Twelve obstacles between 1.50m and 1.60 metres awaited the twenty couples taking part in the Equita Masters presented by EQUITHEME on Saturday evening. At the end of a tense first round, in which only four couples completed the course without a penalty, ten riders qualified for the second leg. Finally, the result of the class was decided in the last minutes.

Lauren Hough & Waterford

Whereas the Dutch rider Maikel van der Vleuten, who jumped a clear first round on Dana Blue, made a mistake and finished with a four point penalty, the Italian rider Alberto Zorzi completed the first double clear round on Contanga in 39”93. After him, the Belgian rider Pieter Devos and the American rider Lauren Hough also rode clear rounds, but in a faster time. In the end, it was Pieter Devos who took first place on his stallion Gin D with a time of 38”90, with Lauren Hough taking second place in 39”22.

Alberto Zorzi & Contanga

“I am delighted because my horse has reached a milestone,” said Pieter Devos. “Last weekend in the Longines FEI World Cup in Verona, he did a clear round in the Grand Prix with a point for exceeding the time. I wasn’t’ sure whether to bring him to Lyon, thinking it was perhaps still a little too early. But finally, I brought him… Yesterday, he did a clear round with a time penalty point, but today I was able to go quicker. We finished in the allotted time and now we have won the jump-off. We just keep getting better,” said the delighted rider. He will be going to Madrid and Mechelen with a  view to qualifying for the Final in Paris. With his third place on the Italian stage last week, Pieter Devos has already earned a good number of points, even though he says “there is still a long way to go to get to the Accor Hotels arena”.

Pieter Devos & Apart

The best French performance came from Pénélope Leprevost. Making up for her fault in the first leg with a quick clear round in the second leg on her bay horse Urano de Cartigny, she finally took fourth place in this class sponsored by EQUITHEME, a leading brand for riders and their horses.

1.     Pieter Devos (BEL) & Gin D: 0/0 38.90 sec

2.     Lauren Hough (USA) & Waterford: 0/0 39.22 sec

3.     Alberto Zorzi (ITA) & Contanga: 0/0 39.93 sec

4.     Pénélope Leprevost (FRA) & Urano de Cartigny: 4/0 36.77 sec

5.     Bertram Allen (IRL) & Gin Chin van het Lindenhof: 4/0 37.56 sec

Source: Press Release by Equita Lyon

Photos: © Equita Lyon 2017 / PSV Photo by J. Morel