Scott Brash & Hello Mr. President. ph: 1clicphoto.com/ Herve Bonnaud.
The Spring MET 2018 kicked off this week at the Oliva Nova Equestrian Centre in Olivia Nova, Spain, and concluded with Sunday’s €30,000 Grand Prix, presented by Oliva Nova Beach and Golf Resort, on January 21.
Top honors went to Scott Brash (GBR) and the 9-year-old AES gelding Hello Mr. President (Comme d’Api VD Hacienda x Unknown).
“I have always known that he is a very good horse, and now he is improving all the time. It is nice to have him down here in Olivia and to be more competitive with him,” Brash said. “I have really high hopes for the future!”
Thirty nine horse and rider combinations took to the 1.45m course set by Elio Travagliati (ITA). Seven rode to clear rounds, with Brash setting the winning time of 38.75s.
“I think it was a well built course. Seven clears out of 39 is a good number and the course was fair and nice to ride,” Brash detailed .
“I will be here in Oliva for another week, and then I go to Bordeaux before I come back here for MET II. I really like being here. It is super facilities and every year you come back there [are] always improvement,” Brash continued. “Everything is close and the beach is so nice for the horses.”
Ireland’s Conor Swail and the ten-year-old KWPN gelding Domino van de Valhoeve (Lord Z x Concorde x Mts Loos, Kruisland ) crossed the timers in 39.40s for 2nd place.
France’s Valentine Belooussoff squeezed into 3rd aboard the 11-year-old KEPWN gelding Calou (Roven x Lauriston). The duo closed out the top three in 42.69s.
The full results can be viewed here.