Teenager Allen chalks up first Irish victory at Five-Star Lyon

EIGHTEEN year-old Bertram Allen chalked up Ireland’s first victory at this weekend’s five-star show in Lyon, France with a win in the Two-Phase competition today (Friday).

Partnering Ballywalter Farms’s nine year-old grey mare Molly Malone V, the Wexford rider said afterwards: “It’s just amazing. I didn’t think she’d go that quick, but as the obstacles went by, I started to feel we might win it.”

With 20 victories already under his belt in only his second season at senior level, Allen is making his debut at Lyon this weekend, where the Grand Prix takes place on Sunday afternoon.

Later this evening, Tipperary’s Denis Lynch took fifth place with Thomas Straumann’s gelding All Star 5 at the French show’s Grand Prix Qualifier, losing out to Germany’s Marco Kutscher and Cornet’s Cristallo, who claimed the 15,000 euro first prize.