Simon Delestre produced a devastating turn of speed from the stallion Qlassic Bois Margot to clinch victory at the eighth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014 Western European League at Mechelen, Belgium. Last to go in an intriguing nine-horse jump-off, the 33-year-old Frenchman shattered the early target set by Britain’s Joe Clee to scoop maximum points and set himself firmly on the path to the series Final in Las Vegas, USA next April.

The first-round course set by Belgian course designer, Lucien Somers, presented a tough test for the 39 starters, with the double at fence seven and the triple combination at fence 12 proving particularly influential. “The triple was very difficult – the double of oxers with one stride followed by a vertical at the end of the course meant you needed a fit horse with a lot of scope today” Delestre commented afterwards.

First to go

Clee really threw down the gauntlet when first to go in the jump-off with the 10-year-old stallion Utamaro d’Ecaussines who gave it everything he had to set a strong target in 32.42 seconds. And the 36-year-old rider who is married to the youngest daughter of the late Eric Wauters, in whose memory the popular Belgian fixture is staged, then had to stand back and watch the rest try to better that.

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