Bertram Allen finishes fourth in Madrid despite three clear rounds

Ireland's Bertram Allen jumped three clear rounds in Saturday evening's Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Madrid but could only finish fourth with Noel Delahunty Connaught Bloodstock's Hector van d'Abdijhoeve.

Six of the eight combinations which went through to the third and final round remained unpenalised at the end of the 1.60m competition, the Wexford rider going clear in 36.91 on the nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion.

This was bettered by both Spain’s Eduardo Alvarez Aznar on Rokfeller de Pleville Bois Margot (36.38) and Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Alsharbatly with Tobalio (36.08) but fastest of all was Marcus Ehning of Germany who was well under the 36 seconds barrier with Pret A Tour (35.17).

In Bourg En Bresse, France, Ireland's Anthony Condon, riding his own and Kat Taylor's Balzac, shared first place in Saturday night's 1.60m six-bar competition with the host nation's Julien Anquetin (Pompon Rouge) and Belgium's Francois Mathy Jr (Talisman de Mazure).

There was a win for Ireland at Odense, Denmark where Alexander Butler landed the 1.50m speed class on Michael Leddy's 12-year-old Hannovarian stallion Monastery Stud More Pleasure.

At the same venue, Co Cork's Abbie Sweetnam, riding Perseus Spartacus, finished second in the morning's pony class to Denmark's Mathilde Aborg and Jack The Lad, an 11-year-old Connemara owned by Irelandhorse.com.

Across the Atlantic, Co Down’s Conor Swail won Saturday’s $50,000 Grand Prix at the Caledon Equestrian Park in Canada with Susan and Ariel Grange’s 10-year-old Holstein mare Cita while Cork native Shane Sweetnam finished second with Cyklon 1083 in the Grand Prix at Lexington, Kentucky.