Less than 24 hours after the Irish rugby team secured a stunning late win Paris, Irish show jumper Mark McAuley has denied the French another win – and then dashed home to celebrate the birth of his new baby.
McAuley took victory in the Accumulator competition at the World Cup fixture in Bordeaux.
The show jumper from Ardee in Louth and the nine-year-old gelding Valentino Tuilière were first to go in the competition and posted what proved an unbeatable target, collecting the maximum 65 points in a time of 44.93.
France’s former world number one Simon Delestre came closest to giving the Bordeaux audience a home win, but he has to settle for second place with Filou Carlo Zimequest, almost a second slower than the Irish winner.
German eventing rider Michael Jung showed he is equally as competitive in the show jumping arena, by taking third place with Fischer Chelsea.
Mark McAuley however had already boarded a flight home before the prize-giving ceremony took place.
He was rushing to celebrate the birth of a new baby with his wife Charlotte. His Irish team-mate Bertram Allen stepped up to collect the winners prize in his absence.
