took home a further 18,000 euro for places in two other Ukrainian classes over the weekend.

The Irish were less fortunate in Canada’s Grand Prix, with only Tipperary’s Shane Breen and Balloon making it to the second round, where they collected 20 jumping faults and five time faults, but the tally was still enough to earn them tenth place and 16,000 dollars (12,000 euro) in what was a high-penalty contest.

The Spruce Meadows Grand Prix was won by Belgium’s Pieter Devos and Candy, who recorded the only double clear round of the competition to claim 335,000 dollars (250,000 euro).

Earlier today Breen had also won 11,000 dollars (8,200 euro) in the speed class with the Irish Sport Horse Touch of Chilli.