Release date: 10/07/2021

Also on Saturday, the young horses opened the competition day at Tops International Arena. This time the horses got to know the beautiful grass surface in the big arena. Bas Moerings took the lead as fifth starter and his time was so fast that no one after him could match it. The 21-year-old Moerings rode his six-year-old KWPN mare Kwik Tweet (For Pleasure x Twisther) over the finishing line in 61.06.
Kim Emmen made a serious attempt to improve Moerings' time and put in a good pace. It was just not enough and she finished in second place in 61.74 with the seven-year-old mare Rockwell RC. Third place went to German Tobias Meyer and the six-year-old mare Celebrity H (Comme Il Faut 5 x No Limit).
 
CSI2*: Mares rule
The first class of the 2*, 1.40m against the clock, was won by Belgian Jos Verlooy. The 25-year-old, who won the individual bronze medal at the European Championships in 2019, rode the eight-year-old BWP mare Next Funky de Muze (Elvis Ter Putte x Vigo d'Arsouilles) through the course in 60.05 seconds. Yesterday's winner of the 1.35m class, Nayel Nassar, came second for Egypt with Jiminy Cricket (Colestus x Cornet Obolensky). Third place was for Canadian top rider Eric Lamaze with Mill Creek Filippa K (For Contest x Dynast).
The Frenchman Julien Epaillard was by far the fastest in the 1.45m against the clock competition. He crossed the finish line in 59.03 seconds with the nine-year-old SFF mare Cheyenne d'Auge (Guarana Champeix x Diamant de Semilly). Brazilian Marlon Módolo Zanotelli needed almost 3 seconds (62.01) more to complete the course with the BWP gelding Luigi d'Eclipse (Catoki x Calato). Victoria Gulliksen came third with Belle Fayvinia Z (Zang, Baloubet du Rouet x Raphael) for Norway.
How close the top three were in the 1.35m class. This was a competition in which the clear combinations rode their jump-off immediately after their first round. The American Claire McKean became the final winner with the nine-year-old mare Newberry Balia NL (Emerald x Vincenzo). The combination stopped the time at 39.40.
Second-placed Lars Kusters was just 0.02 seconds slower with the 11-year-old gelding Enrico VA for the Netherlands. Kim Emmen finished in third place with the seven-year-old mare Origi van de Bandam (Cooper vd Heffinck x Labor's VDL Indorado). She crossed the finish line in 39.45 seconds.
 
CSI1*: Girl power
29-year-old Cecile Klaassen-Van den Broek won the 1.25m competition, also a Table A with an immediate jump-off after the first round. The Dutch rider completed her jump-off in 37.36 seconds with her 14-year-old mare Cilydi (Contendro II x Quattro). She could hardly believe that she had won: "This is only my second international competition.” Cilydi is her own horse, "it is my only horse. She is very sweet in the stable and in the ring she is fast and wants to win. We are a real team." It was her first time in Valkenswaard. "It's like a dream. Everything is so big and beautiful."
Her compatriot Sabrina van Rijswijk finished in second place with Katouscha and Susana Epaillard was third with Beefeater d'Auge (Diamant de Semilly x Quidam de Revel) for Spain.
The 1.15m, against the clock, saw the same three riders on the podium as yesterday, but the order was different. Finland's Maiju Lankinen finished third yesterday, but today she took revenge and took the win on her 10-year-old mare Argelith Sue. "Winning always feels good," she said afterwards. "I've been riding Argelith Sue for about four years now and she's great. She always fights for me." For Maiju too, it's the first time she's ridden in Valkenswaard. "I love it here and I'm grateful that I can ride here," she said.
Germany's Christina Gierlich repeated her second place today with the six-year-old mare Cantuccini (Kannan x Quidam's Rubin) and yesterday's winner, Japan's Risako Hara, now had to settle for third place with Coco Julie (2006, Contact Me x Caretino).
The last competition in the 1* was the 1.35m against the clock. German rider Pia-Luise Aufrecht-Bruggink claimed victory. The 43-year-old, who is based in the Dutch town of De Lutte, rode the nine-year-old gelding That's Mie (Zang, That's Life x Numero Uno). Second place was for Diarmuid Howley and Clover VA (Holst, Cormint x Landjunge) for Ireland followed by the British Tess Carmichael with the KWPN gelding Berlin's Kojak (Berlin x Kojak) in third place.