Thermal, California, USA – February 24, 2024 – Looking through the start list for the jump-off of the $40,000 Buchalter National Grand Prix, one may have thought this was an elite international class. Kyle King (USA) with Etalon. Conor Swail (IRL) with Vital Chance de La Roque. Gregory Wathelet (BEL) with Mr. Europe. Plus more. All of these riders and horses have jumped (and thrived) at the CSI 5* level, so they put on a show as the jump-off got underway. Ultimately, Wathelet prevailed for the second week in a row aboard Mr. Europe, a top contender owned by Morning Star Sporthorses.
Wathelet only began riding the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding for Karrie Rufer (USA) a couple weeks after Desert Circuit began, so he’s been getting to know the horse over the course of about a month. During Week 6, he topped the National Grand Prix with the horse, but luck was on their side, winning on a 4-fault score in the jump-off.
“Today, he was very good,” Wathelet said of the horse’s performance this week. “The first round I had a good feeling; I’d say even better than last week. Last week was a little more luck. Coming into the jump-off today it was a real win; we were clear and fast. On top of that I had a perfect jump-off like I had planned. ‘Eddie’ was really with me everywhere.”
The accuracy paid off, because going up against top riders, including Conor Swail (IRL) on two of his best mounts, was not an easy task, even for someone as accomplished as Wathelet. He unseated Swail on his first horse, Gamble, owned by Asta Torokvei, and waited to see what Conor would achieve with his second ride, Vital Chance de La Roque. With the final fence coming down for Swail, plus a little behind on the clock, Wathelet took the win and Swail’s two mounts were second and third.
“He is quite fast,” Wathelet continued about Mr. Europe. “I know I have to balance not going too hard but he is very fast. Conor was fast with his first one, but not on the fastest horse, and he was coming behind me with a very fast horse. I knew I had to try. I had my plan and everything went according to the plan.”
Last week, Mr. Europe won on the grass, an this week back in the Grand Prix Arena, showing just how versatile the horse is. According to Wathelet, the atmosphere does not interfere with the way the horse rides or with his ability to succeed. More importantly, their partnership is beginning to solidify, since they were paired up and immediately put into the big divisions.
“It’s really the kind of horse that it doesn’t matter,” he said of switching up the surfaces. “You can jump on the grass, sand, night, day. The only thing for me since I didn’t know him so well, I am getting to know him more and more each week. The time has helped for sure. My riding is not the same as Karrie’s, so the horse needed to know me but I needed more to understand the horse. There were two weeks where it wasn’t how it should be but now I feel like I know him.”
Alan Wade, who frequents DIHP, designed the track for the occasion, and Wathelet appreciated the nuances in the course that made for a great class and a competitive jump-off.
“It was a good course,” he said of Wade’s track. “On Thursday in the FEI classes and National he was fair but also you had to ride. Today the time allowed wasn’t crazy but the time you needed to think about. You needed to ride well to be clear. In the end it was not an easy Grand Prix.”
Final Results – $40,000 Buchalter National Grand Prix
1) Gregory Wathelet (BEL) & Mr. Europe – 0 / 0 – 34.754
2) Conor Swail (IRL) & Gamble – 0 / 0 – 38.381
3) Conor Swail (IRL) & Vital Chance de La Roque – 0 / 4 – 36.751
Source: Press Release from Desert International Horse Park
Photos: © DIHP / TB Photography / High Desert Photo / MG Photography
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Categories: CSN, English, Jumper News Belgie
