Autumn MET: Back-to-back Grand Prix wins for unbeatable Boisset
The first three weeks of competition at the 2020-autumn edition of the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour in Oliva Nova, Spain, concluded on Sunday with France’s Harold Boisset taking his second CSI2* Grand Prix win in a row – this time with Katinka vh Valenberghof (Corland x Montender). Boisset, who also won last Sunday’s Grand Prix in Oliva Nova with Divine de La Roque (For Hero x Kannan), proved unbeatable again for his 57 competitors who stood no chance against the notoriously fast French rider.
Twelve of the horse-and-rider combinations in the 1.45m Grand Prix presented by Oliva Nova Beach & Golf Resort managed to jump clear rounds over the track designed by the acclaimed course builder Santiago Varela (ESP), to move on to the jump-off where valuable world ranking points were on offer. The jump-off course spread out over the entire Oliva Nova ring, with some challenging twists and turns – especially the roll-back to the double on the long-side next to The Club proved tricky for many.
In the jump-off, the first clear round came from home hero Carlos Lopez-Fanjul Tartiere (ESP) and Ashaane Villa Rose (Utrillo van de Heffinck x Galoubet A) – that were third in last week’s Grand Prix. With their 40.55 seconds, the time to beat had been established. However, Karel Cox (BEL) followed two riders later and went all in with Curiano Van Maarle Z (Canabis Z x Germus R) to take over the lead with a time of 38.16 seconds.
No one is safe when followed by Boisset though. As the next rider in the ring, the Frenchman wasted no time with his lightning fast black mare – shaving off an incredible 0.48 seconds on Cox’s time to take over the lead.
The remaining riders could do nothing about Boisset. Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann (GER) and Chesmu KJ (Cornet Obolensky x Calido I) gave it a good shot, but had to settle for third place when the clock stopped at 39.16 seconds – pushing Carlos Lopez-Fanjul Tartiere down to fourth and Victoria Gulliksen (NOR) with Best Boy 2 (Contagio x Sunrise) down to fifth.
“Today I chose Katinka for the Grand Prix, she is a very competitive mare,” Boisset commented after his victory. “She jumped really well in the first round. The course was very difficult with fourteen jumps; especially the line to the double caused a lot of faults. In the jump-off we were twelve horse-and-rider combinations, and I was number six to go. Just like in the first round, it was a lot of mistakes in the double, so I paid extra attention coming in there. Once I cleared the double, I went for it,” Boisset detailed about his jump-off.
“Katinka is a horse I bought when she was four, and she was always very competitive. Once you are in the jump-off, she is very fast,” Boisset detailed about his 10-year-old mare that has taken many victories at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour on previous occasions.
A frequent guest in Oliva Nova, Boisset loves competing at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour. “We are fortunate to have the Autumn MET with such a sunny climate and fantastic conditions, especially now with so many indoor events being cancelled,” Boisset said. “The course building is always super here, and the horses have once again been jumping great,” concluded the happy winner.
Operating under strict Covid-19 guidelines and protocols, the Autumn MET will continue with its second part of competitions from October 27th to November 15th.
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