Tétouan, Morocco – September 21, 2024 – As the sun dipped below the mountains in Tétouan, the action was just beginning for €57,000 Prix de Dakhla CSI 4*-W – 1.50m riders. Namely, Emanuele Guadiano (ITA), for there is no Moroccan Royal Tour (MRT) title this ambitious Italian won’t fight for. Despite landing in the unfavorable position of first-to-go, Guadiano naturally laid it all out on the table with 11-year-old stallion Nikolaj de Music, crossing the timers in a blistering 37.71 seconds.
“When you start the jump-off, sometimes it’s not so easy, but okay, I have a very fast horse in the turns. When he’s here, he is a winner. He’s very fast, yet he is always careful enough to come back. He can be a bit strong, but I’ve ridden him since he was five years old, and he’s always been like that,” said Guadiano of the stallion on whom he’s previously won the MRT Grand Prix of Tétouan and El Jadida.
One might wonder how he does it year after year, but Gaudiano’s winning formula is rather simple: long-lasting relationships with both his horses and his team.
“My family and I have a farm in south Italy with young horses. All of my best horses are ones we’ve had and worked with since they were young, and they grow up with me…the groom is Gianko, and he’s been with me for a very long time. He comes from my region in south Italy and has also known me since I was very young,” smiled Gaudiano.
While nobody could catch Guadiano, each of the seven combinations who followed him put forth a valiant effort. Switzerland’s Eva Gautschi (SUI) came the closest with 39.98 seconds aboard 10-year-old gelding Beam Me Up Scotty Vom Weihergut.
Teresa Blazquez-Abascal (ESP) put Spain in the winners circle with 11-year-old mare Nasa de Toxandria in 40.38 seconds.
Three exceptional sites, three four-day stages, all 4*, for the thirteenth edition of the Morocco Royal Tour, taking place between September 19, 2024, and October 6, 2024. Created in 2010 on the “High Instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI” and directed by Prince Moulay Abdallah Alaoui, President of the Fédération Royale Marocaine des Sports Équestres (Royal Moroccan Federation of Equestrian Sports), the MRT grows from year to year, confirming its place as a major competition on the world equestrian calendar, under the aegis of the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI).
The circuit kicks off in Tetouan, from September 19 to 22, at the superb facilities of the Garde Royale. A magnificent venue with “permanent” facilities: majestic grandstands and superb stables decorated in traditional Moroccan style.
The Rabat show, from September 25 to 29, is held at the technically impeccable facilities of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Equestrian Sports, whose flagship event is the Moroccan Nations’ Cup, scheduled for Sunday afternoon, but also featuring a prestigious 4* World Cup Grand Prix on Friday.
The final leg in El Jadida, from October 3 to 6, is an indoor event with a sports program like that of Tetouan. It also provides an opportunity to discover the Moroccan Horse Exhibition (Salon du Cheval d’El Jadida), undoubtedly the most important on the continent, and where the flagship class of the circuit, the Grand Prix de Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI de Saut d’obstacles, is held.
Final Results – €57,000 Prix de Dakhla CSI 4*-W – 1.50m
1) Emanuele Gaudiano (ITA) & Nikolaj de Music – 0 / 0 – 37.71
2) Eva Gautschi (SUI) & Beam Me Up Scotty Vom Weihergut – 0 / 0 – 39.98
3) Teresa Blazquez-Abascal (ESP) & Nasa de Toxandria – 0 / 0 – 40.38
Source: Press Release by Pascal Renauldon / Agence R&B Presse for Morocco Royal Tour
Photos: © Morocco Royal Tour / Morgan Froment for R&B Presse
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Categories: CSI 4*-W, English, Jumper News Italia
