Robert Splaine rode the round of his life to claim the u £20,000 Dairygold Grand Prix at Millstreet last night, more than making amends for his disappointment in Saturday's Kerrygold World Cup qualifier when he retired the stallion Coolcorran Cool Diamond after three errors.
Splaine, who broke his back in a fall last August, was joined in the 11-horse jump-off by fellow Cork-man Billy Twomey, who had been denied his place in the World Cup qualifier by a mere 300ths of a second in Friday's eliminator.
America's Katie Monahan Prudent set the early standard. Riding a second-string horse Landato, she was clear in 38.15, only to be instantly relegated by compatriot Clare Bronfman with Enchante, nearly 300ths up on the clock.
British challenger Tim Stockdale found a quicker way home to snatch the lead by 18 seconds with Traxdata Wiston Bridget, but that wasn't enough either and Splaine took the racing line round the seven-fence track nearly a second quicker with the aptly named Cool Diamond.
Austria's Anton Martin Bauer came close, but ended 400ths adrift with Remus Innovation and, with just Billy Twomey left, a Cork victory was guaranteed. Twomey with the Dutch-bred stallion Conquest II crossed the line .31 seconds off the pace for third place, leaving Splaine triumphant and u £6,500 the richer.
Although the home side had been denied in Saturday's Kerrygold qualifier, which went to German World Cup debutantes Lutz Gripshover and Warren, the tables were turned yesterday when Co Kildare rider Cian O'Connor notched up his second speed win of the week with Lombardo.
Gripshover, who had finished fourth in the earlier Equity Bank Accumulator behind O'Connor and Billy Twomey, now moves up to fifth in the western European league standings, with Peter Charles best of the Irish in equal eighth after finishing third with Traxdata Amber du Montois.
Eddie Macken, whose clear round in Friday's eliminator with Cruising earned him a place in Saturday's World Cup qualifier, finished equal fifth, picking up 10 Cup points. He is now equal 16th in the league.
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Sailing: After a gap of nine years, Olympic veteran Mark Mansfield was once again crowned Ireland's top sailor for 1999 when he decisively won the Eagle Star Champion of Champions event at Crosshaven yesterday. The win starts the countdown for the Cork yachtsman towards Sydney 2000 and his campaign for qualification in the Star class.
Mansfield was presented with a very real challenge by Maurice `Prof' O'Connell who kept the champion under pressure to the final race. Reigning 1720 class Irish title holder O'Connell ended three points behind Mansfield.
Baltimore's Maria Coleman was competing during a break from her Europe class campaign for Sydney 2000 for which she is a confirmed member of the national team. The weekend's event was her first outing in a 1720 and after a shake-down opening day in which she came fifth, her form improved yesterday and she finished runner-up.
Tom Fitzpatrick, sailing with David McHugh his campaign partner in the 470 for Sydney, ended a close fourth to Coleman.
Olympic team manager and Laser national champion Bill O'Hara finished fifth overall. The celebrated first Irish Mirror World Champion, Martin Moloney, placed sixth overall in a final panel that comprised no less than seven national champions.
The line-up from Ireland's major classes - plus a few wild card nominations for good measure - raced the series in light airs over two days that further levelled the conditions between the sailors of varying standards.
