| Longines Tops International Arena

Sensational Start to Summer Festival 1 as Rodrigo Pessoa Takes Top Honors

The Summer Classic CSI4* kicked off today at the Longines Tops International Arena for the first week of action in the Summer Festival. Despite the rain, local and international talent were out in full force at the state of the art venue. As day one came to a close, the rain cleared just in time for the CSI4* Grand Prix Qualifier as the world’s best talent vied for top honors in the beautiful grass arena.

Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca took no prisoners aboard Don Vito. De Luca delivered a lightning fast round, jumping into first place. Khaled Almobty of Saudi Arabia was not afraid of taking a few risks, jumping a fast clear round and stopping the clock at 65.52 seconds, putting him tentatively in second place aboard his mount Spacecake. Germany’s Kendra Clarica Brinkkop made quick work of the course aboard Ma Belle, coming home a fraction of a second faster than Almobty to tentatively take second place. Belgium’s Wilm Vermeir made it look easy aboard Magic van't Hulgenrode Z with a smooth, clear round.

Next in the ring was Brazilian jumping sensation, Rodrigo Pessoa. Pessoa gave a masterclass in the expansive grass arena. He navigated the course with precision and control aboard the ten year old bay mare Dhalida, taking the lead with 62.15 seconds, over 2 seconds faster than leader Lorenzo De Luca. When asked about his win with Dhalida, Pessoa said, “It was very good. She is a very fast mare.” He went on to say, “I saw the round of Lorenzo. I thought it was possible to win so I really tried everything and luckily we came out on top.” The Brazilian rider proved unbeatable, taking the top spot, with de Luca and Brinkkop finishing in second and third place, respectively.

Next up was Denis Lynch of Ireland. Lynch rode a smooth and clear round aboard Cristello but unfortunately could not claim his second win of the day. Germany’s Marcus Ehning delivered a beautiful, smooth round but his pace was not enough to take the lead from Pessoa, finishing in the top ten aboard DPS Revere.

Young Belgian talent Gilles Thomas entered the arena with Elfra van Beek Z. Thomas was looking for a win and took a risk to the last oxer but unfortunately had one down. Despite not being able to catch class leader Pessoa, Thomas showed what a promising talent he is. You would never know just how much younger he is than the giants of the sport like Pessoa. Last to go was Dutch rider Kevin Jochems. He found a good rhythm on course aboard La Costa but ultimately could not catch Pessoa, finishing in fifth place.

As day one drew to a close, riders and spectators turned out to enjoy dinner and a drink in the village at LTIA as a DJ set the mood. With sunshine on the horizon for the coming days of the Summer Classic, the weekend promises thrilling sport and a fun atmosphere at LTIA.

CSI1* Grand Prix Qualifier 1.35m

Day 1 of the Summer Classic got off to a strong start today in Valkenswaard with the CSI1* 1.35m Grand Prix Qualifier. As the class began, it looked as though Peter Schumacher's course would yield an all-Dutch podium. Belgium's Moo Tamisaft put a stop to that. Tamisaft posted a lightning fast clear round, 58.90 seconds, with his KWPN mare Layla earning him first place, knocking Dutch rider Aniek Diks and Qointreau van 't Hoogeinde from the top spot. A smooth clear ride by Britain's Pollyanna Gredley and Kesha From Second Live Z earned the pair second place, meaning a third place finish for Diks.

The 30-year-old Tamisaft rides for Gulden Sporen Stables in Belsele, between Antwerp and Ghent, and has a deep bench of talented horses. It was his first start in Valkenswaard and he couldn't have wished for a better result. "I'm very excited to be here for the first time. Winning today was a great start at this beautiful venue."

CSIYH1* Young Horse 1.30/1.35m

The young horses were the first to take to the beautiful grass arena of Longines Tops International Arena. A showcase of young talent entered the arena and it was Dutchman Gerben Morsink who took the top spot on the podium. In this two phase competition, the 45-year-old rider stopped the clock at 33.90 seconds with the seven-year-old Zangersheide stallion Corthago Z. Morsink was thrilled with his horse's performance. "It was a nice test for Corthago, because of his big canter we could omit one canter stride in the 2nd phase twice in a long line and we were able to secure the win. It is the first time he jumped on grass and then also in such an impressive arena, but he really gave a super feeling and went very well. Despite the rain, the ground was fantastic, it's great to be here again!"

