The final leg of the GAIN/Alltech Autumn GP was held in Cavan Equestrian Centre as part of their International Show which is one of the biggest shows on the show jumping calendar. This year the race for the Leauge title was neck and neck all the way leaving 3 riders in contention all  points and a half on offer at the final leg.
The scene was set for the showdown with spectators filling every vantage point available while enjoying the hot drinks and complimentary hog roast on offer from Cavan.
Alexander Butler knew coming into the Final he was going to have to pull out all the stops this weekend if he wanted to be the reigning Champion; in 2013 he came into this class trailing by 4 points behind Capt. Michael Kelly but managed the win with Will Wimble thanks to the additional points on offer to clinch the 2013 title and this year was no different as he was trailing Peter Smyth by 5 points.
56 Starters took on International visiting Course Designer Claus Holle’s strong track and 25 made it through to the Jump Off. Alexander Butler was second to go and set a fast clear of 32.45 on Will Wimble who showed a clean pair of heels all-round the course. Darryl Walker had 2 horses in the Jump Off and put in a strong challenge which left him in 2nd place overall with Alfurist. The pressure was mounting on Peter Smyth as the remaining jump off contenders failed to match Butler’s time and coming into the Arena last with Admiran Cassio he needed to pull out all the stops to stay in poll position. A fence down however denied him the win or a place in the line-up and Alexander Butler came through for the second year in a row as the Autumn Grand Prix League Champion. He was naturally delighted with the win and thanked the sponsors, Gain/Alltech for their support of his yard. He will be targeting a treble next year but for now is happy to enjoy the outcome of a highly successful League.
Ciara Watt from Gain Horse Feeds, Holly Geraghty from Alltech and Eamon Rice representing ShowjumpingIreland were on hand for the presentation.
