EQUESTRIAN/Dubai Grand Prix:Jessica Kürten has already put in the strongest possible bid for the 2006 Sportswoman of the Year title by claiming the richest prize in show jumping last night, the €632,000 Dubai Grand Prix at the Al Maktoum Memorial Challenge.
"I'm a little bit shell-shocked, but totally thrilled," an exuberant Kürten told The Irish Times immediately after the prizegiving. "You never think you're going to be the lucky one, but this has to be the biggest win ever."
Kürten, who claimed both the October and December monthly awards in the Irish Times/Mitsubishi Electric sportswoman awards, but was pipped for the overall title yesterday by football and camogie All-Ireland winner Briege Corkery, was drawn first to go in a 28-strong field boasting 19 of the world's top 20.
The Antrim-born 36-year-old, fifth in the world rankings, had netted a cool €30,670 for victory in Thursday's Dubai Masters aboard Castle Forbes Libertina, but her sights were set on last night's big one, and she had the 12-year-old mare Quibell tuned to perfection.
Clear all the way at the first time of asking, the Irish pair had to sit and wait while 12 others earned their places in the jump-off, before all eyes returned to Kürten and her challenge for the €206,000 winner's purse.
Thirteenth through to the timed decider and Friday the 13th could have been viewed as ill-omens, but the luck - and the brilliance - of the Irish were overwhelming last night as Kürten steered Quibell to a superb second clear, stopping the clock on 38.22 seconds to lay down a gauntlet that left the others floundering in her wake.
As she sat and watched her rivals fall, one by one, by the wayside, Kürten spent the next 30 minutes on the phone to her owner, Lady Georgina Forbes, who was unable to attend the show.
"I ended up ringing her after every horse. I just kept saying he's had one down, keep the fingers crossed. And then finally I rang her to say we'd won. I still can't believe it."
Kürten was out of the saddle for a fortnight after Christmas after tearing tendons in a fall, but the pain was forgotten in last night's celebrations as well-wishers thumped their congratulations on the injured shoulder.
World number one Marcus Ehning put in the strongest challenge, shaving off .04 of a second, but the mare Gitania connected with the first part of the bogey double and the German duo had to settle for second ahead of British rider Nick Skelton with the stallion Arko.
Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa, who was awarded Olympic gold when Cian O'Connor was stripped of the Athens title, slotted into fourth with Baloubet du Rouet.
DUBAI $760,000 GRAND PRIX: 1, Ireland's Quibell (Jessica Kürten), 0/0 faults, 38.22 seconds; 2, Germany's Gitania 8 (Marcus Ehning), 0/4, 38.18; 3, Britain's Arko III (Nick Skelton), 0/4, 38.73; 4, Brazil's Baloubet du Rouet (Rodrigo Pessoa), 0/4, 38.80; 5, Germany's Montender 2 (Marco Kutscher), 0/4, 38.91; 6, Netherlands' Eurocommerce Milano (Gerco Schröder), 0/4, 39.24.
