Vejer de La Frontera, Spain – October 14, 2022 – Matthew Sampson (GBR) is back. He has been a loyal visitor and favourite, here at Montenmedio for many years. This season he has hardly been out of the spotlight across the globe with a very well deserved rise to fame, from struggling to get access to compete at five star shows, he has now won two five-star Grand Prix events on two different horses and, in the Spruce Meadows Masters, he won 17 classes and was given the ‘leading rider’ honour! Well, he has arrived here at the Andalucía October Tour and started off in flying style.
On Friday, he was the winner of the €25,500 Hipotels Two-Phase Challenge CSI 3*, a 1.45m class held in the grass main arena. Matt was riding Curraghgraigue Obos Flight (Obos Quality 004 xErrigal Flight) and owned by Rachael Evison. This was a two-phase class and the pair stopped the clock, in the second phase, in just 25.43 seconds.
This proved to be well ahead of his main rival, another British rider, and regular competitor here at the Tour, the top international Olympian, Holly Smith (GBR). Today she was riding the gelding Don Vito (Quaprice Bois Margot x Jus De Pomme), owned by Poden Farms and they stopped the clock in 26.69 seconds.
In third place, it was Irish rider Niamh McEvoy (IRL) with Templepatrick Welcome Limmerick (Limmerick – Go Luckey) finishing in just 26.81 seconds. Poland took fourth with Andrzej Optalek (POL) and Le Cordial, with the Belgian rider Celine Schoonbroodt-De Azevedo (BEL) and Clinto T Z in fifth.
Final Results – €25,500 Hipotels Two-Phase Challenge CSI 3*
1) Matthew Sampson (GBR) & Curraghgraigue Obos Flight – 0 – 25.43
2) Holly Smith (GBR) & Don Vito – 0 – 26.69
3) Niamh McEvoy (IRL) & Templepatrick Welcome Limmerick – 0 – 26.81
Source: Press Release (edited) from the Sunshine Tour
Photos: © Sunshine Tour / Equus Media
Categories: CSI 3*, English, Jumper News Great Britain
