Press release from the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour

It was a well-known face that won Wednesday’s 7-year-old final presented by Dammann Reitplatz- u. Sportplatzbau GmbH at the Spring MET IV 2019 as Clem McMahon (IRL) piloted Hilton Up The Banner (Je T’Aime Flamenco x Cruising) to the top honours in the biggest class of the day. McMahon has been coming to the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour for years – and is a real regular in Oliva Nova. “I think this is our 5th or 6th year here, and we keep coming back. It is perfect to produce the young horses,” the Irish rider smiled after his victory. 

It’s not the first time McMahon and Hilton Up The Banner win at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour, the two also went to the top in the 6-year-old final during last year's Spring MET III and today’s victory was yet another proof of the couple’s consistency. “My horse was also here for this year's Spring MET III, he jumped eight times clear – and was second in the final. Last week I jumped him in the Silver Tour, just for experience and I moved him back in the 7-year-olds this week,” Mc Mahon explained. “I have had him since he was three, and I own him along with his breeder. I think he is a very good horse, a Grand Prix horse in the future.”

Not many mastered today’s 1.40m course in the 7-year-old final, only four other horse-and-rider combinations joined McMahon for the jump-off. “Today’s course was challenging enough, it was only five clears in the first round. It was a good test for the 7-year-olds,” McMahon said.

Beating runner-up Ines van den Bosch (BEL) and Zirocco (Zilverstar T x Hamar) by 0.63 seconds, McMahon concluded that it was his tactics at the beginning of the jump-off course that secured him the win: “From fence one to two I did one stride less, and when I had that done I just did the same as the others,” he explained. 

Third place went to Luis Plaza-Vidal (ESP) on Mylord’s Bandit Del Keroytin (Edjaz van’t Merelsnest x Caesar van de Helle), while Hannah Åkerblom (SWE) on Hebikdat (Cream On Top x Douglas) finished fourth – both double clear. With one rail down in the jump-off, Carolina Aresu Garcia Obregon (ESP) and Holisca (Spartacus TN x Ramiro Z) had to settle for the fifth place. 
 

In the 6-year-old final, also presented by Dammann Reitplatz- u. Sportplatzbau GmbH, Jane Annett (GBR) took the win with Iwalinde (VDL Zirocco Blue x Corland). Nine horse-and-rider combinations moved on to the jump-off in this 1.30m class, and closest to Annett came Clem McMahon – 0.66 seconds behind on the clock – this time aboard Legaland Team Spirit (Sandro Boy x Heartbreaker). Third place went to Oleh Krasiuk (UKR) on El Cantaro (El Bundy I x Contendro I).

Best among the 5-year-old horses, that were tested over a 1.20m course, was Tiara du Cache Pot Z (Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve x Nabab de Reve) ridden by Jessica Geurts (BEL). Almost two seconds separated the winning couple from runner-up Jelmer Hoekstra (NED) on Joselinde L.A.T. (Carrera VDL x Ustino) in this seventeen-horse jump-off. Third place went to Howard Ephgrave (GBR) on Jayley (Don Diablo HX x Phin Phin). 

The fourth part of this year’s Spring MET concludes on Sunday with a CSI3* Grand Prix, before the Tour takes a break over the summer and then resumes with the Autumn MET 2019 in the beginning of October.