Edited press release from Tops International Arena

Finally, top level competitions were underway again in the beautiful surroundings of Tops International Arena. The first day in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands, ended with a CSI4* competition set at 1.50/1.55m, the thrilling highlight of the day. It was a competition against the clock, so the riders had to have their plan ready and set the fastest route.

It was the Brazilian rider Eduardo Menezes who managed to achieve the fastest round with the 12-year-old KWPN stallion H5 Elvaro (Calvaro F.C. x Heartbreaker). "A great start of the event for us, great! My horse felt good and the soil here is excellent. It's great to ride on grass again. When I was growing up this arena was like a myth to me. I wanted to ride here. I totally understood when the grass was replaced by sand, but now it's back to how it should be," Menezes said. 

Menezes liked the course: "When you win you always like a course, but my horse did great. I could have one stride less here and there and my horse went easily through the course." 

Egypt's Abdel Saïd came second with Arpege du Ru (Apache d'Adriers x Quat'sous), 1.55 seconds behind the winning time while British star Ben Maher finished third with Ginger-Blue (Plot Blue x Royal Bravour). 

The first CSI4* competition, a 1.45m two-phase, was won by Dutchman Jeroen Dubbeldam on Forever SFN (Azteca VDL x Nonstop). Luxembourg's Charlotte Bettendorf finished as runner-up with Raia d'Helby (Fergar Mail x Papillon Rouge) and Jordan's Ibrahim Hani Bisharat was third with Astuce du Cellier LA (Ogano Sitte x Quick Star). 

The former Olympic Champion was happy with his performance. "Yes of course I am happy with the victory. It's not the most important class of this event but winning always gives a good feeling especially when you really want to win. I am not only happy with the victory but also very pleased with how my horse jumped. That is also very important,” Dubbeldam said.

Like all the other riders, Dubbeldam was happy to be riding on the beautiful grass surface of Tops International Arena again. "The footing feels great, it's top quality. The horses jump easy and light and have a lot of grip."