Beforehand, Scott Brash mentioned that this Grand Prix was still on his 'bucket list.' The Brit could almost taste victory, but that was without accounting for Simon Delestre, who, as the last rider to enter the arena, jumped to victory!
The Rolex Grand Prix in 's Hertogenbosch proved to be a tough challenge, with only three combinations making it to the jump-off. Yuri Mansur and Miss Blue-Saint Blue Farm (Chacco-Blue) were the first to go, finishing with one jumping fault in 43.08 seconds. Scott Brash and Hello Chadora Lady (Chacco-Blue) followed and improved the time with one fault and a chrono of 41.57 seconds.
Earlier this week, Brash revealed that winning the Rolex Grand Prix at The Dutch Masters was still on his 'bucket list.'
"I'm quite greedy. I want to win everything, but I'm also very happy with what I've already achieved," Brash said. "I was lucky enough to win the Grand Slam three times in a row, but the Grand Prix of 's Hertogenbosch is definitely still on my bucket list," he added.
Brash could already taste victory, but Simon Delestre had other plans. The Hermès-sponsored rider was the last to enter the ring and decided to go for a clear round. In the saddle of the 13-year-old Cayman Jolly Jumper (Hickstead), Delestre jumped to victory!
With one time fault, Pieter Devos finished fourth, just missing the podium with his homebred Casual DV Z (Cornet Obolensky). Kent Farrington and Jasper Doucé's bred Toulayna (Toulon) completed the top five.
The winner of Geneva, Harrie Smolders, was determined to claim a second consecutive Rolex Grand Prix victory. "In the Rolex Grand Slam Grand Prix, you really get the best combinations at the start. These are classes where anyone can win," Smolders said earlier.
Competing in front of his home crowd, Smolders finished sixth with Evergate Stables' Monaco (Cassini II) as the best-performing Dutch rider.
The Frenchman commented: “This is an amazing result! Winning this prestigious Rolex Grand Prix here with Cayman Jolly Jumper, who is the greatest horse that I have ever ridden is incredible. Two years ago, I had the final fence down in the jump-off, which was our best result in this class at the time. Now, to have won is just amazing. He really deserves it, and I am so proud of him. Today’s course was very tough, but he showed all his talent, and it is a great feeling!”
