Oliva Nova, Spain – November 13, 2022 – After three weeks of great sport, the second part of the Autumn MET 2022 in Oliva Nova, Spain, came to an end on Sunday with the 1.50m presented by €64,400 Oliva Nova Beach & Golf Resort Grand Prix CSI 3*.
With 50 horse-and-rider-combinations at start, only six pairs cleared the first-round track set by the German course designer Peter Schumacher (GER). As the first man out in the jump-off, Switzerland’s Niklaus Schurtenberger (SUI) and the 11-year-old Lireu (Legolas x Landgraf I) set the time to beat to 44.54 seconds.
However, they were matched by Germany’s Philip Houston (GER) and the 12-year-old Sandros S Bella (Sandro Boy x Chacco-Blue), who crossed the finish line in the exact same time.
While Belgium’s Jérôme Guery (BEL) and Great Britain V (Nabab de Reve x Carolus H), the last pair out in the jump-off, clocked the quickest time of the class – 42.12 seconds – they had to settle for the third place when a pole fell. Schurtenberger and Houston shared the win ahead of Guery in third, while Jason Foley (IRL) and Rockwell RC (Kannan x Guidam) finished fourth and Maartje Verberckmoes (BEL) aboard Guidam’s Willow The Second (Willow x Indoctro) fifth.
“My plan was to go fast, but not risk too much,” Schurtenberger commented afterwards about his jump-off, that only Houston could match. “And I think it was a good plan! I have had Lireu since he was five, and this is for sure the biggest win I have had with him.”
Schurtenberger is a regular at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour. “We have been coming here since the very beginning,” he said about the venue in Oliva. “We love coming here – it is good for both the younger and the older horses. Coming to Oliva always feels like coming home.”
The Autumn MET 2022 now takes a week off before resuming action on November 22nd with the third and last part of the tour. For more information, visit metoliva.com.
Final Results – €64,400 Oliva Nova Beach & Golf Resort Grand Prix CSI 3*
1) Niklaus Schurtenberger (SUI) & Lireu – 0 / 0 – 44.54
1) Philip Houston (GER) & Sandro S Bella – 0 / 0 – 44.54
3) Jérôme Guery (BEL) & Great Britain V – 0 / 4 – 42.12
Source: Press Release from MET – Mediterranean Equestrian Tour
Photos: © MET / Hervé Bonnaud / www. 1clicphoto.com
Categories: English
