In Mechelen, a 5* class has just been ridden. In the 'KBC Bank & Verzekeringen' Prize, the best riders of the world entered the show ground and eventually twelve of them managed to keep the 1,50m high fences untouched. This means a jump-off with twelve riders had to decide about the winner.
That jump-off wasn't a piece of cake. A lot of mistakes were made on the fourth and fifth fence. Eventually the first clear jump-off was ridden by the Dutch rider Harrie Smolders. He and Don VHP Z (Diamant de Semilly x Voltaire) speeded through the course and crossed the finish line after 34,59 seconds. This was a very fast time but eventually two combinations managed to do just a little bit faster.
Besides them also the Belgian rider Jérôme Guery. He jumped a spectacular clear round. With the 14-year old Zangersheide stallion Papillon Z (Perhaps v Berkenbroeck x San Patrignano Cassini) he jumped a beautiful round in 31,99 seconds. It seemed like Mechelen would have a Belgian winner, but in the end, the number two of the world, Simon Delestre, prevented that. He gained a lot of time by cutting the turn from the fourth to the fifth fence with Sultan du Chateau (Kannan*gfe Kwpn x Galoubet A). He managed to crossed the finish line after 31,71 seconds. This resulted in a beautiful first place. Guery and Papillon ended on second place.
The fourth place went to a Belgian rider as well. Pieter Devos rode a very fast round as well with Apart (Larino x Burggraaf) but a jumping penalty resulted in a fourth place. The Spanish lady rider Pilar Lucrecia Cordon and her Galine la Cour Zichelhof (Major de la Cour x Ramiro) took account of the fifth place.
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