FRANCE’s Penelope Leprevost took victory in the feature Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Antwerp at the five-star Belgian show on board her dynamite chesnut mare Flora De Mariposa.
Wexford’s Bertram Allen had eight faults with Molly Malone V in round one while Tipperary’s Denis Lynch and Quote Zavaan had four on the board.
More was to come in the show from Allen who placed Romanov (18) to an equal second place finish in an 1.55m jump-off class, double clear in 38.39 seconds while Lynch placed fifth in a 1.45m two-phase class on Camilla, double clear in 23.63, behind Egyptian winner Abdel Said on Luron S Z, clear in 21.52.
Meanwhile a triumphant Leprevost declared her horse “just amazing” after scooping first place in the Grand Prix against a stellar field. Many of the top horses in the world had their first serious outing of the season, with Casall ASK, Flora De Mariposa and Hermes Ryan all on form in their first five-star show, taking podium positions.
Germany’s Christian Ahlmann stretched his overall lead in the championship ahead of the next leg of the global circuit which takes place in Shanghai, China, this weekend.
The first round of the Grand Prix was a big course, with designer Luc Musette setting the fences to the full 1.60m height featuring tall verticals and big oxers which made clears slow to come in the early draw. America’s Lauren Hough and Ohlala were the first to go and the first to jump clear following an impressive opening round.
Of the 45 starters, 18 went through to the next round, with 14 in total jumping clear, and four more in on one fault or four. Keeping the challenge consistent for the high calibre field, the second round threw forward many questions. Among the names who made it through were Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum and his grey mare Chiara, France’s Kevin Staut with Reveur de Hurtebise H D C, Canada’s Eric Lamaze with Chacco Kid, and Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer with Ailina. Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts was the top home rider, through on four faults with his horse, Bisquet Balou C.
An unusual refusal from Dutch ace Harrie Smolders’ Emerald N.O.P. saw him drop down the field, much to the crowd’s disappointment, and as the riders took their turn, it became clear that the bar had been raised to lay the foundations for an exhilarating jump-off. Many fell short of the double clear, collecting four faults, including LGCT Ranking leader and World Number 2 Christian Ahlmann and Codex One who just caught a pole. Britain’s John Whitaker and Echo Of Light, who had looked so strong throughout agonisingly had the final fence down, with John shaking his head as he exited the arena.
A total of five went through to the jump-off. First to go, Leprovost looked determined from the outset and showcased clear intentions of setting the pace for the final phase of the Grand Prix.
She and Flora rode an incredibly feisty round, with the little chesnut mare jumping her heart out for the leading French rider. Next up was Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and her big striding horse Unbelievable. Despite their valiant efforts, they were three seconds off Penelope’s time.
Sweden’s Rolf Goran Bengtsson and Casall knew they had everything to do to beat the fantastic pairing of Penelope and Flora. The experienced combination gave it their all and crossed the line in 34.59s. Next came Hough and Ohlala – another speedy combination – however a pole down meant they wouldn’t make the podium this time.
Last to go was World Number 1, and former LGCT Grand Prix of Antwerp winner, Simon Delestre with Ryan. The pair were fast, with the audience spell bound until the last fence where whoops and cheers rang out as they crossed the line. Despite the impressive performance, the French rider finished in 33.74s, just tenths of a second from his compatriot Penelope.
Ahlmann maintained his lead in the 2016 Longines Global Champions Tour season and now sitting on 97 points. John Whitaker remains in second place on 85 points, with Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano shooting up the ranking to take third with 65 points.
GLOBAL CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Meanwhile it was the turn of the Antwerp Diamonds team to take the lead in the third round of the new Global Champions League. U25 team rider, and home hero Jos Verlooy said: “We came with the big guns – our aim was to win and we did, so I couldn’t be happier!”
The Antwerp Diamonds are now on 75 points, just two points ahead of Monaco Aces and Valkenswaard United, tied on 73 points apiece. Round four takes place in Shanghai this weekend.