Olivier Robert won in the most difficult A Coruña’s CSI 5* test, the Prize Massimo Dutti. The Gallic rider won the jumpoff with Eros in the 1.50-metre test in a time of 35.97 seconds. Robert made a great day for the French representation, since two of the highest category trophies were lifted by riders from that country.
Germany went up to the podium for its first time in Casas Novas in second position thanks to Christian Kukuk and Limoncello NT, who were 26 one-hundredths from the winning time (36.23 seconds). The Belgian Jos Verlooy, who rode Igor, was third with a time of 36.60 seconds.
Dutch riders Maikel and Eric Van der Vleuten achieved the fourth and fifth places respectively, followed by Laura Renwick (GBR) and Edwina Tops Alexander (AUS) and the Belgian Françoise Mathy Jr.
Only eight entries in 37 were qualified for the jumpoff in the last class of the day before the crowded stands. With less than a second’s difference in many cases, the riders did their best to claim the opening feature of the XXXVII edition of the A Coruña competition. All of them but Mathy ended up without faults.
Prize Engel & Völkers
Previously, the first win of the 5* competition went to France, thanks to the dominance of Guillaume Foutrier in the Prize Engel & Vólkers. With a height of 1.45 meters and run under ‘Fault & Time’ rules, Foutrier and Tchin de la Tour stopped the time at 62.69 seconds. It was the best result of the only 15 pairs which managed to finish the round out of a total of 41 participants.
The French rider relegated the Italian Luca Maria Moneta to second place. Luca Maria Moneta, on the back of Neptune, set the time to beat in 62.72 seconds. Spain was also on the podium thanks to the brave Paola Amilibia. She led Chac Balou N to the third position with a clear 63.19 second round, which was applauded heartily by the audience.
Spanish Victories in Two CSI2* Tests
The day started in Larín with purely Spanish podiums in both tests of the 2* competition. In the opening speed class, Pablo Valle, Pedro Mateos and Otti Verdú achieved the best times in the 1.30-meter test. The first one setting the bar high was the Catalonian Otti Verdú, when she finished the round in 49.98 seconds riding Twiggy Ka. It did not take Valle a long time to snatch the leadership back from her with Danthe RDPS (48.61 seconds), and Pedro Mateo ended up placing second with 49.02 seconds aboard his 10-year-old Ultra Lord.
This class was followed by the Prize NH Collection, 1.40 meters in two phases, in which the rider Paloma Barceló set the best time with Vivaldi D’Hyrencourt: 22.66 seconds. Together with Inés, Barceló had already achieved 0 penalties in her first round. But it was in her second attempt that she definitely claimed the victory. Diana Marse-Lafarge was the only one who was able to endanger her leadership, when, in the second round she stopped the time at 22.66 seconds with Voila Lara. She finally got second place, followed by Kevin González de Zárate and Urbain des Grezils, who stopped the time at 22.94 seconds.
More from Horse Sport:
