Quotes, Fact & Figures of the World Cup in Verona

Abdel Said EGY (1st): When I was young I trained with Emile Hendrickx for eight years, at the same time I studied in Holland, and then I got my first job with Jos Lansink when I was 19.  Then I started my own business when I was 21, I’m now 27, I started from nothing, no groom just a truck my parents bought for me. Seven years down the road have a farm near Antwerp and we are progressing, slowly but surely, most of the horses I try to own myself, I buy them young, build them up and produce them myself and hope it works out.”

 

Simon Delestre FRA (2nd): “Today for sure there was a little bit of pressure because of my win here last year, but I had a different horse then, it was Ryan. However Chesall is also a special horse. When I walked the course it looked difficult, but when it started there were a few clears and I was worried there would be too many clears. But in end it was perfect and we had a fantastic jump-off.”

 

John Roche, FEI Jumping Director: “Congratulations to the Verona organising team under President Danesi for an amazing event. Also congratulations to the course designer, Uliano Vezzani, for producing an amazing course and fantastic sport. Our thanks go to Fixdesign as presenting sponsor and to Longines without whom all this not would to be possible and to whom we are forever grateful.”

 

Martin Fuchs SUI (3rd): “I think the course designer Uliano Vezzani showed again today that he is smarter than most of us riders! When we started there were many clears, and many iders were upset the he didn’t reduce the time allowed after the first few riders, but he showed us with 13 clears that the course was just what it had to be!”

 

Abdel Said EGY (1st): “I was here two years ago and this is one of my favourite shows. I didn’t come last year, but I got a wild card from John Roche (FEI Jumping Director), they go to small countries to give them a chance get to shows like this and I’m very grateful. I’d like to thank Uliano because he is my favourite course designer. He built two Grand Prix courses I competed over and I won both of them so I want to take him home with us!

 

Facts and Figures:

Verona in Italy presented the fourth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2016/2017 Western European League today.

37 horse-and-rider combinations from 15 nations lined out.

Course designer was Italy’s Uliano Vezzani.

13 clears in the first round.

4 double-clear performances.

The winning rider was 27-year-old Abdel Said from Egypt who is No. 142 in the Longines world rankings.

He was riding the nine-year-old bay mare Hope van Scherpen Donder.

Runner-up was last year’s Verona winner, Simon Delestre from France who is currently world no. 2.

The next round of the 13-leg series will take place in Stuttgart, Germany on Sunday 20 November.