The reigning Belgian champion claimed victory today in the 1.60m LGCT Grand Prix of Paris! After a seven-rider jump-off, Thomas won over the hearts of the Parisian crowd! "This is the cherry on top. I’ve come close many times before, and now it finally worked out!" Thomas said afterward.
With the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, seven combinations qualified for the jump-off in the 1.60m LGCT Grand Prix in Paris. Only the podium finishers managed to complete the jump-off without faults.
The fastest time—42.92 seconds—was clocked by Gilles Thomas riding the 11-year-old stallion Ermitage Kalone (by Catoki). Thomas was already leading the overall standings and has now strengthened his lead. This season, he had already come close to victory with top finishes in Mexico, Shanghai, and St. Tropez. Now, Thomas puts the cherry on the cake!
"Ermitage is so intelligent!" Thomas explained. "Every jump-off I do with him, I can go a little faster each time. The rollback turn was tough today, but that worked in our favor with Ermitage because his front leg is incredibly strong. That lets me take tight turns to the jump. The feeling was amazing! The closer I got to the jump, the more he responded!"
"Today I was really thinking about my lead in the standings. The band on my right arm really motivated me to go for it. So today, I truly rode for the win!"
The pair finished nearly two seconds faster than Lillie Keenan, who took second with the 15-year-old KWPN gelding Fasther. Denis Lynch also delivered a strong performance, jumping clear with Mr Boombastic (by Vigo Cece) to claim third.
Just off the podium, Katrin Eckermann took fourth with Iron Dames Cydello (by Cascadello). Nicola Philippaerts completed the top five, riding Moya vd Bisschop (by Darco) to a fifth-place finish.
