Same place, same result,different week

Last weekend, the sixth and final week of the Atlantic Tour in Vilamoura, Portugal, bore a striking resemblance to the fourth week of this event. Just like 2 weeks before, the Luxembourg rider Victor Bettendorf and his 11-year-old grey gelding Simolo de La Roque Z jumped to a 2nd place during the 1.45m high Longines Ranking class on Friday and wrote on Sunday the CSI3* GP on their list of honors!

Victor Bettendorf and Simolo de La Roque Z, a son of Spartacus TN and Casall who was bred in France by Top Stallions Company, have completed a fantastic tour in Vilamoura. They appeared 6 times at the start and managed to ensure 3 victories and twice a 2nd place. During this last CSI3* GP they once again proved their good form. In a jump-off for which only 5 combinations managed to qualify, they were the only duo that managed to stay clear again and they also managed to set the fastest time.

Another striking combination last weekend was the Portuguese rider Antonio Matos Almeida with the 14-year-old grey gelding Chippo Z, a son of Chippendale Z and Faust Z who was bred by Jos Aegten. Matos Almeida and Chippo Z appeared twice at the start in a 1.45m class and jumped to a 4th place on Friday and to a 6th place on Sunday. On Sunday there was also a 7th place for the British rider Guy Williams with the 13-year-old mare Crispina Z (Corofino 2 x Bon Ami – B: Malcolm Holder) and an 8th place for Swiss rider Yannick Jorand with the 12-year-old stallion Pollux de Muze Z (Plot Blue x Calato – B: Joris De Brabander).

On Saturday, the Portuguese rider Duara Seabra secured a podium place with the 14-year-old gelding Fernhill Clooney (ex Clooney B Z - Corland VDL x Lord Calando – B: Brandheyde BVBA). During the 1.35m high speed class they managed to ensure a flawless round and this performance earned them a 2nd place in the ranking.

During the 1.35m class on Friday there was also a podium place for the Spanish rider Francisco Caba with the 8-year-old mare Doremi F Z (Denzel van 't Meulenhof x Flipper d'Elle - B: Kelly Fioole). They managed to keep it clear in both the 1st and the 2nd phase, which resulted in a 3rd place in the ranking. Finally, during the 1.40m class, the British lady rider Chloe Aston jumped to a 5th place with the 8-mare Diatendra von Rocherath Z (Diamant de Semilly x Contendro I – B: Edgar Stoffels).