Swiss Victory! Adrian Schmid Wins the Final Grand Prix of the 2024 Morocco Royal Tour!

By Jumper News on 2024-10-07

El Jadida, Morocco – October 06, 2024 – Grand Prix day in El Jadida on Sunday closed a magnificent 2024 edition of the Morocco Royal Tour, which began with Mouhcine Yakhou’s Moroccan victory in the Grand Prix 1* rewarding six years of partnership with his formidable 13-year-old Belgian horse, Gido. The day ended with Switzerland’s Adrian Schmid (SUI) championing the Grand Prix of His Majesty The King Mohammed VI CSI 4*-W with the only clear round of the second track, as Charif Moulay Abdallah Alaoui, President of the Fédération Royale Marocaine des Sports Equestres, watched on.

True to his reputation, Italian course designer Uliano Vezzani (ITA) presented a finely tuned layout, which was a question of vigilance over each of the 12 obstacles and 15 jumping efforts, almost all of which resulted in faults. The combinations were perhaps particularly tricky: a massive triple in the MRT colors and a more delicate double of verticals at the end. Ultimately, the course was so well-balanced that the number of clear rounds exactly matched the expected number of eight qualifiers for the second round. Four pairs of riders, in fact: two Irish, two Swiss, two Saudis, and the de Azevedo family with mother Céline (Schoonbroodt) for Belgium and son Luis Felipe Neto for Brazil (who finished in the top 5).

***Adrian Sc*****hmid** (SUI) & **Chicharito 11**

Eight obstacles, including a double (the MRT triple, save its entry oxer), were on the docket for the second round, in which Switzerland’s Adrian Schmid (SUI), riding Chicharito, calmly secured the first clear round and set a time that should have been the reference time, 45.54 seconds. He stopped the clock considerably later than the first four to jump-off, all of whom left the track with 4 faults in 42 seconds or less. In the end, this cautious approach paid off, as none of the other three competitors were able to leave the track without a fault, and the German-based Swiss rider took the Grand Prix of His Majesty The King Mohammed VI by storm with the only clear round.

“Last week, Chicharito was in good form,” explained Schmid. “He was double clear in the Nations Cup, but to be honest, I didn’t expect to win the Grand Prix here. I felt that my horse was doing well, and when I saw that the frontrunners had made mistakes, I said to myself that I’d better look for a clear round, and maybe it’d be enough. I’ve been riding him for two years. Now, I’m aiming for the World Cup, especially Stuttgart and Basel, but I want to preserve him, I don’t want to make too many show appearances. That way, I can make the most of his qualities for as long as possible. The secret to success is to take care of your horses, treat them well, and ride them well.