Big surprise at home with the victory of the Portuguese Luis Sabino Gonçalves against the Dutch Charlotte Verhagen and the British Ellen Whitaker. Tomas Couve Correa from Chile seventh. (Photo © Vilamoura Equestrian Center)
With the participation of 45 pairs, the €25,000 CSI 3* Grand Prix 1.50m – Vilamoura World was held and the surprise victory by the house rider Luis Sabino Gonçalves with 11-year old gelding Scott Egyptian Empire (Lord Calando x Nidor Platiere ) owned by Equivarandas.
After completing the regular round, a total of 7 riders returned to the tiebreaker where the Portuguese marked the pace of the competition in 43.32 seconds, a result that allowed him to add 50 World Ranking points. Not too distant in the second place was Charlotte Verhagen of the Netherlands with 12-year-old gelding Abache HL (Cantos x Lux) registering 43.84 seconds, while completing the Top 5 in the third place the British Ellen Whitaker in time of 45.42 seconds next to the 8-year-old gelding Arena Uk Winston (Waldo Van Dungen x Hamilton Tropics), fourth culminated Radovan Sillo of Slovakia aganizing a time of 50,86 seconds with the last double clear of the class in the company of 9-year-old stallion Isidor Carcaletto (Cardinal I x Concorde) and fifth place Briton Laura Renwick with 8-year-old stallion Top Dollar VI (Dollar du Murier x Darco), downed a rail in 47.04 seconds.
For the Latin Ranking Chilean Tomas Couve Correa got his pass to the jump-off, but finished in 4 fouls and 54.16 seconds with 10-year-old gelding To Jump de Kerglenn (Cassini II x Diamant de Semilly) in seventh place. For their part, also scored points for Brazil’s Felipe Ramos Guinato ranking in ninth, completing his regular round in 4 fouls with 10-year-old mare Quidam’s Gray Lady (Quidam’s Rubin x Eiger I), while fellowmen Nando de Miranda takes possession of the 14th place with 9-year-old mare Czarina Jmen (Clavigo Jmen x Contender) with 4 fouls. Out of the points were Brazilians Luiz Felipe de Azevedo in 18th place and Cassio Rivetti in box 24th with 5 and 8 fouls each, Mexican Alberto Harari retired, same fate as the Chilean Bernardo Naveillan.
