03 Sep British victory at Lier in Belgium – Robert Whitaker outshines competition
(Lier) “He is quite hot, very ‘on’,” summed up a visibly satisfied Robert Whitaker from Great Britain. He – that is the 13-year-old KWPN gelding Evert, with whom the 39-year-old Briton won the qualification for the BEMER Riders Tour in Lier, Belgium. After all, 83 pairs from 20 nations competed in the qualifier at this 6th leg at the CSI3* Azelhof. The top 50 are eligible to compete in the qualifier, the Grand Prix of Azelhof, on Sunday.
British understatement: “Always nice to win Grand Prix”.
In 30.85 clear seconds, the “job” in the jump-off was excellently done. “I’m really pleased with Evert, he’s shown really good results already,” said Whitaker, “I’ve only had him since the beginning of the year, before that he was ridden by the Norwegian Karel Cox.” Now the focus is on the Grand Prix and the points in the BEMER Riders Tour: “It is always a pleasure to win Grand Prix,” as Whitaker let it be known with a wink.
The following two Brazilians have similar plans. Bernardo Alves, one of the most experienced international show jumpers, jumped into second place with Torreo de Muze. Fellow countryman Thiago Ribas da Costa followed in third place with Mallito. The best rider from the host country Belgium was Andres Vereecke with Kingston van Paemel in fourth place in the international jump-off.
Meyer-Zimmermann and Camilli safe in the Grand Prix
The current best riders in the ranking, Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann (GER) and Emanuele Camilli (Italy), who occupy second and third place in the ranking, also qualified safely for the competition with a maximum of 50 pairs.
Azelhof Horse Events celebrates its debut in the BEMER Riders Tour:. “This is my first time here and I am really excited. The conditions are really good, all the horses have been given great stalls,” said a delighted Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann, who won the 5th leg of the BEMER Riders Tour five days ago with the Grand Prix in Münster. All competitions of the CSI3* Azelhof in Lier can also be seen live at www.clipmyhorse.tv.
Results CSI3*, internat. Class with jump-off
1. Robert Whitaker (GBR), Evert 0/30,85
2. Bernardo Cardoso de Resende Alves (BRA), El Torreo de Muze 0/31,28
3. Thiago Ribas da Costa (BRA), Mallito 0/ 31,78
4. Andres Vereecke (BEL), Kingston van Paemel 0/33,24
5. Loewie Joppen (NED), Havel van de Wolfsakker Z 0/ 33,91
6. Przemyslaw Konopacki (POL), Vasco 0/37,83
Photo: Robert Whitaker & Evert © Thomas Hellmann