Co Tipperary's Greg Broderick had the perfect send-off for the Olympic Games, where he is Ireland's sole representative in the show jumping competition, when winning The Underwriting Exchange Grand Prix at Friday night's Jumping In The City fixture in Shelbourne Park, Dublin.
Riding Paul Carr's 11-year-old stallion Zuidam, Broderick, who boards a flight to Rio on Saturday, was one of seven riders who made it through to the jump-off where his second round clear in 40.07 seconds saw him claim the majority of the €15,000 prize fund. Cavan's Neal Fearon had posted the early target (43.46secs) when first to go against the clock with Billy On Time and eventually finished in third. Kilkenny-born former Olympian Marion Hughes came closest to catching Broderick as she crossed the line clear in 40.38secs on Can Ya Makan to claim runner-up spot.
In the Devenish Puissance, Co Tyrone's Peter Smyth and the McCarthy family's Irish Sport Horse gelding Cavalier Rusticana were the only combination to clear the wall at its final height of 1m 97 (6ft 5 inches). Smyth and Cavalier Rusticana came to Jumping In The City on the back of a third place finish in the Dublin Horse Show Puissance. Wexford's Jason Higgins finished as runner-up with Hadine Van't Zorgvliet.
The evening's opening competition, the West Wood/Ifor Williams amateur speed class, was won by Paul Carroll, a leading producer of vegetables in north Co Dublin. Carroll, winner of the amateur championship at the RDS, raced around the arena when fourth-last to go aboard Castleroche Le Roche. Having gone clear in what proved to be an unbeatable time, he drove away with a new West Wood/Ifor Williams trailer as his prize. Last year's winner, Joanna Penfold, took second with King Cruise while Co Down's Grace Lavery finished third on Flagmount Heir.
