A busy schedule on the penultimate day of the Brussels Stephex Masters. On the sun-drenched grass arenas in Wolvertem, the finals for the young horses and the 1– and 2-riders were contested. Around 9:30 PM, the Grand Place arena was packed with spectators who didn’t want to miss the final event of the day: the last qualifier for the Rolex Grand Prix, presented by Audi. They watched as 10 riders qualified for the jump-off. The first of these, Steve Guerdat (Is-Minka), immediately delivered a strong clear round, which would only be surpassed by the last rider: Daniel Deusser, who galloped to victory in phenomenal style with his formidable champion Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z. They can take home a Audi A3 Sportback.
After his victory, we found the German top rider in the last jump arena. His partner Tobago, patiently waiting to make his victory lap. You would never guess that just minutes earlier, he had flown through an arena filled with thousands of cheering people. “But he knows exactly what just happened and what he has accomplished once again,” Daniel laughed. “He’s always so easygoing when you’re working with him. But when he enters the ring, he gives everything and does what he needs to do every single time. I’m thrilled with him once again.”
The jump-off went almost perfectly for Daniel: “I had seen Steve and Harrie deliver strong clear rounds. Since I was last to go, I knew exactly what I needed to do. Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z did lightly brush against the wall, so that was a bit tense. But after that, he was unbeatable again.”
For the Rolex Grand Prix, presented by Audi, Daniel is counting on a son of Tobago: Otello de Guldenboom. “It will be one of his biggest challenges so far. But since he has already delivered some very good performances at 1.60m level, I felt it was time to give it a try with him. He did very well here yesterday. Tomorrow, I’m going for the win.”
