August 20, 2006 – Valkenswaard (NED) – The arena of Stal Tops morphed into a madhouse when VDL Groep team rider Leopold van Asten won Sunday’s VDL Groep Grand Prix at CSI5* Valkenswaard. Acting as the fifth leg of the Global Champions Tour, sponsored by CN and CN WorldWide, the Grand Prix saw a total of 50 riders attempt the 1.60m track set by course designer Christa Jung (GER). Of the 18 riders who returned for the second round, 10 had been clear in the first round. Half of them again managed to be clear to advance to the all-deciding jump-off.

The excitement during the jump-off was simply palpable. With lead-off rider Philippe Rozier (FRA) having a clear round in a slow time followed by Samantha McIntosh (BUL) having one rail down, it was Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum who injected pressure into the game. Aboard Gladdys S (Grandeur x Apart), he crossed the finish line in a time 38.08 seconds, much to the delight of the many German visitors to the show. But the Dutch crowd was even bigger and they anxiously awaited the arrival of the final two riders, Gerco Schröder and Leopold van Asten, both riding for the home country.

Carried by the loud cheers of the crowd, Gerco Schröder and Eurocommerce Milano (Indorado x Beaujolais) managed to stay clear in 37.75 seconds, leaving out a few strides where Beerbaum had been reluctant. His ride seemed impossible to beat. “I did not see Gerco’s ride, but I know how he is, and I know how fast his horse is, so I really had to go for it,” said van Asten. He and his French mare VDL Groep Fleche Rouge (Papillon Rouge x Kissovo) did not let themselves be distracted by the loud noise erupting from the tribunes, thousands of people shouting encouragement for their favoured rider. “I couldn’t hear the noise as I was too focused,” said the 29-year-old. But there was one sound that he could hear very clearly after he crossed the finish-line in 37.40 seconds – the cheering of Wim van der Leegte of VDL Groep, his sponsor, who was dancing with joy. “For me, this victory is the greatest I have ever achieved,” said van Asten, who was not selected for the Dutch World Equestrian Games team. “Wim does so much for the sport, and this is a great gift I can give back.”

With his win, Leopold van Asten climbed up the Global Champions Tour rankings to third position. With a strong result in the final leg of the Tour at CSI Lanaken (BEL) on September 24, he could even make that position one better. The top spot in the ranking, carrying a bonus of 250,000 euros, will go to Ludo Philippaerts. Though the Belgian was not among the top 18 in Valkenswaard, his lead of 111,500 euros, helped by wins in Monaco (MON) and Estoril (POR), cannot be caught.

More results from CSI Valkenswaard:

With 19 clear rounds in the Final of the Medium Tour, the jump-off became a difficult competition to win. Piet Raijmakers of the Netherlands jumped clean and fast on Van Schijndel’s Optical (Athletico x Cassini) in a time of 37.17 seconds. His pace looked hard to beat until Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) shaved almost a second off aboard Cantate Z, finishing in 36.36. Pessoa’s time would have won the class, but he ticked the back rail of the final oxer and had four faults. Stal Tops stable rider Daniel Deusser (GER), riding Issis Du Marais (Papillon Rouge x Uriel), jumped a fast and faultless round in 36.74 seconds to knock Raijmakers into second place and win the Medium Tour Final.

In the Final of the Special Invitational 1.35m, second place was good enough for Jane Davies (GBR) to win the overall ranking of three weeks of Amateur classes. She earned a Marieux table constructed of Indian Applewood, metals and Swarowski crystals, valued at 13,995 euros. The winner of Sunday’s Final class was Bart Soetaers (BEL) while third place went to Chris Starr (USA).

And there were more special prizes awarded on the final day of Valkenswaard. The overall best rider in the three Grand Prix events comprising the three weeks of CSI Valkenswaard earned a brand new Mitsubishi Colt CZ3. Wout-Jan van der Schans (NED) received his car from Mitsubishi Motors Netherlands. And the best rider of the third weekend also earned a prize. Jessica Kürten (IRL) was very happy to receive a stallion foal (Cartani Carthago x Tagi) from the stud ‘Gestüt am Schalsee’. “He is really cute,” she said enthusiastically.

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Rank Prize money (€) Rider (Country)
1. 111.500 Ludo Philippaerts (BEL)
2. 57.500 Thomas Frühmann (AUT)
3. 55.000 Leopold van Asten (NED)
4. 50.000 Norman Dello Joio (USA)
5. 40.500 Samantha McIntosh (BUL)
6. 39.000 Edwina Alexander (AUS)
7. 33.000 Michel Hecart (FRA)
8. 31.000 Francois Mathy (BEL)

For more information on the Global Champions Tour, visit www.globalchampionstour.com
For more information on CN and CN WorldWide, visit www.cn.ca and www.cnworldwide.biz
For more information on JustWorld International, please visit www.justworldinternational.org
For the complete results of CSI Valkenswaard, visit www.csivalkenswaard.com