Lynch takes fifth in Rome Global Champions Tour Grand Prix

TIPPERARY’S Denis Lynch added 17,000 euro to his takings at the five-star show in Rome, Italy today (Saturday) with a fifth place in the hotly-contested Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix.

Lynch, who had already earned 5,500 euro for a fifth place with Thomas Straumann’s athletic stallion All Star 5 in Friday night’s big jump-off class, brought the same horse out today to do battle with a star-studded international starting field of 49 combinations.

Clear across the first two rounds, the Irish rider found himself as one of just six to make the final jump-off, but despite a very fast performance ended up with four faults on the board. Lynch’s time was just over a second off the pace of Swedish winner Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and the in-form 16 year-old Casall ASK, who took home the 100,000 euro first prize with a third clear round.

Portugal’s Luciana Diniz and Fit For Fun claimed the runner-up spot, with Germany’s Marcus Ehning and Comme Il Faut finishing in third.

ends