Release date: 22/08/2021

The Young Horses opened the final day at Tops International Arena in Valkenswaard in the grass arena where, the day before, there had been dramatic jumping at very highest level for victory in the Global Champions League and the LGCT Grand Prix of Valkenswaard.

Of the 34 combinations, 19 managed to stay clear in the first round of the Final sponsored by Grönwohldhof. The Swedish Denise Svensson scored the first clear round in the jump-off. She crossed the finish line with the six-year-old stallion Benthen's Balou (Balou du Rouet x Silvio) in 42.61 seconds. But the happiness lasted only for a short while because the next rider in the ring was Tobias Meyer, who is always successful in the Young Horses classes. In July, he won the final with the super fast six-year-old mare Celebrity-H (Comme Il Faut 5 x No Limit). Also now they went like a rocket through the course and were almost 7 seconds faster. That was a time that would be hard to beat for the next competitors. But not so for the German top rider Philipp Weishaupt with the SF mare Finea de Beaufour (Diamant de Semilly x Burggraaf NV). He started at a fast pace and kept the turns to the Roelofsen Horsetrucks and Adamus obstacle very sharp. As a result, he managed to sprint just a little faster over the finish line: 35.30 seconds. This turned out to be the winning time. Several riders including Yuri Mansur, Gerben Morsink and Abdel Said made a brave attempt. Said was the most successful and finished in third place with the seven-year-old gelding Elfy des Equinoxes (Romando de l'Abbaye x Concorde).
 
CSI2*
 
GRAND PRIX
 
Irish rider Denis Lynch repeated his victory of yesterday in the Medium Tour with the Hanoverian stallion Cornet Iberio (Corneet Obolensky x Charlottenhof's Iberio). In this 1.40m class where the clear combinations immediately rode their jump-off, Lynch showed that he was the fastest. There were still good attempts to improve Lynch’s time of 31.92 by the Swedish Denise Svensson with Chap II (second), the Egyptian Sameh El Dahan Amigo Cascada M (third) and James Billington with Cohinoor VDL (fourth). Big names like Gregory Wathelet with Argentina de la Marchette and Harrie Smolders with Uricas vd Kattevennen were also unable to get Lynch off the top step of the podium.
 
The Small Tour, 1.35m against the clock, was won by Dutchman Johnny Pals and his 11-year-old Holsteiner mare Cukuta. The duo had a clear round and clocked a time of 56.59 seconds. This confirmed their good form as they won the same class on Friday. Fellow countryman Harrie Smolders came second with the nine-year-old mare Alana Hero Z (Zang, Aganix du Seigneur x Diamant de Semilly). Australian Evie Buller came third with the 10-year-old Holsteiner mare Elenoor (by Limbus).
 
CSI1*
Switzerland's Janika Sprunger was the fastest in the jump-off of the 1* Grand Prix (1.35m). The 34-year-old, who runs a stable Cyor Stables in Kessel together with her partner Henrik von Eckermann, was the fourth starter and managed to beat the time of Ismael Garcia Roque and Eliante Z (Zang, by Ermindo W) and so took the lead. Sprunger, who gave birth to her first son, Noah, in April this year, rode the eight-year-old mare Calizi (Brand, Cellestial x Stakkato) over the finish line in 36.54 seconds. Wout-Jan van der Schans made a good attempt with Isabella (KWPN, Extase x Sir Corland) to improve the time, but had to settle for third place. Two ladies, Kim Emmen (Ikannan VG) and Ines Van Den Bosch (Go Go) were faster in the jump-off but both had an unfortunate fault on the very last fence.
 
In the 1.25m class with jump-off, it was the Belgian Ines Van Den Bosch who won. She rode a clear round with the 13-year-old BWP mare Infinity vd Heffinck (Contact van de Heffinck x Triomphe de Muze) in a time of 34.74. Places two and three were also for ladies: Alice Borglund for Sweden with Clair II (Holst, Clearway x Lavall II) and the Chilean Maria Ignacia Del Pedregal Villalobos with Latisha de Regor (BWP, Diamant de Semilly x Darco) respectively.
 
There was a lot of speed in the jump-off of the 1.15m sponsored by Knegt. First in the ring was the winner of Friday and Saturday, the British Isabella Beecroft-Luckett with Zandara Z (Zang, Zandor x Darco). She rode a fast clear round in 40.39 seconds. The Spanish Susana Epaillard, however, showed that it could be done much faster. She stopped the clock at 35.52 with Beefeater d'Auge (SF, Diamant de Semilly x Quidam de Revel). It turned out to be the winning time. Germany's Christina Gierlich managed to come close with Cantuccini (OS, Kannan x Quidam's Rubin) and came second, followed by the Dutch Puck Zweegers with Calando Stal Romano (KWPN, Labor's VL Indorado x Indoctro). Beecroft-Luckett finished fourth.