Delaveau delights at Athina Onassis Horse Show Grand Prix

Riding Carinjo HDC, Delaveau was already victorious in the previous event with Ornella Mail HDC and produced a super final round to win again to make it a weekend to remember.

The final of three days of top class competition at the show saw one of the highlight events, the Grand Prix Longines. Some of the world’s best riders were welcomed to compete for total prize money of € 300 000, and all in beautiful settings with the Pampelonne Beach in Ramatuelle on the peninsula of Saint-Tropez as a backdrop.

The two round event designed by Luc Musette, the Belgian international course designer, allowed only 13 of the 33 rider combinations to qualify for what was expected to be a very fast second round which did not disappoint. From those going forward, no less than four Brazilian riders made it to the second round, with Edouardo Menezes on Quintol initially prominent but having to settle for ninth.

Philippe Rozier, one of two home riders going clear in the first round produced a steady second clear on Rahotep de Toscane.Eventual runner-up Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts on Donatella-N.Rozier was quickly taken over though, first by Germany’s Marcus Ehning who produced two picture perfect rounds on Cornado NRW, the best stopping the clock at 41.27 seconds.

Next to go was another Brazilian, Rodrigo Pessoa on Status, who knocked that time down to 41.05 seconds after a smooth round. Ukraine’s Katharina Offel produced a second steady clear on B Once Z to take eventually take fourth place behind Pessoa, Ehning and Rozier.

The next five riders – Amy Graham, Aymerick De Ponnat, Marc McAuley, Marlon Zanotelli and Gerco Schröder – all had a fence down each to thwart their challenge, but Philippaerts showed what he and Donatella N are made off as next to go in the ring, stopping the clock on 40.80 seconds to take the lead.

Rodrigo Pessoa and Status ended third which looked nearly impossible to beat, but Delaveau, one of the key members of the French national team members and recently placed third at the Grand Prix Longines of La Baule, proved otherwise.

He put the 13-year-old stallion Carinjo HDC into top gear from the start to end as the only rider down on the 39-mark with a time of 39.42 seconds. One of the hosts, Doda de Miranda, was then the last rider to challenge, but his horse AD Nouvelle Europe Z produced a fault leaving Delaveau victorious.

Speaking afterwards, Delaveau commented: “It’s a first successful edition for us, for the riders, the owners, and the grooms. To all the organising team, thank you.

“I’m really very happy. I came with Carinjo in Ramatuelle to prepare him for an eventual participation in the next World Equestrian Games.”