Press release from the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour
The first week of Spring MET II 2023 concluded with a French victory in the CSI2* 1.45m Grand Prix presented by Dammann Reitplatz- u. Sportplatzbau GmbH. A total of fourteen horse-and-rider-combinations from the 47 pairs at start cleared the first-round track – set by the Dutch course designer Louis Konickx – which counted 13 obstacles and 16 efforts.
First out in the jump-off, Victor Mariano Luminatti (BRA) and Idette (Eldorado van de Zeshoek x Namelus R) stopped the clock on 39.53 – a time that in the end was good enough to finish third, as the French, Belgian and Dutch delegation that followed all meant business.
Best of all were Nicolas Delmotte (FRA) and Citadin du Chatellier (L’Arc de Triomphe x Diamant de Semilly), that cruised effortlessly around the Oliva Nova ring, mastering the roll-back to the penultimate double perfectly – crossing the finish line in 37.70. With his time, Delmotte took the win ahead of Constant Van Paesschen (BEL) and Karnak du Roset (Kannan x Dollar de La Pierre) who had to settle for the runner-up position with a time of 38.19 followed by Victor Mariano Luminatti in third, Marc Houtzager (NED) on Holy Moley (Verdi TN x Warrant) in fourth in 39.80 and Jeanne Sadran (FRA) in fifth in 40.30 aboard Kosmo Van Hof Ter Boone (Arko III x Pachat II). Julien Epaillard (FRA) and Chana de Valeme (Nabab de Reve x Urbain du Monnai) clocked the quickest time of the afternoon when stopping the clock on 35.84 – however on the expense of a pole on the last fence, which left the world no. three just outside the top five this time around.
“I’ve been riding Citadin since he was seven,” Delmotte said about his horse Citadin du Chatellier after their win. “He is a winner, and a very generous horse. I choose to come to Oliva – as I have done in the last few years – to start the season with all my horses. With Citadin, I plan to jump four-star and five-star shows this year, as well as the French Championships in May. He is a really special horse for me, and very competitive. He needs more experience, but I think he has huge scope.”
“There are super riders and horses here in Oliva,” Delmotte said when asked about his plan for the jump-off. “Entering the arena, I was focused on a fast round. When you have Jérôme Guéry and Julien Epaillard with you in a jump-off, it’s clear that you cannot lose your seconds! Citadin is a very fast horse; he has a lot of blood, so I tried not to push him too much. At the end, I did the jump-off as I wanted, and I’m very happy: Constant did a super jump-off as well, and I was even faster than him.”
“This is my third year at MET Oliva,” Delmotte said about the venue at Centro Ecuestre Oliva Nova. “I like to start the season here. The arenas are amazing, and the course designer has been great with the Grand Prix course today. It’s a great place to start the season.”
The second part of Spring MET 2023 runs until February 26, followed by Spring MET III from 7-26 March and Spring MET IV from 4-23 April 2023.