Galway’s Cathal Daniels wins indoor Cross Country at Geneva in Switzerland

For the second year in-a-row, the indoor Cross Country competition at the prestigious Geneva Horse Show in Switzerland has been won by an Irish rider, after Galway’s Cathal Daniels claimed a magnificent victory tonight (Friday) with the Sarah Hughes-owned gelding Alcatraz.

Drawn second last to go in the competition, Daniels took the lead with a superb round which brought the Swiss fans to their feet, as he overtook his Irish team mate and defending champion Pádraig McCarthy, who had held the lead for much of the competition with Rosemaber Lancuest.

Daniels had an anxious wait before being confirmed as winner, when Karim Florent Laghouag produced a great round with Punch de L’Esques as last to go, with the French rider taking runner-up spot at the finish.

The result crowns an exceptional year for Cathal Daniels, with a string of top results during the season that included a bronze medal win at the European Eventing Championships.