The 12th edition of the Morocco Royal Tour kicked off in Tetouan at the Royal Guard on Friday and it was France's former world number one Simon Delestre that took the biggest win of the day when topping the CSI4*-W 1.50m Prix de la Marche Verte with the 9-year-old Olga van de Kruishoeve (El Torreo de Muze x Nabab de Reve, bred by Eric Polfliet and owned by Ismael Bouabid and Youssef Bouabid). 

With a clear in a time of 64.41, Delestre took the win in this speed class counting for the Longines Ranking which also was a qualifier for Sunday's Grand Prix. "I've only been riding her for a short time, this is only the third show we've done together," Delestre said in a press release from Morocco Royal Tour. "I've got a very good feeling about this mare and it was interesting to see today how she would perform playing for the victory and she jumped remarkably well. I'm discovering her a little more each time. She has great potential and we're counting on her for the future. Her behavior today was exemplary and bodes well for the future of our shared adventure".

"There are many other reasons that bring me back to Morocco every year," Delestre – who is a familiar face at the Morocco Royal Tour – continued. "We have a lot of ties there, as my father was national trainer for four years, contributing to the team's qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games. It was a period that enabled us to discover Morocco and the Moroccan people, with whom we have a lot in common. Apart from this aspect, I always make it a rule to choose the best competitions for my horses, and in this respect the MRT is a fantastic circuit, bringing together all the best it has to offer from a technical point of view. Of course, there's the emotional side, but for me, the most important thing is the quality of the competition." 

Giulia Martinengo Marquet (ITA) and Scuderia 1918 Quick And Easy 3 (Quick Orion d'Elle x Colman) placed second in 65.2, while Jeanne Sadran (FRA) and Kosmo Van Hof Ter Boone (Arko III x Pachat II) took the third place in 65.96. Antoine Ermann (FRA) and Odin Van 'T Hanegoor (Kiekeboe x Thunder Van De Zuuthoeve) finished fourth in 66.73, followed by Jérôme Guery (BEL) aboard Enjoy d'Eole (Kannan x Carthago Z) in fifth in 67.00. 

After Tetouan, Morocco Royal Tour continues in Rabat from October 12 to 15 before the final leg in El Jadida from October 19 to 23.