Khaled Almobty soars to victory on the final day of the Summer Showcase in Valkenswaard

The sun was shining in Valkenswaard for the final day of Summer Festival 2. Day three of the Summer Showcase proved unforgettable, with thrilling show jumping performances and a vibrant atmosphere on the Place du Concours.

The crowds filled the grandstands for the CSI4* Grand Prix. An impressive field of thirty-seven riders went head to head in round 1 of the class. Seventeen riders rode clear on the course, designed by Peter Schumacher, qualifying for the jump off.

First to go in the jump-off was Giampiero Garofalo of Italy. Garofalo found a nice rhythm with his mount Gaspahr but acquired four faults on course. Michael Pender of Ireland and HH Los Angeles were next in the ring. They looked to be on track for a win but acquired an unfortunate four faults on the final fence. Next up was Dutch rider Kevin Jochems. Jochems made it look easy, posting the first clear round of the jump off, stopping the clock at 48.30 seconds. 

The tension was palpable as Khaled Almobty entered the arena. The winner of the 4* Grand Prix two weeks ago at Summer Festival 1 was on the hunt for another win aboard his mount Spacecake. The pair flew across the arena, the crowd cheering as they crossed the finish line. Almobty stopped the clock at 45.40 seconds, jumping into the lead. Almobty was elated with his win saying, “It was amazing. I am very very happy and proud of my whole team.” He went on to say, “This is the second 4* Grand Prix of the Summer Festival Series and this is my second win as well. I won the first Grand Prix with Jaguar King and the second Grand Prix with the amazing Spacecake. It is always a pleasure to ride a horse like Spacecake or Jaguar King. I hope we can go for a third 4* Grand Prix win this summer here in Valkenswaard.”

Belgium’s Yenthe Schrijvers was next to go aboard Idem van ter Hilst, but an unfortunate eight faults on course dashed his hope for a win. All eyes then turned to Jeanne Sadran of France. The young French rider skilfully piloted her mount Kosmo van Hof ter Boone across the grass, securing a top ten finish. Next in the ring was Geir Gulliksen of Norway aboard VDL Groep Quatro. Gulliksen made good use of the expansive arena but acquired an unfortunate four faults on course.

Lorenzo de Luca was next to go, taking no prisoners aboard Cash du Plessis. The Italian rider delivered a fast round but could not quite catch Almobty, tentatively claiming second place. Koen Vereecke of Belgium raced across the grass aboard Kasanova de la Pomme. He posted a fast time, stopping the clock at 46.17 seconds, but it was not quite enough to catch the lightning fast Almobty. Verecke jumped into second place, overtaking Lorenzo de Luca. 

Antoine Ermann looked relaxed and confident as he entered the arena on Comic Star. The French rider delivered a smooth round, securing a top ten finish. Next up was Italy's Emanuele Gaudiano riding Nikolaj de Music. The Italian rider delivered a quick round, but an unfortunate four faults on course dashed his hopes of a win. Local rider Edwina Tops-Alexander started the jump off stylish as always. The Australian rider soared over the course with Corelli de Mies, coming home clean and claiming a top ten finish. 

Next to go were Great Britain's Robert Murphy and Catch-Me van Berkenbroeck. The pair delivered a clear round, claiming tenth place. Turkish rider Derin Demirsoy was next up aboard O-Kannarock. The pair went full gas across the expansive grass arena. They were on track for a win, but an unfortunate fault on the last oxer thwarted their chance of claiming victory. Demirsoy stopped the clock at an impressive 44.93 seconds and was met by cheers from the incredible crowd. 

Next in the ring was Niels Tacken of the Netherlands. He rode a quick, clear round aboard Cordis Totalis Z, which was enough for a top ten finish. Colombia’s Roberto Teran Tafur was next to enter the ring riding DSP Callas. The pair delivered a fast and clear round, claiming a top five finish. Last to go was Dutch talent Kim Emmen. She looked relaxed and confident as she entered the arena. Despite an unfortunate eight faults, the crowd cheered for the Dutch rider as she crossed the finish line with her mount Inflame Go. In the end, Khaled Almobty claimed a repeat victory in the CSI4* Grand Prix.

The Summer Showcase at the LTIA concluded after three spectacular days, showcasing elite equestrian sport, a lively atmosphere, and unforgettable moments. The Longines Tops International Arena now looks forward to the Summer Festival 3 – Global Future Champions, set to take place from August 9-11.

