Exciting Three Man Jump Off at Global Champions Tour in Estoril
22/07/2007 16:10
PR Newswire
ESTORIL, Portugal, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The fourth event of the Global Champions Tour, presented by CN WorldWide
and CN, was staged in the beautiful Hippodrome near the coast of Estoril,
Portugal.
35 combinations started in the "Grand Prix Turismo de Portugal IP". The
best 18 combinations came back for the second round, among which were 6
combinations with a clear first round and the other twelve with 4 faults.
Among the clear combinations were World Cup winner Beat Mändli (SUI) and
Edwina Alexander (AUS), fourth at the World Equestrian Games of 2006.
In round two only three combinations managed to be double clear and
advanced to the jump off. First to go was Robert Smith (GBR) and Ronaldo
(Ahorn x Cilmosa) who were clear in 41.98 seconds. Beat Mändli with his
famous Ideo du Thot managed to stay clear almost two seconds faster in 40.01.
Mändli said "With Nick in the back you never know but everything worked out
great in this super class. Everyone beat each other and I am very happy to be
here in Estoril for the first time. It is a super showground and with the
jumping in the night you have time during the day to also enjoy the beautiful
beaches".
Nick Skelton rode for all he and his thirteen year old stallion Arko III
(Argentinus x Unika) were worth and took home the victory in 39.95 seconds.
He took a different turn to the second to last jump and that turned out to be
a good decision. Skelton said: "My horse turns better on the left hand so for
me it was a good opportunity and it worked! I am very happy with the result
tonight since my horse just came back after a nine month injury and jumped as
good as he ever did. Like Beat it is my first time in Estoril and I am
impressed by the show. The ground is good, course designer did a good job and
the prize money is well needed!
In Estoril there are only two international classes that are jumped in
the evening. When the riders were asked for their opinion on this schedule
and on the concept of the Global Champions Tour they all agreed it was good
for top sport. Nick Skelton commented "Like this you have a much better
focus. Horses are not machines and with fewer competitions that offer really
good money, grounds and course designers the horses last longer. It will be
the future for our sport". For the near future Nick Skelton and Robert Smith
both hope to continue with the Global Champions Tour for the European shows
in Valkenswaard, Arezzo and Athens. Beat Mändli said he is normally selected
for the European Championships where both Robert and Nick will not likely be
participating for Great Britain. When asked if they will aim their horses for
the Olympic Games for next year Nick replied: "I am saving my horse for the
Global Champions Tour of 2008!
Eurosport will broadcast the CSI Estoril on July 22nd at 20.30 CET.
For the next stage the Global Champions Tour will travel to South America
for the very first time. The Athina Onassis International Horse Show will
take place from August 2nd to 5th.
For more results and information about the Global Champions Tour please
visit www.globalchampionstour.com
Further information: www.cnworldwide.com, www.cn.ca and www.eurosport.com
For more information about this press release or pictures free of rights, please contact Susanne Scheepers at Susanne@globalchampionstour.com or cell +31-622-498-151