Pieter Devos wins the Longines Grand Prix at Casas Novas

The crowd filled the stands of Casas Novas this Saturday afternoon during another exciting day of the CSI5*W.

LONGINES GRAND PRIX

At 8:30 p.m., there wasn’t a single seat left in the indoor arena stands at Casas Novas — and the reason was clear: the first Grand Prix of this winter’s CSI5*W, the Longines Grand Prix.

Forty-seven binomies were ready to give their best over a 1.55 m course with a jump-off. Ten riders qualified for the jump-off: Kevin Staut, Oda Chalotte Lyngvaer, Christian Ahlmann, Victor Bettendorf, Henrik von Eckermann, Robert Whitaker, Pieter Devos, Leopold van Asten, Jennifer Hochstaedter, and Penelope Leprevost.

After a very tight jump-off, it was Belgium’s Pieter Devos who claimed the victory. With a round that kept the audience on edge until the very last fence, Devos and Jarina J were crowned champions of this Grand Prix.

The Belgian rider received a Longines watch presented by Elena Orozco, Longines Spain Brand Manager, and the class trophy presented by Flora Pérez on behalf of Casas Novas.

Robert Whitaker showed his experience in this type of competition and, although he didn’t secure first place, he came very close. Riding Vermento, he completed the course in 40.42 seconds to take second place in the jump-off.

Third on the podium was Germany’s Christian Ahlmann, finishing the class in 40.83 seconds with Blueberry.

GRUPO EULEN TROPHY

Before the Grand Prix, the crowd at Casas Novas enjoyed the first CSI5*W class of Saturday, the Grupo EULEN Trophy, which began at 5:30 p.m. In this 1.50 m speed class, 43 riders took part, the class finished with 15 clear rounds.

The victory went to Julien Epaillard, number 9 in the FEI world ranking, riding Easy Up de Grandry. The experienced French rider added another top-level win to his extensive record, stopping the clock at 59.86 seconds.

The French national anthem played in the Casas Novas indoor arena as Julien received the prize from Micaela Núñez Feijóo, Northwest Spain Regional Director at Grupo EULEN.

Second place went to Henrik von Eckermann, who once again took part in the podium with Glamour Girl after their victory in Friday’s Caixabank Trophy. The Swedish rider proved he still being one of the best on the circuit with an impeccable round in 60.34 seconds.

Third place on the podium went to young Irish rider Michael Pender. Riding HHS Orchidee, Pender completed the class in 61.09 seconds, securing his place in the prize-giving ceremony.

Sunday program

The final day of this CSI A Coruña edition will begin with the Movistar Trophy, part of the CSI1* category. This first class of the day will start at 12:00 p.m., set at 1.30 m in a two-phase format.

The 1* category will conclude with the Prosegur Security Grand Prix, a jump-off class with heights of 1.40 m.

The weekend’s most important course, the Casas Novas Longines FEI World Cup Grand Prix, CSI5*W, a class with jump-off and heights up to 1.60 m, will began at 17:00 p.m. The event can be watched live on ClipMyHorse.TV and on the official event website, www.csicasasnovas.com.