La Coruña, Spain – December 03, 2022 – The A Coruña CSI 5*-W saw on Saturday evening the €210,00 Longines Grand Prix CSI 5*-W. The result was decided in an exciting jump-off, in which Philipp Weishaupt (GER) emerged victorious.
The Longines Grand Prix was the only class of the CSI5*W A Coruña on Saturday at Casas Novas. With a total prize money of €210,000, €69,300 of which were given to the winner, it was a stellar moment, the previous test of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Casas Novas Trophy, a qualifying leg which will be held on Sunday.
And as any one-of-a-kind test, the €210,000 Longines Grand Prix had a hard course full of technical difficulties that, together with the 1.55-meter-high obstacles, made things very difficult for the 45 registered pairs. The course consisted of thirteen obstacles with two combinations: a triple-bar triple, oxer and a double of verticals closing a long path on the diagonal of the arena.
Eight contenders managed to rode a perfect round to advance to the jump-off, while two pairs, Harrie Smolders (NED) with Uricas vd Kattevennen and the Wilma Hellström (SWE) aboard “Quinqui Von Hof” were on the verge of the jump-off because of a small penalty for exceeding the time allowed.
In the jump-off, Harry Charles (GBR) soon moved to the lead. The young British rider and Billabong du Roumois (Mylord Carthago / Papillon Rouge*Normandie), winners of Friday’s big competition, are in winning form and at the Longines Grand Prix they showed it again. Their 35.58 seconds over the 7 obstacles and 8 efforts of the jump-off pushed them to the lead and with the gut feeling of being the possible winners for the second consecutive day.
But in a competition full of elite riders and horses, with some of the world Top Ten competing in Casas Novas, anything could happen. And it happened. After Charles, Philipp Weishaupt (GER) went out to the track with the Hanoverian Coby (Contagio x Escudo 19) ready to race to the top. It was noticed from its first long gallop from one to two and then went further in its pace as the round went on. Tight turn on the right to tackle the oxer and tight turn on the left to jump the vertical Prosegur, penultimate obstacle of the course. And again strong galloped to the Longines vertical that closed the pattern.
Weishaupt flew through the arena at Casas Novas with Coby, which already has experience in winning 5* Grand Prix and transmitted the excitement to the audience. For the second consecutive day grandstands were packed. When the German and the 12-year-old bay Hanoverian gelding crossed the finish line, the stopwatch stopped at 34.19 seconds, a remarkable margin to beat young Charles and be the well-deserved winner of the Longines Grand Prix.
With Harry Charles (GBR) in second place, third place went to Ireland’s Jack Ryan (IRL) with Guppie VDL and fourth to Sweden’s Petronella Andersson (SWE) with Claptonn Mouche. The four rode a perfect round in the jump-off were clasified in this order, Jack Whitaker (GBR), Pieter Devos (BEL), Olivier Philippaerts (BEL), Marie Valdar Longem (NOR) and Martin Fuchs (SUI).
As for the Spanish riders, the best classified in the Longines Grand Prix was Armando Trapote(ESP), twelfth with “Tornado VS”, getting 4 penalty-points. This classification gave him the Sensormatic Trophy, which he received from Carlos Gómez García, General Director of Sensormatic Iberia.
The Longines Grand Prix trophy was given to the winner, Philipp Weishaupt (GER), by Flora Pérez Marcote. Elena Orozco, Brand Manager of Longines Spain, gave him with a magnificent Longines watch.
Final Results – €210,00 Longines Grand Prix CSI 5*-W, presented by Sensormatic
1) Philipp Weishaupt (GER) & Coby 8 – 0 / 0 – 34.19
2) Harry Charles (GBR) & Billabong du Roumois – 0 / 0 – 35.58
3) Jack Ryan (IRL) & Guppie VDL – 0 / 0 – 38.50
Source: Press Release from Oxersport for CSI Casas Novas – A Coruña
Photos: © CSI Casas Novas / Oxer Sport / Jose Manuel Alvarez
Categories: CSI 5*, English, Jumper News Deutschland
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