Rodrigo Lambre and Charielle. Ph. Anwar Esquivel
The Valle de Bravo CSI4* offered three classes in the main arena on a picture perfect Thursday outside of Mexico City, Mexico. The final class of the day, the FEI 1.45m Longines Ranking class, was the qualifier for Saturday’s highlight event, the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Valle de Bravo Grand Prix, presented by Scappino. Three out of 37 horses negotiated Guilherme Jorge’s track without fault and once again Brazil’s Rodrigo Lambre and the quick, 10-year-old Argentinian mare Charielle (Chacco Blue x Argentinus) were clean and fast for the win.
Fifteenth to go and first clean was Nicolas Pizarro of Mexico on his second mount of the class, the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Barbaro (Balou du Rouet x Carthago). Six rounds later American Audrey Coulter rode fault-free aboard the 12-year-old Westphalian gelding Alex (Arpeggio x Mon Cheri). And last to go, Lambre and Charielle rounded out the three to return.
Pizarro set a deceptively fast and clear jump-off round, as the smooth track didn’t seem speedy in 43.51. Clearly out to win, Coulter set a forward pace but even without her single rail on course, her time of 45.21 did not beat Pizarro. Fresh off yesterday’s win in the FEI Welcome Speed Stake, Lambre piloted Charielle on a tidy track to stop the clock clean in 41.18, once again winning by a fairly wide margin.
Time was a factor in the first round, as the 4th through 6th placed riders scored only one time fault and the 7th place horse finished with a score of two time faults. Aside from those four entries another dozen finished with both faults on course and exceeding the time allowed.
Find full results at this link.
Fifty-six horses competed in the FEI 1.35m Speed Class earlier in the day. Of the twenty-nine who went clean, Mexico’s own Juan Pablo Gaspar Albanez rode Shamrock V (owned by Eric Hochstadter) to the win in 49.63. Francisco Lomelin rode Balzane du Noyer (Hank Melse B.V. & European Sporthorses, owner) second fastest in a time of 50.73, with a close third going to Manuel Gonzales Dufrane and Desie (owned by Andres Gonzalez de la Parre), stopping the clock in 50.98. Full results here.
Friday’s classes begin with the third FEI 1.35m at 9am (CST), followed by an FEI 1.40m class and another $35,000 FEI 1.45m class beginning at 3pm (CST). The afternoon class will be available via livestream on the FEI YouTube channel as well as through the USEF Network, iEquine and Practical Horseman online.
More about Valle de Bravo
The newly minted North American League Longines FEI World Cup qualifying season continues in 2016 in Mexico. With ten events complete, four remain before the Finals this March in Gothenburg, Sweden. Valle de Bravo CSI4* is the first of those four events and is also the first ever FEI World Cup Qualifying event produced in Mexico. Setting Latin American records right from the start, 81 International riders representing fourteen countries jogged 175 FEI horses. Valle de Bravo CSI4* wishes to thank all their sponsors. Without their support this first-time World Cup Qualifying event in Mexico would not be possible.