Paris, France – June 25, 2021 – Bertram Allen (IRL) looks to be on phenomenal form, notching a CSI 5* win on 8-year-old Classified as the action gets underway at the Longines Global Champions Tour – Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping.
Kicking off the weekend in Paris, which sees the top international show jumpers in action under the iconic Eiffel Tower, Allen beat a world class field of 54 in the opening class of the weekend.
A beaming Allen spoke after his win: “It’s been a lucky place for me in Paris. It has been a great start, he is only an 8 year old and his first 5* class so I am delighted with him. We are literally under the Eiffel Tower it really is amazing.”
Gregory Bodo’s course gave plenty of options in the second phase, offering riders the chance to ride slow and secure, or take a chance to better their time. With this, the first class of the weekend, many took the chance to flex the muscles of their horses, putting in confidence building rounds without putting the pedal to the metal.
The class saw plenty of double clears, with the likes of Eric van der Vleuten (NED), Jeanne Sadran (FRA), Emily Moffitt (GBR), Christian Ahlmann (GER), Jodie Hall McAteer (GBR), Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS) amongst those looking on strong form.
But it was Allen (IRL) took the first win of the weekend, with the eye-catching Classified cruising around the arena to stop the clock in 28.69s, half a second faster than young talent Mike Kawai (JPN) and his fantastic horse Kahlua. Third went to Simon Delestre (FRA) with Hermes Ryan.
The next class, the GCL Paris first round kicks off at 19:00 local time, with the teams lining up to fight for pole position and the smallest score possible heading into Saturday’s final.
Final Results – €25,600 Le Figaroscope Prize CSI 5*
1) Bertram Allen (IRL) & Classified – 0 / 0 – 28.69
2) Mike Kawai (JPN) & Kahlua – 0 / 0 – 28.93
3) Simon Delestre (FRA) & Hermes Ryan – 0 / 0 – 28.96
Source: Press Release LGCT – Longines Global Champions Tour
Photos: © LGCT / Jessica Rodrigues
Categories: CSI 5*, English, Global Champions Tour, Jumper News Ireland
