In blinding rain at the five-star Global Champions' Tour venue of Valkenswaard in the Netherlands this evening, Tipperary's Denis Lynch picked up €60,000 for a Grand Prix second place finish aboard Thomas Straumann's bay gelding Lantinus, missing victory by just half a second.
With 49 starters, the challenging course and difficult weather conditions left only four riders with a zero score after two rounds.
The 35-year-old Irish rider was then up against three of the world's top competitors in the jump-off - the USA's Beezie Madden, Australia's Edwina Alexander and the Netherlands' own Jur Vrieling.
With Alexander narrowly avoiding a fall and taking down two fences, and Vrieling picking up four faults, Lynch produced the first clear of the jump-off when second-last to go.
However Madden, riding the talented gelding Cortes 'C', held her nerve and left all the poles standing, beating Lynch's time by just over half a second and collecting the massive winner's prize of €92,000.
SHOW JUMPING RESULTS: CSI2*/5*VALKENSWAARD NETHERLANDS 11-14 AUGUST 2011
Global Champions' Tour Grand Prix
International Jumping Competition
Table A with two rounds and one jump-off
FEI Art. 273.3.4
1m60
Saturday, 13 August, 2011
1) Cortes 'C'; Beezie Madden (USA) Faults 0.00/0.00/0.00 Time 38.38
2) Lantinus 3; Denis Lynch (IRL) Faults 0.00/0.00/0.00 Time 38.92
3) VDL Bubalu; Jur Vrieling (NED) Faults 0.00/0.00/4.00 Time 39.52
49 starters
