The rain was relentless, but it could not get the better of Chris van der Merwe and Chantilly, the only horse-and-rider combination to jump three clear rounds to claim victory in the Adult 1.50m Nissan Outdoor Grand Prix.
The final and anticipated class of the Nissan Easter Festival saw 24 horse-and-rider combinations vie for the coveted title in the Bob Charter Arena at Kyalami Equestrian Park on 22 April.
The rain did not deter the top showjumpers from competing and many equestrian enthusiasts braved the cold and wet conditions to support the riders and their horses. The further down the programme running order, the harder it rained, with the commentator remarking how it seemed that the higher qualifiers were to ride in the worst of the weather conditions.
Van der Merwe set the class off on a positive note on his first ride, B B Nissan Polokwane DSP Crashman, incurring just four faults.
A little further down the running order, Rainer Korber riding Back On Track Quentino 4 and Govett Triggol riding Callaho’s Wolke 334 followed in Van der Merwe’s tracks by also incurring just four faults in the first round.
It was only when number nine on the programme, Chatan Hendriks riding Biogen’s Caspar finished his round that a new bar was set, as Hendriks rode the first clear of the competition, proving that while conditions may be hard-going, a clear round was possible.
This was further confirmed by Van der Merwe on his second ride, Rene Fourie’s horse, Chantilly, as this horse-and-rider combination also rode through the finish flags with a clear.
Last year’s Outdoor Grand Prix winners Ronnie Lawrence and Avis Gillian van Orshof knocked just one pole to also incur four faults in the first round as did Thomas Triggol riding Callaho’s Fiona. Nicole Horwood riding Mark White Nissan’s Capital Hitoshi, Oliver Bishop riding Belvedere and Dominey Alexander riding
R N R Gulliver each incurred five faults after knocking a pole and accumulating a one time penalty.
While many competitors opted to scratch the second round, nine chose to battle it out, but after the two rounds, it was only Hendriks and Van der Merwe who had jumped two clear rounds. The stage was set for a jump-off.
Hendriks and Caspar were first to go and their round was smooth sailing – until the final jump.
The pair knocked a pole on the last fence, incurring an unfortunate four faults.
It was a picture of pure determination as Van der Merwe rode Chantilly around the jump-off track. As the pair cleared the final fence and rode through the finish flags, they had done it – they had cleared the third and final round, sealing their win.
This put Hendriks and Caspar in second place.
The competitors who ended the two rounds on just four faults, after riding clear in the second round, placed third, fourth and fifth. Respectively, they were Triggol riding Callaho’s Wolke 334, Korber riding Back On Track Quentino 4 and Lawrence riding Gillian van Orshof. Bishop riding Belvedere placed sixth, after also clearing the second round to end the two rounds on five faults.
The top three competitors, Van der Merwe, Hendriks and Triggol mounted the podium for the prize giving ceremony during which it was announced that Van der Merwe riding Chantilly had also scooped the Victor Ludorum for the Adult 1.50m class at the show.
The top six riders then set off on a lap of honour to cheers from happy, albeit cold and wet, spectators, bringing this year’s Easter Festival to a close.
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