The battle in the Collé Rental & Sales Prix over a height of 1.30m was one of razor-thin margins. Only three-tenths of a second separated the top three combinations, but it was Mireille Couperus who narrowly claimed victory with her eight-year-old mare Macoon Blue H.V.
The Dutch rider stayed ahead of the competition with a round that looked both controlled and lightning-fast. Pedro Mansur Guerios, the just twelve-year-old rider who had already taken two wins on Thursday, kept up his form and rode his nine-year-old Gralain AA to second place. Mans Buurman completed the podium aboard My Special Ludine VHR, also an eight-year-old mare.
Couperus, who also finished seventh in this class with another horse, was thrilled with her quick mare’s performance:
“Macoon is so fast! I only have to think left or right and she’s already gone,” the winner said with a laugh. “She already jumped clear yesterday, and today I tried to ride a bit stronger myself — and it worked out well. On Saturday we’ll ride the 1.35m final. Hopefully, we’ll make it to the jump-off — then we’ll really put the pedal down!”
View the program and results here
Photos by Digishots
