Release date: 21/05/2019

Britain’s Jude Burgess had a super day in Valkenswaard. He won both the five- and six-year-olds competitions. In the five-year-old division he was last to go with Jackson (Kannan x Londontimes) and came out as the winner. He was over 2 seconds faster than runner-up Katja Haep (BEL) with Gucci (HOLST, Casall x Carvallo). The 37 year old Burgess lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where he runs a stable together with his sister-in-law Arianna Kuligowski, who is also competing here at Tops International Arena. They have around 20 horses at home. Jude says about Jackson: “He is a very tall boy, but very careful. We bought him at an auction as a three-year-old and he has only competed in six shows, this is his first victory.”
He won the six-year-old competition with the mare Ivascalle (Baltic VDL x Lincoln). Ivascalle is owned by Kuligowski, who rode the mare as a four and five-year-old. At the end of last year Jude took over the reins and competed her, among others, in Villamoura. “We bought Ivascalle also at an auction as a three-year-old and she was a real competitive horse from the start,” according to Burgess. Third place in the 5yo competition went to Emma Stoker (GBR) and Skylandria Z. Runners-up in the six-year-old class were Ireland’s Conan Wright and Indigo (KwpN, Cascadello x Verdi TN) followed by yesterday’s victors Emma Stoker and Q Seven (HANN, Quaid x Stakkato).  

The top three in the class for seven-year-olds was completely Dutch. The fastest round was for Piet Raijmakers and his mare Olaya Z (ZANG, Ogana Sitte x Concorde). “I am riding this mare for one year, she is extremely careful and incredibly fast. She really stands out between the other horses, but the future will tell how far she will come in the sport,” according to Piet Jr, who is also the owner of the mare, together with the breeder, F. van Och. Piet is competing in Valkenswaard with five horses, four young horses and one older horse: “Nationally they were performing well and we are continuing to jump well here.”
Runner-up was Aniek Diks with Harm (KWPN, Spartacus TN x Corland) followed by Tamara Klop with Happy Handsome (KWPN, Elvis ter Putte x Indoctro).