It has been an eventful class and an equally eventful week. This provided plenty of talking points during the press conference.
Olivier Philippaerts: “It was a unique afternoon for me. I was completely unaware I cleared the course. After I finished my round, I felt disappointed that I couldn’t compete in the second one. My horse was even getting a wash when I unexpectedly got the green light to compete again (laughter). I honestly wasn’t aware of the rule that a fault resulting from a dislodged horseshoe wouldn’t be counted. I must commend the judges for their meticulousness. Quickly, I got my horse ready again and rode back in to secure the victory. That’s precisely why I was here. After knocking down a rail early in the course, I accelerated even more to achieve the highest possible position.”
José María (jr) Larocca: “At first glance, the course appeared quite challenging, and the time allowed was tight. However, Finn Lente was in excellent form today, so I expected a good result. My horse is highly experienced and incredibly reliable. He isn’t easily shaken. Towards the end of October, we’ll be heading to the Pan American Games, and I also anticipate a strong performance there.”
Ben Maher: “Dallas Vegas Batilly once again performed fantastically for me. She has a huge stride. Until today, she wasn’t the fastest horse, but we worked on it gradually, and it really paid off. In the second round, I decided to take fewer strides between the jumps. That made it difficult for anybody else to catch up. I slipped a bit on the way to the final jump, and oddly enough, that helped me to get to the last fence quicker. I’m a happy man. This has been a special week for me. With the upcoming European Championship, I have various teams working for me both here and at home, which is a challenge. Yet, all my horses jumped fantastically here, and I felt incredibly good. I’ve been traveling the world for years to attend beautifully organized shows, but this one is truly exceptional. I’ve never seen before how well and quickly an event that faced such downpours could bounce back.”
