Gudrun Patteet (BEL) and Sea Coast Pebbles Z achieved an  overwhelming victory in the €269,400 Longines Grand Prix CSI 5*yesterday during the CSI Cas Novas – A Coruña 5*/2* in La Coruña, Spain. The Belgian and the 12-year-old bay Zangersheide gelding (Picasso x Flamenco de Semilly) left all the other 11 combinations behind,  posting a blazing penalty-free jump-off performance in 40.65 seconds. The Belgian was back on the top of the podium at Casas Novas after winning the Longines Trophy in the summer  edition 4* in 2016. In the round of honour, she was accompanied by her compatriot Dominique Hendrickx (BEL), second and Menéndez Mieres (ESP) third.

Twelve combinations had qualified for the jump-off  at the end of the first round out of the 38 participants. Among them, three Spaniards: Gerardo Menéndez Mieres (ESP) on  Costello DC, Julio Arias on  Reggae du Tillard and Eduardo Álvarez Aznar (ESP) on Seringat. But also Robert Olivier (FRA) on Eros who, after winning the Massimo Dutti Trophy  yesterday, fought it out for the leading award again. A knockdown in the last obstacle prevented the French from taking  a second place on the podium, with 41.39 seconds on the clock, pushing  him into the fourth position.

Hendrickx was the first to face the decisive face aboard Kannabis van de Bucxtale (Contact van de Heffinck x Concorde), and he did it without  fault and stopping the clock at 43.07. It was not until Patteet, the fourth participant, that there was another clear round. And Menendez Mieres, immediately afterwards, battled it out for the top place with a good performance, but not fast enough to defeat  the winning time, registering 43.07 seconds.

There was no more 0. The risk that those who came back had to take made obstacles fall while Patteet was closer to the final triumph. In the end, double podium for Belgium and a third meritorious place for Spain in one of the highest level tests  of this CSI5 *-W/2* A Coruña.

In addition to third place, Gerardo Menéndez Mieres (ESP) received the Tyco Trophy for being  the best Spanish rider in the Grand Prix.

Still on the track, the winner lavished praise for Sea Coast Pebbles Z at the end of the test: “It has been an incredible victory, but also because I have an amazing horse,” said. “There were great riders in the jump-off, as Olivier Robert (FRA), who won yesterday, so I went pretty fast. I don’t have the impression of being risky but, when I try it, this horse is really faster than others”, he explained.

For full results, please click here.

Source: Press relese from Oxersport for CSI Casas de Novas

Photo: © Oxersport