The competition was fierce today in the first qualifying event for the Rolex Grand Prix on Sunday. Riders from as many as nineteen different countries, including eight athletes from the world’s top 20, faced the challenge of clearing the tough CSIO5* course, presented by Equihome, as quickly and as possible. This type of course, where speed is everything, is exactly where Elfra Van Beek Z (El Salvador x Vagabond de La Pomme | Z), the stunning black stallion ridden by Gilles Thomas, shines. They were the fastest of the twenty-three clear rounds. American rider Nathalie Dean (Oasis van de Bucxtal) and French rider Olivier Perreau (Gl Events Faustine Sauvage) claimed second and third place, respectively.
Gilles Thomas was confident in his chances even before the competition: “Courses like this, judged solely on time, really suit Elfra. He’s already won several this year. So I had no doubts about entering him in this first qualifier, and I even hoped for the win. Now that we’ve achieved that goal, I’m extremely satisfied. Elfra Van Beek Z is 10 years old and has been with me for 3 years. Two years ago, we won the young horse final here. Last year, I also rode him in the first qualifier for the CSIO5* Rolex Grand Prix, presented by Audi, but he lacked a bit of experience then. Now, he’s truly ready for this level, and I was able to take more risks.”
Thanks to this victory, Gilles has already secured a spot in the Rolex Grand Prix, presented by Audi, taking place on Sunday. Gilles shared, “For the Grand Prix, I’ll be relying on my top mare, Luna van het Dennehof (Prince van de Wolfsakker x Quidam de Revel | BWP). My original plan was to compete with her in tomorrow’s qualifier. But since I’ve already earned my place thanks to today’s win, I’ll ride her in a lower class tomorrow. That way, she’ll be extra fit for Sunday.”
It was an especially successful day for Gilles Thomas. In addition to winning the main event of the day, he also claimed victory in the 7-year-old class (presented by Silverspoon) with Qalista DN (Emerald Van ’t Ruytershof x Landetto | BWP). Gilles remarked, “I haven’t been riding Qalista for very long. She’s naturally a very fast horse. The Brussels Stephex Masters are close to home, and it’s such a great event that I wanted to make an impact from the first day. That worked out well: an immediate win. I didn’t expect that right away.”
A double victory also made it a great day for his groom, Sanne Melsen: “We have six horses here, so it’s definitely demanding. When you give everything from morning until night, results like these really make it all worthwhile. I don’t have much time to celebrate, but when my work is completely done today, I’ll probably have a quick drink to celebrate.”
