Allen joy but Kenny pipped in Verona
Ireland's Bertram Allen. Photo: Cody Glenn/Sportsfile
Irish riders produced fine results on two continents at the weekend when Bertram Allen won the World Cup qualifier in Toronto, Canada on Saturday night and Darragh Kenny was just pipped at the post in the qualifier at Verona yesterday.
Allen brought the crowd to their feet in the sold-out Toronto stadium when blazing to victory with GK Casper in the $210,000 Canadian class. It was a youthful line-up when the 24-year-old Wexford rider pinned his 23-year-old Belgian friend Jos Verlooy into second place while third went to American 18-year-old Brian Moggre.
It was the 11-year-old GK Casper's debut at World Cup level and he was a bit spooky earlier in the week. On Saturday, he fought off his fear and battled for the win.
"For most horses, their first season doing this level is as a nine-year-old but this is his first season now. I've always said, 'Whatever he can jump, he can win.' He had been jumping fantastic, but we were just missing the last bit of luck," Allen said.
In Verona, Kenny was leading the way with the appropriately-named stallion, Romeo, until Britain's Scott Brash snatched victory from under his nose when last to go in the 16-horse jump-off.
