ON THIS DAY – March 22nd 2015 – Denis Lynch and Abbervail complete hat-trick with victory in German Grand Prix

Five years ago today, Ireland’s Denis Lynch and the then 15-year-old gelding Abbervail van het Dingeshof completed a remarkable hat-trick of results at the four-star show in Braunschweig, Germany.

Denis Lynch and Abbervail van het Dingeshof

The Tipperary-born rider and Abbervail won three consecutive major competitions at the German venue over a period of 48 hours. Lynch won a Volkswagen Tiguan car as first prize in the Grand Prix after showing a blistering turn of speed in the 12 horse jump-off.

Despite a heart-stopping hesitation in direction by Abbervail van het Dingeshof halfway through the final round, the duo still managed to outpace their nearest challengers, Germany’s Henrik von Eckermann and the nine year-old For Sale, by just over a  second.

Two days earlier Lynch and Abbervail had won the Grand Prix Qualifier at Braunschweig, then followed up with another victory in a jump-off class the following day before completing a memorable hat-trick in the curtain-closing Grand Prix.