German rider, Helmut Schönstetter wins a fast Ranking Grand Prix with ‘Toulanda Degli Assi’
Schönstetter wins the 7yr old class with ‘Elektric Explosion’
Vejer, 22nd January 2024. It was a German win in the 1.45 Ranking Grand Prix class yesterday and the anthem rang out across the Milton arena here at Montenmedio as we closed the first week of the 30th Andalucía Pre-Sunshine Tour, sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Government of Andalucía, through Tourism and Sports of Andalucía.
Helmut Schönstetter was the winner in this hotly contested Grand Prix class. There were nine riders in the jump off and each of the first four went faster than the rider before, really putting on the pressure for the final competitors. However Toulanda Degli Assi’, a ten year old by ‘Toulon’ x ‘Nabab de Reve’, could not be beaten, stopping the clock 36.68s, although there was a late challenge from Swiss, Edouard Schmitz with the nine year old mare, ‘Be Hippy TT’, who is by ‘Balou Du Rouet’ x ‘Pep’ and who came in second 36.80s.
Helmut has been coming to Sunshine Tour every year, for many years with Max Kühner, training and riding the Young Horses, which is his actual job. He told us it is “really super to have won a GP here”.
Helmut will be at the Tour for 5 weeks and he hopes to jump two or three more Grand Prix classes with the mare, ‘Toulanda Deli Assi’ “but not every week”. He thanked her owner, Milena Pappas of Premium Mares BV and who also has great passion for the sport, and for breeding top quality horses.
Helmut told us he was very happy with ‘Toulanda’; “The course was difficult but fair, the jump off was very fast which was good for me as my horse is very motivated and has a big heart so it was my day!”
In third place was Rumanian rider Andrea Herck, who has had a brilliant week here with nine podium places. Yesterday he stopped the clock in 37.47s with ’Epsilon de Roulard’ (‘Upsilon’ x ‘Exploit de Roulard’), another mare who has shown her class with three super outings in this week’ sCSI2*.
Fourth was Dutch rider Mel Thijssen, also with a super set of results this week, yesterday had a great ride with ‘Imodo’ (‘Quasimodo Z’ x ‘Corland’). Fifth was Spanish, home rider, Armando Trapote with ‘Karl P’ (‘Carrera VDL’ x ‘Burggraaf NV’).
Luca Moneta (ITA) also had another good day this time with ‘Chilli 41’ winning the 1.35. Second was Hugo Tavares (POR) with ‘Berlouke Al Z’ and third and fourth places were taken by Mexican rider, Ophelie Richard Sánchez with ‘Good Feeling Semilly’ and ‘Eklektik des Hutiers’. Pedro Mateos Bernáldez (ESP) took fifth with ‘Kalid de Muze’.
Pedro Mateos was top of the podium in the 1.30, where four of the top five places went to Spanish riders. He won the class with ‘Naroby Van de Fruitkorf’; second was Castora Ortiz Agüera with ‘Joapke’, third and fifth was Pilar Cordón Muro with ‘Noblesse du Palis’ and then ‘Missouri Van’t Ruytershof’. In fourth was Swiss rider, Charlotte Fievet with ‘Erdeven du Tertre’.
Charlotte Fievet was the winner of the 1.25 with ‘Dis Donc D’Eole’; the next three places went to British riders, James Wilson with ‘Hello Picobello Z’; William Walker with ‘Titanium’ and Joshua Hutchins with ‘Billy Sarafina’. In fifth was Swiss Theiler Steffi with ‘Coranto’.
The 1.10 was won by Irish rider Joanne Sloan-Allen with ‘WKD Valencia’.
Helmut Schönstetter had his second victory yesterday, in the 7 yr old class with ‘Elektric Explosion’ and not only that, he was also third with ‘EIC Stepstone’. Hugo Tavares slipped into second place with ‘Lovely Rose de Bellignies’ and fourth was Edouard Schmitz with ‘Maestro S’, with Mel Thijssen coming in fifth on ‘Rintintin D’Esprit’.
In the 6yr olds, Stefano Nogara (ITA) was our winner with ‘Sexy Girl Vant Gebergte’; British Alfie Bradstock was second with ‘Jewel Of D’Arsouilles’; Hugo Tavares third with ‘Nelleke H’; Maksymilian Wechta (POL) fourth with ‘Cordian’ and Patricia Segura (ESP) finished off the podium with ‘Sunstone Van Lindehof’.
That concludes the CSI2* and the first week Andalucía Pre-Sunshine Tour 2024. Competition starts up again on Tuesday with both International and Young Horse classes.
Photo by Moisés Basallote | Press release Andalucía Pre-Sunshine Tour
