The German Daniel Deusser and ‘Bingo STE Hermelle’, the fastest in the Big Class

His compatriot Kendra Brinkop came in second with ‘MA Belle’, while Belgian Gilles Thomas took third place with ‘Elfra Van Beek Z’

The German rider Daniel Deusser and his stallion ‘Bingo STE Hermelle’, son of ‘Number One D’Iso’ x ‘Diamant de Semilly’, snatched victory from his compatriot Kendra Brinkop. Brinkop, riding ‘MA Belle’ (‘Ugano Sitte’ x ‘Bayard D’Elle’), had set an incredible time to beat of 57.79 seconds at the start of the Big Tour 1.50. As the event progressed, her time seemed unbeatable, but in the final stretch, Deusser managed to shave off more than a second and a half, finishing the course in just 56.18 seconds. This was the debut of the main green arena, David Broome, in this XXXI Andalucía Sunshine Tour.

With a time of 64.12 seconds, far from the top contenders, Belgian rider Gilles Thomas finished third with ‘Elfra Van Beek Z’ (‘El Salvador’ x ‘Vagabond de la Pomme’). His compatriot Roy Van Beek, riding ‘Diamant de Quidam – H Old’ (‘Diamant de Semilly’ x ‘Quidam de Revel’), secured fourth place. Completing the podium was Sweden’s Antonia Andersson with ‘Bella PS’ (‘Messenger’ x ‘Contendros 2’).

Meanwhile, Spanish rider Jorge Bidón Daurella, with ‘Donatella du Landel’, a twelve-year-old mare by ‘Kannan’, claimed victory in the highest event of the Medium Tour, the 1.45m class. This event, run under a speed format, took place in the green arena 1 Hickstead. His time of 59.12 seconds earned him the win over Belgian Roy Van Beek, who placed second with ‘Frieda’ (‘Stakkato Gold’ x ‘Duntroon’) in 61.95 seconds. Moroccan El Ghali Boukaa took third place with ‘Chester N’, followed by German Katharina Offel on ‘Cornet’s Pezi’ in fourth, and her compatriot Kendra Brinkop on ‘Naf Naf DMC’ in fifth.

In the 1.40m class, British rider Chloe Aston was the fastest with ‘Flavie van de Helle’, a 14-year-old horse by ‘Carlow van de Helle’ x ‘Corvallo’. She was followed by Moroccan El Ghali Boukaa with ‘Goldeneye des Court’ (‘Apollon des Baleines’ x ‘Baloubet du Rouet’), Bulgarian Konstantin E. van Damme with ‘Charly Brown G’, British rider Chloe Winchester with ‘Korlenski’, and Belgian Roy Van Beek with ‘Cavoiro – H Old’.

It was not the only podium for Roy Van Beek, who claimed victory in the Medium Tour 1.30m with ‘Celebrity – H’. Portuguese rider Bernardo Ladeira Pereira took second place with ‘Kings Lady’, followed by Irishman Cathal Daniels with ‘Candy’ in third, Dutch rider Britt Van Erp with ‘Vosje’ in fourth, and Belgian Ignace Philips de Vuyst with ‘Jasper’ in fifth.

Portuguese rider Hugo Tavares, with ‘Berlouke Al Z’, topped the Big Tour 1.35m. He was followed by Israeli rider Uri Burstein with ‘Chacca Keeps II’, Italian Giorgia De Lorenzo with ‘Opium Ter Wilgen’, and once again, Van Beek in fourth place with ‘Challenge Yourself – H’. Spanish rider Carolina Villanueva secured fifth place with ‘Voice de Chenaie’.

In the Big Tour 1.30m, young Estonian rider Grete Veske delivered the best second-phase performance with ‘Basic’. Belgian Lara Eggermont and ‘Kannet V.D. Rikse’ took second place, while Moroccan Jad Guerraoui with ‘Gloria de Kreisker’ finished third. British rider Chloe Winchester claimed two spots in the rankings with ‘Chakensa PS’ and ‘Baskin Smooth Diamond’.

As for the young horses, who had their final competition of the week today, ‘Hiron d’Elle’ and Swedish rider Alexander Zetterman won the 8-year-old class, followed by ‘Gwendolyn’ and German Helmut Schönstetter in second, and ‘Haddock du Tertre’ with French rider Faustine Laferrerie in third.

In the first of the 7-year-old classes, the duo of ‘Allstar Van Het Schanske Z’ and Belgian rider Stephanie Servais flew across the arena, stopping the clock at an impressive 60.39 seconds—five seconds faster than the runner-up, ‘Tequila Sunrise O.S’, ridden by British rider Laura Mantel. Fellow Brit Chloe Reynolds took third place with ‘Caballero Z’.

In the other 7-year-old class, ‘Nazaire VD Watermolen’ and Norwegian rider Victoria Gulliksen secured the top spot. Dutch rider Roosje Brouwer, with ‘Capellini D’SG’, claimed second place for the second consecutive day, while French rider Faustine Laferrerie finished third with ‘Lisette DKG’.

The first of the two 6-year-old classes today had a strong Spanish presence, with Javier González Fraga taking the win aboard ‘Braveheart JGF’. This marked his second podium of the week after finishing second last Tuesday. Hugo Álvarez Amaro and ‘Juno de Llamosas’ continued their excellent performance with a second-place finish today, adding to their first-place finish yesterday and third place on Tuesday. Guillermo González Alonso took third with ‘Com Cerena SB Z’.

Belgian riders dominated the second 6-year-old class, with ‘Tita Tattoo D’Hoge Rielen’ and Dimme D’Haese leading the way, claiming their third podium of the week. ‘Label Fee de Septon Z’ and Thibault Vermeulen secured second place, while Italian rider Francesco Correddu and ‘Danubios’ completed the top three.

Finally, in the 5-year-old class, ‘Primera B’ confirmed its excellent form by winning with British rider Alfie Bradstock. ‘Katapulte Riverland’ and Belgian rider Stephanie Servais finished second, while ‘Project EL’ and Spanish rider Álvaro González de Zárate took third place.

Servais also claimed victory in the other 5-year-old class with ‘Kornella de Riverland’. ‘Celebrity’, ridden by Spanish rider Telmo Busca Roca, and ‘Usus DC’, with Italian rider Giacomo Lanzi, completed the podium.

The competition will continue tomorrow, Friday, at this XXXI Andalucía Sunshine Tour, an event sponsored by the Junta de Andalucía through the Ministry of Tourism and Andalucía Exterior, as well as the Provincial Council of Cádiz. With thirteen CSI4* events in total, including two qualifiers for the Longines Ranking of the International Equestrian Federation, it promises to be an intense day of competition.