Thrilling second day of action at Longines Tops International Arena Summer Festival Week 2

Mdmar – Valkenswaard

The Longines Tops International Arena Summer Festival Week 2 continued with great enthusiasm on its second day, captivating spectators with exceptional equestrian performances and an electrifying atmosphere. The prestigious event, held at the renowned Longines Tops International Arena, showcased the world’s top riders.

The day kicked off with an array of thrilling show jumping competitions, highlighting the remarkable skills and talent of the participating athletes. Spectators were treated to an exhilarating display of athleticism and finesse, witnessing the true beauty of equestrian sport.

In addition to the thrilling show jumping action, the Longines Tops International Arena Summer Festival Week 2 provided a vibrant entertainment experience for visitors of all ages. Spectators enjoyed a range of activities, including live music performances, delicious culinary delights, and shopping opportunities. The event offered a perfect blend of sport, leisure, and entertainment, creating a memorable experience for everyone in attendance.

Another victory for Brabant talent Siebe Leemans. Today he won the 1.40m class with the eight-year-old KWPN mare Karamella. Yesterday he won the 1.35m competition with the same horse. The 17-year-old, who was very successful as a pony rider until last year, has made a successful switch to horses. Today he beat all 59 competitors with a time of 59.90 seconds. Brazilian Camila Mazza De Benedicto came second with the 10-year-old SWB mare Crush On with a time of 60.72 seconds. Felix Hassmann was third with Elli 162.

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In the 1* competition he finished second but in the 2* competition (1.35) with the jump-off immediately after a clear first round he was definitely the fastest: the Belgian Seppe Wouters. The talent, who recently celebrated his 15th birthday, crossed the finish line in 39.14 seconds with seven-year-old SBS gelding Kalvados Kero. Wouters is no stranger in the equestrian scene. He won a silver team medal in 2021 and finished fourth individually at the European Championships for Children. Dutchman Yves Willems came second with a time of 42.08. He rode the eight-year-old Zangersheide mare Germany’s Frederike Staack and finished in third place with Grace P.

Saturday’s final competition was a qualifier for tomorrow’s 2* Grand Prix. There was a nice course with obstacles up to 145m. It was an against the clock competition so speed was the task. The 37-year-old German Felix Hassmann did that best and won with a time of 70.85 seconds with the 11-year-old OS gelding GSI Pit Perigueux. Belgium’s Leonie Peeters finished in a fine second place with Tinkoucha Hero Z in a time of 72.69 seconds. Ruben Romp (NED) stopped the clock at 73.02 and came third with Hanouk V.

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Young Horses

Also on Saturday, the Young Horses opened the competition day at Longines Tops International Arena in Valkenswaard. This time the talents started in a class against the clock (1.30/1.35m) in the beautiful grass arena. Frenchman Romain Potin, as is expected of him by now, set a very fast time of 67.05 seconds as first starter with six-year-old Hermoine des Ronchon. The next 21 combinations could not improve this time until Britain’s Tamarin Christie entered the ring with her six-year-old Zangersheide mare Arya Z. She managed to dip below Potin’s time with a time of 66.53 seconds. However, Italian Gianni Govoni showed that it really could be faster and crossed the finish line in 65.15 seconds. The 56-year-old Govoni has a lot of experience and was a regular for the Italian team at World and European championships in the 1990s and early 2000s. In Valkenswaard today, he rode the beautiful seven-year-old grey mare Apart Z. Frenchman Charles Berron made another very good attempt for victory but came just 0.04 seconds short with the seven-year-old stallion Vision of Picobello Z (Zang, Vagabond de la Pomme x Indoctro). His time of 65.19 seconds was good for a solid second place.

In the five-year-olds competition, five combinations managed to stay clear: Joy Lammers (I Spy), Tom Schellekens, Christopher Megahey, Lukasz Brzoska (Duc 123 Z) and Iris Looymans (Coachella Z).

CSI1*

The main class of the CSI1*, a competition against the clock (1.35m) was won by Daan Adams (NED) and the 11-year-old SBS mare Ginette vd Kempenhoeve. The 16-year-old rider from Veldhoven went through the course like a rocket, stopping the clock at 63.28 seconds. The 24 riders who entered the ring after him could not improve on that. Belgian Seppe Wouters was relegated to second place with Devino vd Weretherbach Z. Third place was for Wout-Jan van der Schans (NED) and Habrina.

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The first competition for 1* combinations was a competition (1.25m) where the jump-off was immediately after a clear round. The jumping was of high level, as many as 36 riders stayed clear in their first round and of these, another 26 stayed clear in their jump-off ride. So it was all about time and the fastest was German Felix Hassmann and his 10-year-old gelding Catch Me 67 (ZfDP, Cellestial x Balou du Rouet). They rode a smooth round in 35.66 seconds. Dutch Aniek Diks came second with the BWP gelding Qointreau. They stopped the clock at 35.91 seconds. Third place was also for a Dutch combination, Siebe Leemans with stallion Gem vd Riloo Z with whom he managed to win class yesterday.

The top three in the 1.15m class were almost the same as yesterday. Today, the combinations rode a competition against the clock, but again it was Belgium’s Jan Boyen who rode the fastest round. He was more than four seconds faster than second-placed Rosanne Janssen. Boyen crossed the finish line in 64.39 seconds with his 14-year-old KWPN gelding Espresso VK (Ustinov x L’Amour Z). Dutch rider Janssen stopped the clock at 68.61 seconds with Caprice K Z. Third place went to Mohammed Saeed A M Haidan riding for Qatar with Mediena.

 “mdmar” website for horse races and equestrian News

The “Mdmar” website for horse and equestrian races is keen to cover and follow all competitions related to horses, from show jumping, Horseracing, speed and endurance races, and purebred Arabian horse beauty shows, which belong to the Arab Gulf countries at home and abroad in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, and the Kingdom of Bahrain.