Billy Twomey won his first ever Global Champions Tour Grand Prix at Valencia, Spain, at the weekend with a sparkling performance over three rounds on ‘Je t’Aime Flamenco’.
One of just four to achieve a clear in the second round, 34 year-old Twomey was second last to go in the jump-off and took Sue Davies’s bay stallion through a third faultless performance to go into the lead on time.
Last man in, Germany’s former World number one, Ludger Beerbaum, made a valiant attempt to beat Twomey’s jump-off speed, but failed by just under a second, leaving the Irishman to pick up the winner’s 92,000 euro prize pot.
Afterwards, the Cork-born rider said: “The horse was just fantastic, he seemed to go better in each round. I’ve been to a lot of these Global Champions’ Tours, and it’s nice to finally get one in the bag. I’m absolutely delighted.”
Team Ireland Equestrian’s Show Jumping Manager Robert Splaine added: ” This success is further proof of Billy’s ongoing good form. He’s a great man for the big occasion.”
Ireland’s Denis Lynch was the first rider not to lower a fence in the second round of the Grand Prix after many of the world’s top riders failed to go clear, but the Tipperary man picked up a single time fault in the process and finished in fifth overall on ‘Abbervail van het Dingeshof’, with prize money of 16,000 euro.
