“In the Grand Prix I am riding Double Jeu D’Honvault in his first 5* Grand Prix. Maybe we are not the favorites but we had a good run at this show, and I’ll try my best for sure.”
A brand new Audi Q3 Sportback was on display in the center of the arena tonight. Out of the 44 riders who had a shot at taking this car home, a quarter of them managed a clear round. 11 proceeded to the jump-off. Living legend Steve Guerdat, riding Caracho (Cassilano x Quick Star), immediately set the pace, navigating the Grand Place arena flawlessly and quickly. Following him, Harry Charles (Aralyn Blue), Mark Wachman (Quintini), and Ben Maher (Ginger-Blue) also delivered clear rounds. However, none could beat the Swiss rider’s time. Next up was Mexico’s Carlos Hank Guerreiro. A win would be a treat for the Mexican fans, especially after narrowly missing out on the Henders & Hazel Nations Cup. They cheered almost as loudly as the Belgians did. Carlos had a fantastic round with H5 Porthos Maestro Wh Z (Picasso Z x Ogano Sitte) but again, couldn’t surpass Steve Guerdat’s time. Next up: Pieter Devos and Jarina J (Cicero Z Van Paemel x Harley). Clear but too slow. Was Guerdat’s time simply unbeatable? It proved to be so, as none of the following participants managed to clear the course in the jump-off.
Steve Guerdat: “I am really happy with my performance today. It’s a nice show, and I just won a great prize, so I am a happy man. Tomorrow is a big day. I am looking forward to the Grand Prix. I am riding Double Jeu D’Honvault. It is his first 5* Grand Prix, so maybe we are not the favorites, but we had a good run at this show, and I’ll try my best for sure. The Swiss team has been performing really strongly lately. Guerdat is also very excited for the European Championships: “Of course, we need to be very good because we want to qualify for the Olympics. We had a good run, but we all start at 0 again next week. So we need to be focused. Our horses are in form. So, I hope we can make it happen.”
