Ireland's Jessica Kurten, riding the Danish-bred mare Quibell, has won the Dubai Grand Prix and a purse of $250,000, the richest Grand Prix prize in international show jumping.
Kurten jumped the only double clear of the competition, in which 28 of the world's top riders took part.
Though drawn in the unfavourable position of first to jump, the 36 year-old Antrim-born rider was one of 13 riders through to the jump-off at the Emirates Riding Centre this evening, and was again first to go in the jump-off.
Her second clear round and time of 38.22 seconds on Lady Georgina Forbes's 12 year-old Quibell proved unbeatable, with no other rider finishing the course on less than four faults.
Kurten was up against the cream of the world's riders, including three-times World Champion Rodrigo Pessoa, and current World Rankings leader Marcus Ehning, who was marginally faster than Kurten, but dropped a pole in the jump-off to finish as runner-up.
