La Coruna, July 27th 2016 –. In spite of coinciding with the CSI5* of Dinard and Hickstead, the thirty second edition of the CSI A Coruña will have a top level participation and will receive so many riders selected to go to the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro, as well as several pairs preselected in the long list of the FEI.
Thus, from the 29th to the 31st of July, the Equestrian Centre of Casas Novas will be one of the epicenters of the world equestrian. Among the most important riders will be French Patrice Delaveau, current individual and team runner-up of the WEG. #12 of the Longines FEI ranking comes to compete with his best horse, Orient Express. This twice olympic rider seems not having the luck of his side. In summer of 2012 an injury of Orient prevented him being in the London Olympics and this year neither will be in the ones of Rio, as another injury last summer has kept the horse out of competition until March of this year. Nevertheless, the horse seems to be quite recovered classifying second in the 3* of Knokke 10 days ago.
Two top riders will represent the Netherlands: Maikel van der Vleuten (#20 Longines FEI ranking) and Leopold van Asten (#79 Longines FEI ranking). Van der Vleuten, son of the Spanish team trainer Erik, is the reigning team world champion and silver medal London Olympic and arrives to Casas Novas fit winning two weeks ago a test in the 5* of Aachen and the Nations Cup of Rotterdam. On the other side, Leopold van Asten, olympic rider in Athens that was selected for the long list of Rio, is an usual competitor in this summer show and made history in 2014 when he won the summer and winter Grand Prix with VDL Groep Zidane. He is one of the favourites in the bets because of his past victories in Coruna and in La Baule and Bonheide Grand Prix.
Canada will have an important representation, headed by Eric Lamaze. The one who was gold medal in the Olympic games of Peking in 2008 with the legendary Hickstead, will compete in Rio in less than three weeks. This season has won 18 international tests, 8 of them in the last forty-five days, and will jump in the outdoor arena of Casas Novas with Chacco Kid, Houston and Rosana du Park. Tiffany Foster comes to prepare those that will be her second Olympic Games. From Canada will be also Kara Chad and Elizabeth Gingras, members of the long list for Rio. Belgium will be represented by an usual rider of this show, Gudrun Patteet. She will jump in the most important tests with Sea Cost Atlantic, with whom she has won the 4* Ascona Grand Prix.
Another usual rider is Irish Conor Swail, winner of the Prosegur Trophy in 2015 and the Longines trophy in 2014. Portuguese rider Luis Sabino Goncalves will also begin La Coruna and will compete in the biggest tests with Filou Imperio Egipcio, another pair of the long list.
Spain will be headed by the national ranking leader Eduardo Álvarez Aznar and Sergio Alvarez Moya, the best spanish ranked in there Longines FEI ranking. They will be accompanied by Gerardo Menéndez, Paola Amilibia, Manuel Añón, Armando Trapote, Santiago Núñez Riva and Iván Serrano, among others.
Source: Press release
