Denis Lynch and All Star win Longines Cup in Barcelona

Ireland’s Denis Lynch riding Thomas Straumann’s bay stallion All Star won the Longines Cup of the City of Barcelona as the five-star Spanish show reached its conclusion on Sunday afternoon.

A member of the Irish team which finished fifth in Saturday's nations' cup final, Lynch scored by an 11-second margin from Mexico's Santiago Lambre (Johnny Boy), the only other rider to record a double clear in the 70-strong class.

While A.P. McCoy and Alexander Butler stole the show when winning Sunday's jockeys/show jumpers' challenge at Cavan Equestrian, on the serious front there was victory for Michael Duffy on Bocello in the Gain Horse Feeds/Alltech autumn Grand Prix.

Over the weekend, there was international eventing action at Ballindenisk, Co Cork where British riders dominated the CCI classes.

Ollie Townend won the three-star division with the Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley SRS (44.3 penalties), ahead of Belgium's Stephanie d'Andrimont on Alexander IV (51) and Bandon's Patricia Ryan (51.5) who lost her overnight lead when having two show jumps down with Tullineaskey Hi Ho.

Honours in the two-star section went to Izzy Taylor on Be Touchable while Matthew Wright, returning to Ireland after a three-year break, claimed the one-star class on Rakam d'Emra.

Two of Ireland's top young riders were to the fore in the shorter version CIC2* class where Co Galway's Cathal Daniels won on Sammy Davis Junior (45.3 penalties) while Co Wexford's Lucy Latta finished second on Cleo Ferro (45.3).

The pair were the only ones in the 18-strong competition to complete on their dressage scores, a feat mirrored by Joseph Murphy in the three-star section with Westwinds Hercules (53.7). However, the Co Down rider had to settle for fourth place behind New Zealand's Mark Todd on NZB Campino (40.6). England-based American Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp recorded an all-the-way success in the CIC1* class with Oskar.