Brussels, Belgium – August 27, 2022 – The Brussels Stephex Masters ended the day on Saturday with a 5* class with two rounds. Of the 35 participants, 12 were allowed to take part in the second round. Eight of them had not collected any penalty points yet and Jos Verlooy (Nixon Van ‘T Meulenhof) were the first one to go double clear. Soon after, Wilm Vermeir (BEL) knocked him off the lead with his super-fast Joyride S. They had masterfully won one of the big 5* classes earlier this week. Many did not expect anyone to do better, until Simon Delestre (FRA) raced through the course with Tinka’s Hero Z: clear and the fastest time.
The performance that drew the most cheers from the audience was Jessica Springsteen‘s (USA) Hungry Heart. With a masterful jump out of the double, she had the public on her side, but she was slightly too slow. The last rider to go, Bryan Balsiger (Chelsea Z), could not beat Wilm’s time either, so Simon Delestre (FRA) took home the win:
“It was a good class, difficult enough. Wilm Vermeir who was in the lead is a super-fast rider so I knew I really had to pull out all the stops. Tinka’s Hero Z is just a wonderful horse. I knew he could do it. After all, with the French team we already won the Nations Cup at Knokke Hippique this summer. In tomorrow’s Rolex Grand Prix I will compete with Dexter Fontenis Z. He is only 9 years old but he is very consistent. Recently he has been amazing in the big classes. Despite his young age he knows how to beat the best horses in the world, so we will definitely go for it tomorrow.”
Final Results – €52,000 Henders & Hazel CSI 5*
1) Simon Delestre (FRA) & Tinka’s Hero Z – 0 / 0 – 41.16
2) Wilm Joyride (BEL) & Joyride S – 0 / 0 – 41.32
3) Jessica Springsteen (USA) & Hungry Heart – 0 / 0 – 42.34
Source: Press Release from Brussels Stephex Masters
Photos: © Sportfot
Categories: CSI 5*, English, Jumper News France
