Gregory Wathelet and Conrad
The first highlight of the 5th CSI Basel finished with a double victory for Belgium. Grégory Wathelet won the Championship of Basel aboard Conrad, earning 80,000 Swiss Francs in front of his fellow countryman Pieter Devos riding Dream of India Greenfield. Switzerland’s best performing rider was Pius Schwizer with Toulago, finishing in fourth, earning the only clear round of the Swiss riders. There were a total of eleven couples in the jump off.
Winning the Goldene Trommel von Basel, Wathelet was first to enter in the jump-off and with a lot of speed he finished clear with his Holsteiner stallion. His fellow countryman Devos, who won the Grand Prix of Calgary last autumn, was 0.42 seconds slower than Wathelet. Pius Schwizer executed a tremendous jump-off with the 9-year old gelding Toulago.
Wathelet received 20,000 Swiss Francs and Devos earned 16,000. Also Switzerland’s Paul Estermann, who earned 2012 Swiss Rider of the Year, earned a spot in the jump off riding the lovely Castelfield Ecplise. In addition, Faye Schoch from Fribourg, Switzerland also made it through to the jump off with her mare Nouvelle Europe. Both riders earned two faults and finished as 10th and 11th.
Source: Longines CSI5* Basel