Press release from Jumping Verona

Ireland’s Denis Lynch and the 15-year-old stallion Rubens LS La Silla (Rebozo LS La Silla x Cash) topped the first class, the 1.50m Franco Tucci Speed, on the second day of Jumping Verona 2021. 

Fifth-last to go in the field of 57 starters, the man who hails from Tipperary had plenty of time to assess Uliano Vezzani’s course and squeezed Frenchman Julien Anquetin out of pole position when just over a half-second quicker around the 12-fence track. It was however a particularly impressive runner-up placing for Anquetin’s gelding Z Ice Cube Z (Zacharov TN x Casco) as the horse is only eight years old, yet showed maturity beyond his years when cruising through the finish in 62.10 seconds. Only 15 horse-and-rider combinations managed to return without penalties in this class.

It was Sameh El Dahan and the wonderful 17-year-old mare Suma’s Zorro (ARD VDL Douglas x Horos XX) who set the early target when clearing the line in 62.16, and at the end of the day that proved good enough for third spot.

Anquetin has been showing increasingly strong form and the 29-year-old rider finished eighth with Blood Diamond du Pont (Diamant de Semilly x Arpege Pierreville *HN) at the first leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Western European League in Oslo three weeks ago. He will start eighth in tomorrow’s Italian leg of the World Cup series.

In contrast however 45-year-old Lynch is a veteran of two World Championships, six FEI Jumping World Cup Finals and was a member of the gold-medal-winning Irish team at the European Championships in 2017. With his wealth of experience he calculated every stride along the way to stop the clock on 61.60 seconds to take the win today.