News Release:  Colin McClelland

Allen victorious in French five-star speed class

IRELAND'S 20 year-old Bertram Allen returned to winning form at the five-star show in Lyon, France this morning (Sunday), collecting 7,500 euro for a victory in the Prix Rio Moquette speed class.

Allen, who currently holds seventh place in the world show jumping rankings, piloted Quainton Stud's 11 year-old gelding Quiet Easy, and though eighth to jump in a 35-strong field, set a scorching pace that few of the following combinations could challenge.

Nearest was Sweden's Rolf-Goran Bengtsson with the grey stallion Clarimo ASK, whose runner-up time was a fifth of a second slower than Allen's, while the world's top-ranked show jumper, Britain's Scott Brash, was just over half a second off the Irish rider's pace, to settle for third place with the chestnut gelding Hello Forever.

Allen later in the day brought out Ballywalter Farms's now famous grey mare Molly Malone for the big Longines FEI World Cup competition at Lyon, but an unfortunate single first round mistake left them on four faults, to finish just outside the top ten in 11th place overall. Only seven combinations made it to the jump-off, with victory eventually going to France's Penelope Leprevost and Flora de Mariposa.