CSI2* Medium Tour 1.40m 

Belgian rider Kasper De Boeck opened the third day of the Summer Showcase with a victory in the CSI2* Medium Tour 1.40m competition where riders rode their jump-off immediately after their clear first round. At just 17 years old, Kasper rode a super nice and fast round with his mount Never Sky van het Kritrahof (BWP, Triomphe de Riverland x Eros Platiere). As the fifth starter, the duo stopped the clock at 31.09 seconds in their clear jump-off ride and proved untouchable. Dutchman Mathijs van Asten came close. He needed 31.49 seconds to cross the finish line with the 12-year-old KWPN mare Hieke (Zambesi TN x Calvados). Third place went to German Christoph Könemann and Coredo (Hann, Carridam x Loredo) with a time of 32.29 seconds.

CSIYH1* Young Horse Final 1.30/1.35m

The Young Horses rode their finals on Sunday morning. Twenty combinations stayed clear in the first round of the CSIYH1* Young Horse Final 1.30/1.35m class, of which nine were six-year-olds and eleven were seven-year-olds. Michael Pender rode a fast clear round with six-year-old HHS Flonix (ISH, Aganix du Seigneur x Clover Echo) and stopped the clock at 40.52 seconds. That proved a time difficult to beat and ultimately good for third place. Teddy van de Rijt, who had qualified for the jump-off with two six-year-olds, had the best result with If I Can La Meije. Her time of 40.77 seconds was good for fourth place. Then the obstacles were then raised by 5 cm and it was the turn of the seven-year-olds. Belgium's Yenthe Schrijvers and Australia's Annabel Francis rode a nice and smooth jump-off but fell a little short of speed. Italian Giampiero Garofalo went through the course like a rocket, leaving all the poles up and crossing the finish on 39.77 seconds. This put him in the lead with the seven-year-old Zangersheide gelding Clarimo van de Dijkhoeve Z (Comilfo Plus Z x Polydor). In the end it turned out to be the winning time. The Italian rider was happy with the result. “My horse jumped really well. In the first round he already felt really nice. I started at the end of the jump-off and had my plan ready. I didn't know my horse could be so fast, so I was a bit surprised, but I'm very happy with how he jumped.” Dutch rider Sanne Thijssen made another serious bid for victory but had to settle for second place. She stopped the time at 40.40 seconds with the seven-year-old gelding Monfaut Gumo MP (Comme Il Faut x Numero Uno).

CSI4* Against the Clock 1.45m

Belgium’s Koen Vereecke claimed victory in the CSI4* Against the Clock 1.45m class riding Oilily de Muze. The posted an unbeatable time of 58.18 seconds. Vereecke was pleased with the result saying, “I had a good feeling like on the first day. Yesterday was unlucky with a fault in the 1.50m, but today she did well and I am happy with the result.” Close behind was Emanuele Gaudiano of Italy. Gaudiano delivered a fast round aboard Julius.D but could not quite catch Vereecke, ultimately finishing second. Rounding out the top three was Wout-Jan van der Schans. The Dutch rider rode smooth and clear aboard Jager, claiming third place. Hot on his heels were Kevin Jochems (NED) riding Name It and Christoph Könemann (GER) aboard Kamilla D who took fourth and fifth place, respectively.

CSI1* Grand Prix 1.35m

In the CSI1* Grand Prix 1.35m, 13 combinations managed to qualify for the jump-off. Immediately, Britain's Sophie Evans made it clear that she was a force to be reckoned with. She and her agile 12-year-old stallion (Arko III x Papillon Rouge) rode a super-fast round in 32.95 seconds. Belgium's Yenthe Schrijvers was next in the arena and managed to come very close to Evans' time. Unfortunately, it was not quite enough, 33.14 seconds, and Schrijvers had to settle for second place with Que Bueno de Hus Z (Zang, Que Guapo x Canto I). Yesterday's winner Nick Steeghs (NED) now finished third with Nanteuil van T&L (Halifax van het Kluizebos x Jokinal de Bornival I). They crossed the finish line in 33.58 seconds. Evans was pleasantly surprised by the result: “I am a bit surprised how well it worked out for me today since luck wasn’t really on my side the last two days. My horse felt great and I am very happy.”

CSI1* Against the Clock 1.25m 

To the delight of the audience, a Dutch rider triumphed in the CSI1* Against the Clock 1.25m class. Piet Raijmakers Jr, who also won the competition on Friday, edged out Sweden's Ida Svensson for victory with the KWPN gelding Van Schijndel's Hanibal (by Van Schijndel's Rascin). The rider from Asten crossed the finish line 0.29 seconds quicker, claiming first place. Svensson stopped the clock at 54.64 seconds with Aplux (MASAF, Lux Z x Up Market de Gamet) which was enough to take second. Karin Kruger from South Africa was third with a time of 57.56 seconds with the 12-year-old mare My Dimont van het Bildeken (Diamant de Semilly x Burggraaf I).