Katharina Offel and Umeunig won the Julio Guisado Grand Prix

Press release Sunshine Tour – Today at the Sunshine Tour the German rider Katharina Offel had a brilliant win in the Julio Guisado GP. She beat both the Spanish rider Eduardo Álvarez Aznar and Sergio Álvarez Moya, who had already completed the jump off in very fast times and took 2nd and 3rd respectively.

This was the first GP class for Katharina Offel with her new horse Umeunig. Up to this point she has been schooling in smaller classes. In today’s GP everything came together giving a fabulous result for her in a very exciting class. She commented for us after the class “I was very focussed as I entered the arena, the course was very complicated, hard and demanding, the designer had created a very exciting jump off for the public with a lot of long galloping distances”, She went on to explain that this has been her first victory since she has started again to compete under German nationality as before she was riding for the Ukraine. “because of this the win is twice as special for me.” she added.

Katharina Offel’s time in the jump off was 36.23 sec, almost one second faster than the Spanish rider Eduardo Álvarez Aznar riding Chatman. He had just completed the course in a very fast 37.16 sec which at the time appeared unbeatable! A second Spanish rider Sergio Álvarez Moya, took 3rd place riding D & C Don Vito in 37.48 sec. Manuel Fernández Saro the current Showjumping National Champion for Spain also had a super round today riding U Watch, ending up in 5th position.

The trophy for the winner of the GP was designed and made by Julio Guisado Rawas the ‘on site’ farrier here at the Tour. This wonderful sculpture was both designed and made using one horseshoe to make up the base of the trophy, another moulded to form the head, neck, body and tail with a third forming the back and the legs, of a jumping horse. The three horseshoes have been forged, hammered and moulded together by the talented hands of our farrier to form this wonderful trophy. Curiously this was not the first time that Katharina Offel has won this trophy, she won it once before in the Sunshine Tour 2012. “Without any doubts, the Julio Guisado GP is a very lucky one for me! I am really happy to have win this new sculpture and will treasure it.“

Once again there were many British successes in the other Big Tour classes today. Guy Williams riding Golddigger won the 1.45m Big Tour C, Luca Moneta was 2nd with Neptune Brecourt and the Brazilian rider Carlos Eduardo Mota with Wilexo 3rd.

In the 1.40m Big Tour B, Joe Whitaker won with Lavarno and fellow Brit, Stephen Crosby with TGF Rubin was 2nd with the Belgian rider, Jerome Guery and Ginnis Van’T Geyzeven was 3rd.

The British riders cleared the board in the Big Tour, A2, Harriet Nuttall with Silver Lift won, Matthew Sampson with Billy Tortilla took 2nd and Chloe Aston with Chateau De Brion was 3rd. Henry Turrell with Barbados III was the fastest rider in the A1 class, Tim Page with Duc D’Arsouilles was 2nd and the Spanish rider Rocío Lázaro with Herodia took 3rd.

In the amateur Tour Kayleigh Watts with Charmeur won the Classic Tour GP in 37.37 sec beating the 10 other riders that got through to the jump off. Peruvian rider Carlos Merino riding Ofelia Te Quiero was 2nd in 39.00 sec and Irish rider Derek McCoppin was 3rd in 40.70 sec riding Whiterock Lucky Lady.

Derek McCoppin was in the rosettes again, this time winning the Classic Tour C with Billy Diamond and Eleanor Hall Mcateer also had a great day winning the B class with Dazzle II and the A class with Blush.

Tomorrow there are no classes but all horses that will be competing during next week will be expected to pass the weekly Vet Check. On Tuesday we begin again with the Young Horse Classes with many aiming to add a clear or two towards the tally of 7 needed to qualify them to compete in the Finals on the 16th of March.

AN EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE TO COLTAIRE Z
Arena 2 has been named after this wonderful horse, ridden by Marina Frutuoso from Portugal who sadly passed away last summer.

The Sunshine Tour team at Dehesa Montenmedio put together a very emotional tribute to Coltaire Z today, just before the Brazilian Olympic classification class the Big GP.

The son of Carthago Z x Voltaire x Ramiro, Coltaire Z was the Champion of Portugal five times, he competed in three European Championships and has innumerable victories at both National and International levels. Partnered with Marina these two have been one of the most important teams ever in Portuguese showjumping.

After watching an emotional video remembering this wonderful stallion, sire of many current and future champions and it was announced that Arena 2 would be named in his honour, the Coltaire Z arena.

Source: Press release Sunshine Tour