Alexander Butler best in the CSI3* 1.50m CHG Grand Prix at Spring MET IV 2024
The second week of Spring MET IV 2024 in Oliva Nova, Spain, concluded on Sunday with an Irish victory in the CSI3* 1.50m Grand Prix presented by CHG – Construcciones Hispano Germanas S.A as Alexander Butler and Jurry Bleu K (VDL Zirocco Blue x Couleur Rubin) topped a field of 59 horse-and-rider-combinations.
Butler and the 10-year-old stallion secured the win with a time of 41.23 seconds after a jump-off between twelve pairs, followed by Australia’s Gabrielle Chugg and Pss Levilensky (Levisonn x Cornet Obolensky) in second – 0.9 seconds behind. Two British riders followed in third and fourth: Adrian Whiteway and Chacco Volo (Chacco-Blue x Carthago) who clocked a time of 42.43, then Adrian Speight and Millfield Baloney (Balou du Rouet x Kanudos) in 42.59 seconds. Brazil’s Pedro Veniss and Nimrod de Muze Imperio Egipcio (Nabab de Reve x Tinka’s Boy) completed the top five with their time of 43.40.
“I thought it was a very fair course,” Butler said about Sunday’s Grand Prix track set by Javier Trenor. “It had plenty of different options on the lines. There were many things to take into consideration on the distances, but it wasn’t too big. I think the course builder definitely got the right amount of clears. There was a good standard of horses and riders in the class as well, and all in all it was a good course.”
“I wasn’t going to go really, really fast because I don’t know the horse that well yet,” Butler said about his plan ahead of the deciding jump-off. “I just wanted to do what I thought I could do best with him and then hopefully finish in the top three or top four. However, I think Jurry Bleu is naturally very fast and then the other pairs just found it hard to catch our time.”
“He is owned by Vladimir Tuganov, who himself sustained an injury a month ago,” Butler explained about his new ride, the 10-year-old stallion Jurry Bleu K. “Tuganov asked me if I could bring some of his horses to Oliva, and I did. I actually don’t know the horses very well at all, I am just getting used to them. Jurry Bleu K was already second in the jump-off class last Saturday, so I’ve gotten a very good feeling from him. He seems to be a very clever, smart horse and quick with his legs. Today, I didn’t want to go too fast as he doesn’t know me so well yet and what I want, but he was very clever in the jump-off.”
“The facilities are fantastic, also for the grooms,” Butler said about the venue at Centro Ecuestre Oliva Nova. “All the facilities are very good, which is important. Oliva is a place that we’ve been a good few times before and hopefully we’ll be back again.”
Spring MET IV 2024 continues next week and runs until April 21st.
Photo credit © Hervé Bonnaud/1clicphoto.com | Press release Spring MET IV 2024
