All Black in Morocco! Tom Tarver-Pribe & Fresh Fiber Popeye Show their Strength in El Jadida!

By Jumper News on 20 20America/Sao_Paulo October 20America/Sao_Paulo 2023

El Jadida, Morocco – October 20, 2023 – For this kick-off in El Jadida of the Longines FEI World Ranking classes, a Faults and Time course, the Swiss course designer Gérard Lachat (SUI), had built a technical and tricky course. But it didn’t matter for New Zealand’s Tom Tarver-Priebe (NZL), who today recorded his first victory on the Morocco Royal Tour 2023.

**Tom Tarver-Priebe** (AUS) & **Fiber Fresh Popeye**

This long course of twelve fences was punctuated with minor technical difficulties spread throughout the course, with perhaps the double No 10 (vertical, one stride-oxer) more at fault than the rest of the course. A course that only allowed seven clear rounds!

“I know that you have to fight to beat riders like Simon Delestre (FRA) or André Thieme (GER)”’, Tom Tarver-Priebe (NZL) summed up.

“But I stuck to my plan, I rode my course taking the options I’d chosen walking the course and today, it worked. Today was our day. And I’m particularly happy because it’s my first win here, on the Morocco Royal Tour, and it’s a circuit that I love, it’s magnificent. I sincerely hope to be invited back next year”.

Does the New Zealander’s victory augur another victory for his country this evening? “Oh yes, you mean the Rugby World Cup semi-final! Yes, I’m a fan of the sport like any good New Zealander. And I intend to watch the match tonight! What’s my prediction? I see a 12-point win for the All-Blacks over the Argentinian Pumas”. We’ll see if he’s right.

With this same horse, Fiber Fresh Popeye, a 13-year-old grey gelding born in New Zealand, Tom Tarver-Priebe (38) took part in his first Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. Last week, he finished eighth in the Rabat Grand Prix and on Friday in El Jadida he recorded his fifth international victory of his career.