Press release from the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour 

The first week of Autumn MET II 2023 concluded with a Turkish victory in the CSI2* 1.45m Grand Prix presented by Dammann Reitplatz- u. Sportplatzbau GmbH, with Derin Demirsoy and O-Kannarock (Rock'N Roll Semilly x Kannan) taking the top honors. 

Seven out of the 78 horse-and-rider-combinations at start cleared the first-round track and joined the deciding jump-off, where Demirsoy and O-Kannarock were the the fastest when stopping the clock on 45.96 seconds. Louise Simpson (GBR) and Cindy R (Clarimo x Quidam de Revel) took the runner-up spot with their time of 48.05, while Joseph Clayton (GBR) and Commissaire S (Comme Il Faut x Polydor) placed third in 48.81. Mariano Martinez Bastida (ESP) and Quark de Preully Z (Quaprice Boismargot Quincy x Cento) finished fourth with one down in 46.00, and Erica Swartz Ryan (SWE) aboard Cavicii Z (Carlow van de Helle x Cardento 933) fifth in 55.56 – also they with a score of four faults in the jump-off. 

“My horse is nine, and has come a long way in the last couple of months. He jumped phenomenal today, I am really proud of him,” Demirsoy said about his winning ride. 

“Honestly, there were not so many so I wanted to give it our best,” Demirsoy said about his plan for the jump-off. “And I don’t think we left much out there. I think the course designer [Franz Madl] did a great job the whole week, building nice, technical, courses. My horse is not the most experienced, but he is naturally very fast, and we have been working a lot on our turns and today it paid off. Last year, this week was my first show with him; Carpe Diem Equestrian Team bought him as an eight-year-old and we have worked our way through the months patiently. The last half year his consistency has been fantastic and it really rewards my team’s hard work.”

“I come here more or less every year in the fall,” Demirsoy said about the venue at Centro Ecuestre Oliva Nova. “This is a great place to be and this year there were some very nice improvements, such as the big warm-up arena and the footings in different rings. So again, to Bettina and the whole team behind: Thank you.”