Second place went to the always talented Teddy van de Rijt with six-year-old New Hope with a time of 35.3, followed by American Natalie Dean who delivered a time of 35.54 seconds with her mount Moustache.

CSI2* 1.45m Grand Prix Qualifier

The first class for the 2* combinations became an Italian affair. Lorenzo de Luca was the fastest in the CSI2* 1.45m 2* Grand Prix Qualifier class with the seasoned Selle Français mare Dirka de Blondel. De Luca has already scored numerous victories with this mare, who he has been riding since 2021. Fellow Italian rider Gianni Govoni came second with Kir Royaal Delta Mossel Z. Govoni, who has already competed represented his country many times on the world stage, rode quick but could not quite catch De Luca, finishing only 0.17 seconds behind first place. Dutchman Piet Raijmakers Jr. secured third place with Van Schijndel's Olaya Z.

CSI2* 2 Phase 1.40m

In the CSI2* 2 Phase 1.40m class, Swedish rider Andre Brandt's seemed untouchable, posting a lightening fast time. Brandt expertly piloted his mare Noblesse vd Mespel Z through the challenging course, coming home clear on 30.32 seconds. The 25-year-old Brandt held onto the top spot until Britain's Matthew Sampson appeared in the arena. Sampson appeared unphased by the heavy rain, which says enough about the quality of the grass footing in Valkenswaard. Sampson delivered the fastest round of the class, 28.60 seconds, with the eight-year-old mare Pretty Pi'Que De'Luxe. German Felix Hassmann came third with Conthargo PS in a time of 30.56 seconds.

CSI1* 2 Phase 1.20m

Frenchman Romain Potin and his elegant 13-year-old mare Brooklynn claimed the top spot in the CSI1* 2 Phase 1.20m class. Potin feels at home in Valkenswaard and it shows in his results. Potin and Brooklynn have proved themselves to be a golden combination. In 2023, the 30-year-old from Longuenesse won six classes at LTIA, four of them with this same incredible horse. American Madyson Diaz rode clear but came home just 0.47 seconds behind Potin with the nine-year-old gelding Higgins, securing second place. Dutchman Piet Raijmakers Jr. claimed his second podium finish of the day with a clean round. The rider from Asten rode Van Schijndel's Hanibal and stopped the clock at 37.28 seconds.

CSI4* 2 Phase 1.45m

Ireland’s Denis Lynch claimed the top spot in the CSI4* 2 Phase 1.45m class. The Irish rider rode full gas in the second round aboard his 12 year old Hannovarian stallion Cornets Iberio. He came home on a clean sheet, stopping the clock at just 28.40 seconds in phase two. Second place went to Mexican rider Enrique Gonzalez. He delivered a fast performance riding Origi van de Zeshoek but could not quite match the pace set by Lynch. Antoine Ermann of France secured third place. Ermann rode smooth and clear, finishing phase two on 30.50 seconds. Close behind were Germany’s Marcus Ehning riding Flower Girl who claimed fourth place and Brazilian show jumping icon Rodrigo Pessoa, rounding out the top five aboard Starman.

CSI1* 2 Phase 1.10m

Like father, like daughter. Following Romain Potin’s win the CSI1* 1.20m, his daughter Lou Potin took first prize in the CSI1* 2 Phase 1.10m class. Lou seems to have inherited her father's knack for speed. At just 11 years old, Lou was the fastest in the class of thirty competitors. She rode a quick, smooth round with her Selle Français mare Greine des Neiges Lou stopped the clock as just 33.54 seconds, over three seconds faster than second place Ramona Hilliges of Germany. Hilliges delivered a clear round aboard Quorado 3 but could not quite match the pace of the lightning fast Lou. Michael Smith of the USA claimed third place with his 14-year-old gelding Quality Time, coming home clear on 38.53 seconds.

CSI2* 2 Phase 1.35m

Out of 35 combinations, twelve rode clear in the first phase of the 2* 2 Phase 1.35m class. Of those twelve, Italian Gianni Govoni was the fastest of them all. Govoni, who finished in an individual 5th place at the 2002 World Championships in Jerez de la Frontera, is known as a fast rider with equally fast horses. He rode the 10-year-old mare L'Alize Z crossed the finish line in 28.41 seconds. As one of the last starters, Dutchman Kevin Jochems managed to ride into second place with the nine-year-old mare Looks Good de Liebri Z with a time of 28.56 seconds. Third place went to the USA’s Ella Dyson and her nine-year-old mare Dana des Bruyeres Z, stopping the clock at 32.40 seconds.