A plucky attempt to notch up his eighth international win in six weeks by 21 year-old Bertram Allen came close at the Paris Gold Cup competition today.

Split into two rounds, with the first round starting at lunchtime and the final phase taking place tonight, riders were aiming to be in the top 25 combinations with a clear round and a fast time that would qualify them for the final round.

Both Allen with the eight year-old bay gelding Izzy by Picobello and Denis Lynch on the 11 year-old gelding Campino returned copybook clear rounds in the afternoon, and both were on the startlist for tonight’s finale.

Despite a hugely talented field only ten clears were achieved, but Lynch with Campino, tenth to jump, was not one of them, dropping two poles for eight faults.

Allen and Izzy by Picobello were slotted 16th to jump, but despite exhibiting his trademark speed in yet another clear round, the Wexford rider was unable to catch the German leader, Daniel Deusser with Sweet de Beaufour, and took a third place, with nine left to follow him.

It was Swiss rider Steve Guerdat and the ten year-old chestnut mare Albfuehren’s Happiness who finally shaved almost two seconds off Deusser’s time to claim the trophy, relegating Allen to a creditable fourth place, just over three seconds off Guerdat’s pace.

The Irish rider picked up 6,000 euro for his fourth position on the leaderboard, while Guerdat took home 20,400.

Jack Burns