A nail-biting finish to the five-star show at Olympia, London, Monday saw Ireland's Denis Lynch take third place in the Grand Prix and Cian O'Connor miss the 10,500 euro Leading Rider prize by just one point.
Going into the Grand Prix - the last competition of the World Cup show - O'Connor was holding pole position in the Olympia Leading Rider rankings due to a series of notable results over the weekend, but needed success in the first round to copper-fasten his position.
Riding Aileen Bryan's ten year-old gelding Rancorrado, O'Connor
dislodged the planks to pick up four faults and lost a chance at the Grand Prix prize.
However, fellow Irish rider Denis Lynch with Flaminia Straumann's Nabab's Son recorded one of just four clear rounds and went through to the jump-off.
O'Connor's Leading Rider Award would have been assured had Lynch beaten British rider Ben Maher, but a single pole down relegated the Tipperary man to third place and allowed Maher gain the runner-up spot to winner Laura Kraut, which gave the English rider a one-point advantage over O'Connor.
Had O'Connor won the Leading Rider Award it would have produced a unique five-star double for Ireland, as Cork's Billy Twomey secured the five star La Coruna Leading Rider Award last night in Spain.
SHOW JUMPING RESULTS: CSI5*-W OLYMPIA LONDON GREAT BRITAIN DECEMBER 18
– 22 2008
THE OLYMPIA GRAND PRIX
International Jumping Competition
Table A FEI Art 238.2.2 1m60
Monday December 22, 2008
1) Miss Independent; Laura Kraut (USA) Faults 0.00/0.00 Time 45.70
2) Robin Hood W; Ben Maher (GBR) Faults 0.00/0.00 Time 41.18
3) Nabab's Son; Denis Lynch (IRL) Faults 0.00/4.00 Time 40.50
11) Rancorrado; Cian O'Connor (IRL) Faults 4.00/- Time 70.45
28 starters
