Abu Dhabi's first 5* Grand Prix qualifier class was held over 1.50m this evening. A rock-solid Kristaps Neretnieks not only walked off with the gold, but also took the second-highest podium spot!
Third out of 14 jump-off candidates, the Latvian immediately set the time to beat, finishing in a razor-sharp time of 34.71 seconds in the saddle of the nine-year-old stallion Palladium KJV (Lancer III). No one came close to that, until Neretnieks started a second time as penultimate. Riding the 13-year-old Holstein gelding Quintair (Quintero), he jumped to a clear silver chrono of 34.97 seconds. German David Will entered the ring last and snatched bronze with Zaccorado Blue (VDL Zirocco Blue) in a time of 35.22 seconds.
Briton Donald Whitaker, who had to enter the jump-off first, captured fourth place on the back of Little Khira H (Böckmann's Lord Pezi) with a chrono that was just forty hundredths slower. A difference of eight hundredths relegated Lily Mytilineou and the 12-year-old BWP stallion Levis de Muze (Elvis ter Putte) to the last spot in the top five.