Outstanding Achievements for Swiss Riders at the CSIO 4* in Rabat
The CSIO 4* in Rabat, which marks the second stage of the Morocco Royal Tour, has proven to be a remarkable event for Swiss riders, particularly those from the Romandy region. This past Sunday afternoon, a team composed entirely of Swiss Romands, with a significant representation from Geneva, took the stage for the Nations Cup competition. Led by the talented Jurassian rider Anthony Bourquard, who showcased an impressive double clear round with his horse _Everest d’Ellipse_, the Swiss team, under the guidance of Gianluca Agustoni, secured an admirable sixth place in the challenging 150 cm event. The competition saw France emerge victorious after a tense jump-off against Morocco, Germany, and Belgium, while Jeanne Sadran from Toulouse clinched the Grand Prix 2* the day before, helping her team to victory with her horse Dexter de Kerglenn.
On the Swiss side, the three Geneva riders improved their performances from the first round. Sasha Barthe, who initially scored 12 points, redeemed herself with a solid round that earned her 4 points on her stallion _Essenar High Hopes_. Léon Pieyre, participating in his first elite Nations Cup, delivered a commendable performance with _Abdul-Jabbar du Gibet_, finishing with 8+4 points, showing much more comfort in Rabat compared to Tétouan. Lastly, Edouard Schmitz concluded his journey with a faultless round after recording 4 points in the earlier stage on his horse _Quno_. Earlier in the week, Schmitz had achieved a fantastic third place in the Grand Prix (155 cm) with _Gamin van’t Naastveldhof_, following Abdullah Alsharbatly on _Dubai du Cèdre_ and Olivier Perreau on _Himalaya du Temple_. Furthermore, Anthony Bourquard secured a second-place finish in the 150 cm competition on _Festival Semilly_, just behind Yuri Mansur. Alexandra Amar celebrated her first victory at this level with _Look at Me RP_ in the 145 cm event, while Schmitz and Pieyre also showcased their talent in various categories throughout the week.
Strong Performances in Other Disciplines
At the CSI 3* in Oliva, Niall Talbot and _Charming Dream Z_ finished sixth in the 150 cm event on Friday and placed 12th in the Grand Prix with a score of 4 points in the initial round. Meanwhile, Ariane Muff secured seventh place in the 145 cm class with _Mr Super Nova B_, and Lou Puch finished eighth on _Malito_. Niall Talbot also claimed a tenth-place finish on _FTS Elliot_. At the CSI 2* in Gorla Minore, the young Jurassian rider Mya Quiqurez, who surprisingly did not compete in Chevenez, achieved a fifth-place finish in the Grand Prix with _Contendrina_ and would have won had it not been for a fault in the jump-off. Swiss-based Portuguese rider Rodrigo Sampaio Peixoto took second place with _Norajo_, while Barbara Schnieper ranked sixth in the 145 cm event on Saturday and second on Friday with _Toronto Raptor_. Philipp Züger also made his mark by finishing sixth with _Contess SPM_.
In the eventing category, Benoît Johner delivered the standout performance of the weekend by finishing fourth in the first 4* competition with his horse _Nobel_. The rider from Chalet-à-Gobet, who had not competed at this level since it was still referred to as 3*, added only 0.4 points in show jumping and 9.6 time penalties in cross-country to his dressage score, making an impressive climb from 18th to 4th place. German rider Heike Jahncke claimed victory, while British rider Tom McEwen dominated the long format, Ingrid Klimke took the 3*, and Julia Krajewski won the 2* event, showcasing exceptional talent in Poland. In the dressage arena, Delia Eggenberger achieved a remarkable second-place finish in the Grand Prix qualifying for the Special CDI 4* in Troisdorf with _Santa Maria_, scoring an impressive 68.956%.
As reported by cavalier-romand.ch.
