Twomey dances to first GCT win

SHOW jumper Billy Twomey danced to his first Global Champions Tour win at the weekend in Valencia, Spain, on the appropriately named Je t’Aime Flamenco.

The Nottinghamshire-based Corkman was one of four to make the third-round jump-off and left his rivals flat-footed to pocket €92,000.

World number eight Twomey is accustomed to wining grands prix, but has found the GCT a hard nut to crack.

“It is my biggest win to date. I have won big grands prix in St Gallen and La Baule and these carry a lot of prestige, but the GCT is the new thing and something everyone wants to win. It has the best riders, best money and best courses. This is the future of the sport.”

Twomey previously said Flamenco “can be the best in the world, but can also be a little bit inconsistent”, but the former applied in this case.

“There is not a horse more talented and I’m always working on him. He felt like he was really operating and I was really looking forward to the GCT class,” he said.

Twomey was third to go in the four-way battle and took the lead in 39.18 seconds, a time that subsequently proved too hot for Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum on Gotha.

Tipperary rider Denis Lynch had looked like he was on his way to joining Twomey in the jump-off, but a single time fault with Abbervail van het Dingeshof left him in fifth place.