Mar 01, 2021
The Andalucía Grand Prix, sponsored by the Junta de Andalucía, is without doubt one of the toughest show jumping competitions in sunny Spain. The testing course had already disqualified many riders in the first round of the Sunshine Tour, and only a handful of top international riders were able to advance to the jump off.
Of the six riders that progressed to the jump off the British rider, Joseph Stockdale with “Equine America Cacharel” began with an almost perfect performance, setting the bar high in the show jumping competition with tricky turns. Michael G Duffy had to ride with “Lappuccino”, his 13 years old horse, a fast and accurate round where seconds were of essence.
“I didn’t do anything stupid in there. I rode the whole course fast and in the last line I pushed that bit harder and that’s where I think I made up the time,” says Michael about his performance as he was proclaimed winner of the competition at Montenmedio.
Just a quick reminder that the CSI (Concours de Saut International) ranks by stars, being 5* the top category and 1* the lowest one. Moreover, horses of CSI 4* must be at least 7 years old and competitors must ride 400 meters per minute, making it one of the toughest competition in the Sunshine Tour for show jumping riders.
This concludes the first part of the XXVII Sunshine Tour that has had riders and spectators on the edge of their sits likewise. The atmosphere has been good, with everyone acting responsibly and following the health guidelines of the country.
The Sunshine Tour brings more than 2,000 horses and 400 riders from different countries together in one of the most important show jumping tour in Europe. Jumping starts again on Thursday 4th of March with the CSI2* and the Young Horse classes.
Follow the Sunshine Tour on Horse TV. Find out HERE where to find us in your country.
Image from Moises Basallote.