Bertram Allen emerged victorious in the lightning-fast Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of A Coruña presented by Casas Novas. Riding the exceptional Pacino Amiro, Allen won his first LGCT Grand Prix since 2018.
Leading the victory gallop after a nail-biting jump-off of just 9 top combinations, Allen beat Ioli Mytilineou on L'artiste de Toxandra by just fractions of a second. Once again Harrie Smolders was on the podium with Monaco N.O.P, this time taking third and switching positions with Ioli compared to the last event in Monaco.
Thrilling the full-capacity crowd at A Coruña, Allen not only collected the lion's share of the substantial prize pool but also secured his golden ticket to the LGCT Super Grand Prix at Prague later this year. Bertram smiled: “It is fantastic to qualify for the LGCT Super Grand Prix as it is something I have always wanted to do.”
Finishing just 0.40 seconds ahead of second-place getter Ioli Mytilineou and L'artiste de Toxandra, Bertram had the advantage of being the last rider to go. Speaking of his plan of attack, he said that the ability to watch Ioli - “I had a similar plan to what she did, then when I watched her go, I knew it was all possible, and thankfully I was just a little bit quicker. It is not easy to win these Grand Prix so I am delighted”
Having stood on the top of the podium for the second week in a row, but on a completely different horse, Ioli has made it clear her horsepower for the 2023 season is a force to be reckoned with. “It feels like a dream. To be able to have two horses podium at an LGCT Grand Prix, which as we know, are not small Grand Prix, is surreal”.
Standing alongside each other for the second week in a row on the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix podium, GCL teammates Harrie Smolders and Ioli Mytilineou are showing the depth of talent in the Paris Panthers team for 2023. With 5 stages of the 2023 season ahead, the question on everyone’s lips is who we will see at the next events.
With Championship plans in mind, Harrie commented on what the rest of the year looks like for him and his team of horses: “Monaco [N.O.P] will have three weeks off, and I will then take him to London. I only have four or five results, so I cannot afford for myself to have any mistakes as I really want to be high on the standings.”
Once again Miakel van der Vleuten extended his Championship lead after today’s top 10 finish to 231 points. Christian Kukuk remains in second on 180 points, while Simon Delestre rocketed up to third on 171 points.
After a surprising elimination in today’s LGCT Grand Prix for Malin Bayard Johnsson sits in fourth with 163 points, and World Number One Henrik von Eckerman has bounced up to the top five on 155 points.