Chateau Petrus to add their names to the jump-off list.

There was heartache for Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) and Dana Blue after they just clipped the final PremiuMares vertical, the pole tumbling to the groan of the crowd. Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani (QAT) and Sirocco bounced around the arena, the duo clearing the triple despite missing the stride they wanted. They just had the wavy plank down, but the pair looked on strong form for the final day of competition to come.
Pieter Devos (BEL) and Espoir put in a formidable performance, the 15 year old gelding flicking his tail expressively over the fences to add their names to the jump-off. They would be joined by Eric van der Vleuten (NED) with Djoost Again, Lorenzo de Luca (ITA) with Amarit d’Amour, Kent Farrington (USA) with Austria 2 and Kevin Staut (FRA) with Viking d’la Rousserie.
Jump-Off
First to return Alexandra Thornton (GBR) looked to be determined but opted for no risks as she and Charielle flowed around the arena. The naturally quick horse covered the ground, and the pair made a phenomenal turn to the Longines oxer before a fast gallop to cross the line in 44.84s.

Ludger Beerbaum (GER) and Casello had the second fence – a light green and white vertical – down, immediately dropping them out of a chance of the win today. Compatriot Marcus Ehning (GER) and Funky Fred made the exact same mistake, the fallen pole meaning they too would would miss out on the lion’s share of the prize money today.

The second green and white vertical caught out Irishman Denis Lynch (IRL) and his 8 year old grey stallion Chateau Petrus, another surprise exit from the jump-off contenders.

Pieter Devos (BEL) and Espoir cleared the troublesome second fence with ease and powered around the course. A tight turn back to the Longines plank saw them up on the time, as the duo built momentum towards the end of the course. They flew over the final PremiuMares vertical tight to the flag, setting a new time to beat of 42.02s.

Eric van der Vleuten (NED) with Djoost Again gave it a valiant attempt, with a determined run down to the finish. But they couldn’t better Devos’ time and had to settle for 43.20s.

The troublesome second fence fell for Lorenzo de Luca (ITA) and Amarit d’Amour, before another fence put them on a score of 8 faults today.

Kent Farrington (USA) and Austria 2 gave it a brave shot at the Athina Onassis vertical and looked up on time as they sped around the track. But despite giving it their all they couldn’t match Devos’ time, finishing in 42.34s.

Final rider to go Kevin Staut (FRA) and Viking d’la Rousserie looked fresh and keen for a turbo-charged round, but despite their enthusiasm they too fell short of Devos’ time, crossing the line in 43.89s.

So it would be another win for the Belgian talent of Pieter Devos (BEL), the rider second in the overall rankings and hungry for redemption in Saturday’s showdown.
Tune in to GC TV via the www.gcglobalchampions.com website at 13:45 local time to watch the conclusion of GCL Ramatuelle/Saint Tropez and at 17:15 for the LGCT Grand Prix.foto Stefano Grasso