Edited press release from Longines Global Champions Tour

On the first day of the Longines Global Champions Tour of Monaco, Simon Delestre (FRA) and the 10-year-old mare Olga van de Kruishoeve (El Torreo de Muze x Nabab de Reve) clinched the victory in the CSI5* 1.45m speed class, presented by the Federation Équestre de la Principauté de Monaco.

In a heart-stopping performance, the duo clocked an impressive time of 53.59 seconds, edging out fellow Frenchman Roger Yves Bost and his 13-year-old mare Ballerine du Vilpion (Baloubet du Rouet x Quidam de Revel) by more than 2.85 seconds. Jessica Springsteen (USA) and Naomi van het Keizershof (Cardento x For Pleasure) secured third place with a time of 56.94 seconds.

Marking his third consecutive win at the Longines Global Champions Tour events, Delestre remarked: ”Olga is a very quick horse, and I can take the first distance, she really turns short after the fence so this is maybe her tenth or eleventh win in eight months at the five-star level, so she is super competitive.” 

As for the weekend ahead, Delestre went on to say, “It’s day by day, and class by class but my horses are in great shape at the moment. We had a super competition last weekend in Stockholm, so we plan to try and do the same tomorrow but it’s always tough!”