Duffy secures podium finish in Super Grand Prix Final as Quirex completes remarkable comeback
In an electrifying climax to the €1.25 million Longines Global Champions Super Grand Prix at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Ireland’s Michael Duffy scored a third place finish on the podium to take home a cool €200,000. The lucrative finale was limited to just the top 15 riders who had won LGCT Grand Prix competitions this season, with Duffy taking his place following his win in Miami Beach last April.
Luxembourg’s Victor Bettendorf seized victory aboard his remarkable nine-year-old mare, Foxy de la Roque. The tension was palpable as Bettendorf, the last to go under the floodlights in Riyadh, produced a rapid awe-inspiring double-clear that left the arena breathless. Belgium’s Gilles Thomas, piloting the impressive Ermitage Kalone, secured a well-earned second place with the only other double-clear. Michael Duffy left all the fences standing in both rounds, picking up just two time penalties in the first round before jumping clear second time out to secure a podium finish.
It was an emotional night for the Turloughmore, Co Galway nave, as the result came aboard the 15-year-old Quirex, who was previously ridden by Mayo’s Cameron Hanley. Quirex had reached the top of the sport with Hanley, including being part of the Irish Aga Khan team in 2018, however the grey gelding had been out of the sport for many years before completing a remarkable comeback.
An emotional Duffy explained: “To do this today, on a horse that has had almost 6 years in a field and to do it in a class so huge as the LGCT Super Grand Prix – a comeback couldn’t have been sweeter. It’s just a testament to the horse’s character and his heart and ability to come back. It’s really an incredible story and I’m just happy to be a part of it and enjoy it. To be honest, tonight, I don’t think I could have caught Victor, and probably wouldn’t have caught Gilles either if I was clear, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise. It’s still a hard pill to swallow in the first round, but ultimately I was too slow myself so there’s no one to blame, only myself.”
President and founder of the Longines Global Champions Tour Jan Tops said in the press conference: “For me it’s maybe the best class of the year. It’s amazing to have these horses and riders, you know, the winners of the whole season from all the legs here together. They really aim their horses especially for this class. You can’t get better than the combinations, horses and riders, that are here. I think also the course builder did a great job, we saw a beautiful evening of sport. And of course Victor tonight, he did amazing and he was the well deserved winner of this special class. It’s nice to get new areas around the world connected with the sport. It’s fantastic that we have this kind of high level sport here in Riyadh.”