The riders taking part in the Prestige Trophy were awaited in a hushed but convivial atmosphere from 8am on Thursday morning for the Prix Imovix. In the village,longtime sponsors and new exhibitors hurried to put the finishing touches to their stands. In the arena, despite the early start the highest standards were demanded with only seven of the 40 competitors taking part managing two fault-free rounds.
In the end the last word went to boldness and youth since the teenager João Victor Castro won through under the watchful eye of his mentor Nelson Pessoa, finishing more than a second faster than France's Paul Delforge.
The Brazilian is just 18 years old. He has been riding since the age of five, moved to Europe three years ago and is sponsored by Doda de Miranda who sent him to Neco's. He already has a number of prestigious victories under his belt but this is the first time he has triumphed in Paris. The icing on the cake is that he has teamed up with Hallina de Muze, a mare from the Ecuries d’Ecaussines,the competition stables of Christophe Ameeuw, founder of the Longines Masters. It would seem the young globetrotter has adopted the Longines Masters intercontinental series motto: "We Ride The World"!