Credit: The Sunshine Tour
Jufer takes top spot in Barbate Trophy
Alain Jufer is on a roll. In one week he has had two wins, one today with ‘Dante MM’ and one yesterday with ‘Dark Grey’, a second place with ’Kosimo MM’ on the 20th and a third place with ‘Cornet MM’ also yesterday, in the first Ranking qualifier, the 21st. He really is on a roll and is a top favourite, for the win tomorrow in the Grand Prix class, here at the II Andalucía October Tour.
Today the qualifier class was sponsored by the local Ayuntamiento de Barbate and the whole Tour is sponsored by the Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y de Deportes de la Junta de Andalucía, and co-financed, from European funds.
The Barbate Trophy class was held in the Milton arena and was a speed class. There were around 70 horses in the class and Alain finished in a time of 64.61 seconds on this Diarado, ds: Luxiusgelding who is owned by Marlis Mühlebach. He was just over a second faster than the recently arrived British rider, who was the leader of the class from very early on, Robert Murphy. Robert was riding the very athletic ‘Cantos’ bred gelding, ‘Ayrton IV’ who is owned by David Andrews and this pair finished in 65.66s.
Just over a second behind Robert was another British rider, Will Edwards with ‘SHW Candies B’ a mare by ‘Chacco-Blue ’. In fourth was Italian rider Luca Moneta with ‘Chilli 41’ and in fifth was Julie Welles (USA) with the athletic mare ‘Greatfull’ who is never out of the top placings in any of her classes.
All in all 22 horses jumped clear in this class which was the second qualifier for tomorrows Longines Ranking GP, which in itself is a qualifier for the 2023 European Championships (CH-EU-S 2023).
The 1.40m was won by the Spanish rider, Jesús Garmendia Echevarria with ‘Valut 2’. In second was British rider Joe Fernyhough with ‘Kimba Castello’. Two Spanish riders were third and fourth, Iván Serrano with ‘Casper de Luxe’ and Olivia Álvarez García with ‘O. Ziezo DB’. In fifth was the Swedish rider Erika Lickhammer-Van Helmond with ‘Vanilla Z’.
José Fumero Hernández (ESP) had another win today, this time in the 1.35m with ‘Figuier du Roc’, Portuguese rider Antonio Matos Almeida was second with ‘Keatingstown Z Wellie Two’. The next three places were taken by Spanish riders, Oliver Lange Fraile and ‘Flying Pleasure’; Leticia Riva Gil and ‘Conan de Taute’ and finally Sira Martínez Cullell with ‘Devise du Salbey’.
Other winners today were Spanish rider, Olivia Álvarez García with ‘Cartouche’ en 1.30 with Kayleigh Watts again in the rosettes, in second place with ‘Whisper of Joy’. The 1.20m class proved to be a difficult track today and was finally won by American rider, Molly Hay with ‘Billy Bilboa’; Swedish rider, Monica Stööp with ‘Cinini II JJ Z’ was the winner of the 1.10m class and the Irish rider Kevin Gallagher withthe mare, ’Vino Bianco Van Overis Z’ who is by ‘Vingino’ and owned by Elicia Edgar was the winner of the 6yr old class.