Lynch continues to speed on with Night Train

DENIS LYNCH continues to speed on with Night Train, placing second in yesterday’s 1.50m jump-off class at the Global Champions Tour (GCT) show in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands.

The pairing were runners-up in the Power and Speed at last week’s Dublin Horse Show and were pipped by 12-hundredths of a second yesterday for the top spot by Dutchman Maikel van der Vleuten on BDL Groep Sapphire. Italy-based Louth native Mark McAuley got a boost ahead of today’s feature €285,000 GCT grand prix when slotting into third on Loriot.

German-based Lynch had no luck in the GCT with Night Train last time out in Chantilly, France, but still lies sixth in the rankings, having placed fifth in three of the seven legs to date. His position could improve today, as he is likely to saddle up Lantinus. Two places behind Lynch on the leaderboard is Cork’s Billy Twomey, who is also at the Dutch fixture with Romanov II.

Lynch also continues his fundraising effort at Valkenswaard in aid of abandoned Irish horses, having raised a staggering €200,000 to date, much of at GCT shows.

At Millstreet Horse Show, Michael Hutchinson Jnr had an easy win in yesterday’s 1.40m jump-off.

On board Una O’Gorman’s Cullenagh Lucinda, he came home almost three seconds ahead of William McDonnell on Castlecomer Q. Gabriel Slattery was again in the money on Captain’s Magic, placing third, having done likewise the previous day in the grand prix qualifier at the Cork venue.

Of the 24 competitions today, the crowd-puller will be the derby, which is followed by the speed derby.

Tomorrow’s prestigious Boomerang final for 6/7-year-old horses plays warm-up to the afternoon’s €25,000 Duggan Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, the four British riders that overhauled Ireland to win the nations cup at last week’s Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show have been selected for the European Show Jumping championships in Madrid next month. The fifth combination will be chosen after the final leg of the FEI Nations Cup Series in, Rotterdam, the Netherlands at the end of the month. The four-man squad is: Scott Brash, 25, (Intertoy Z), Nick Skelton, 53, (Carlo), Robert Smith, 50, (Talan) and Michael Whitaker 51 (GIG Amai).