Press release from EEF, edited by World of Showjumping

In a thrilling competition which came down to the wire, it was a young Belgian team who took the top spot at the first of two semi-finals for the Longines EEF Series. At the stunning French venue of Deauville, the Belgian quartet of Roy van Beek on Cavoiro (Casallco x Calido I), Zoe Conter on La Una (Chacco-Blue x For Pleasure), Sasha Beghuin with Elcup van Beek II Z (Elvis ter Putte x Armitage) and Mathieu Bourdeaud’Hui aboard Oscar the Homage (Quint vh Maarlo Z x Arko III) produced a solid all-round performance to finish on just one penalty after two rounds. Spain – represented by Alvaro Gonzalález De Zarate Fernandez on Casa Diva PS (Casallco x Silvio I), Hugo Alvarez Amaro on Casaspezia (Casalido x Böckmann’s Lord Pezi), Diego Ramos Maneiro on Hero (Cantos x BMC Kigali) and Iván Serrano Sáez aboard Rain Man (Chacco-Blue x Pilot) – who were winners in Deauville last year, took second place on four penalties while Brazil – with a team consisting of Rodrigo Pessoa on Eclat du Cerisier (Kannan x Loyalty du Cerisier), Mariana Frauches Chaves on Pedro van de Barlebus (Echo van'T Spielveld x Ohio van de Padenborre), Pedro Junqueira Muylaert on Gemme Villers (Maloubet de Pleville x Norman Pre Noir) and Pedro Veniss aboard Duelante 3K (Lordanos x Zirocco Blue VDL) – joined the podium with 12 penalties.
 
Eight regional qualifiers took place for the four regions involved in the Longines EEF Series, with 20 teams having earned their spots in the two semi-finals. Deauville was the semi-final for the teams who had qualified from Region West and Region North. With the final set to take place in Avenches, Switzerland, in September, Belgium, Spain and home side France (who finished fourth), secured qualification from Region West, while Norway finished fifth and Sweden in sixth, taking the qualifying spots for the North Region.

The next semi-final for Regions South and Central takes place in Budapest on Friday 27 June. Entered to compete are Italy, Turkey and Romania coming forward from Region South; and Switzerland, Hungary, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia and Czech Republic from Region Central.
 
Speaking after the competition, Belgian chef d’equipe Filip Lacus summed up the Belgian performance: “We are very happy to win this class so we qualify for the final which was the reason we came. I am very happy how the riders rode and the horses jumped. They (the riders) came for the experience for sure and we had to qualify for the final which they did. The Longines EEF Series gives experience for younger combinations so we try to use it as much as possible to take the experience for the younger riders.”