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Sunday at the Brussels Stephex Masters opened with a convincing victory for Steve Guerdat in the CSI3* Grand Prix presented by Lieven Hendrickx. A field of 59 combinations took on the 1.50m course in the Grand Place Arena, but when the pressure shifted to the jump-off, the Swiss Olympic champion and Hadj de Bliniere proved untouchable. Their clear round in 36.49 seconds secured the win with almost six seconds in hand.
Only three find the double clear
The first round already asked plenty of the combinations, with a place in the jump-off requiring precision from start to finish. Once there, clear rounds became even harder to find. In fact, only three combinations managed to finish the Grand Prix without adding a single fault over both rounds.
Guerdat was in a class of his own against the clock aboard the nine-year-old stallion Hadj de Bliniere (Carpe Diem J F Chamblanc x Allegreto). He stopped the clock at 36.49 seconds and immediately created a gap that none of his challengers could close.
Sweden’s Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli came closest with Kings Rose Dree Boeken. Another faultless performance earned the pair second place in 42.23 seconds. Austria’s Max Kühner completed the podium aboard Vivo de Muze PS, producing the third and final double clear in 46.26 seconds.
Speed comes at a price
Behind the podium, several riders managed to beat the times of the second- and third-placed combinations, but one rail kept them out of contention for the win. Ireland’s Tom Wachman and Obora’s Laura were particularly quick in 37.54 seconds, but four faults left them fourth.
World number one Henrik von Eckermann followed closely with Hylanderhof’s Saruschka, finishing on four faults in 37.72 seconds. Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet gave the home crowd another strong performance with Herald d’Emeraude, taking sixth place after four faults in 37.81 seconds.
Yves Vanderhasselt crowned Best Rider of the CSI3* Top Series
The CSI3* Grand Prix also brought the Top Series to a close and with it, the battle for the title of Best Rider of the CSI3*. After a remarkably consistent week, Belgium’s Yves Vanderhasselt came out on top with 494 points, finishing ahead of France’s Alix Ragot on 465 points and Dutch rider Elize van de Mheen on 463.
His consistency throughout the different CSI3* classes earned Vanderhasselt more than just the title. As Best Rider of the CSI3* Top Series, he receives the use of a Stephex 2-Horse Truck for an entire year. A fitting reward for a week in which he kept collecting strong results from the opening classes right through to Sunday.
