Foto: Madeleine D. Bergsjø
The Margins were on James Bond’s side today. Only four out of 40 riders managed to conquer the World Cup course clear in Oslo. In the end, it was Belgian Gregory Wathelet who stood alone with a double clear round with his great stallion Bond Jamesbond de Hay.
Now, the horses has left Unity Arena for the last time. Next year, Agria Oslo Horse Show will be held at X Meeting Point, just north of Oslo. The riders were put to the test as the Longines FEI World Cup took place for the last time at Unity Arena, Fornebu. Rails fell, and by the end of the class only four riders had completed the
course without any faults.
“It didn’t seem that difficult when I walked the course, but there were more faults than I had expected,” said winning Gregory Wathelet, who rode the fantastic Bond Jamesbond de Hay.
In the jump-off, Wathelet was the third rider out, with only Mans Thijssen left to go after him.
“I didn’t know how fast Thijssen’s horse was, so I set a high pace. The gamble paid off,” Wathelet said with satisfaction.
Second place went to the Swiss rider Edouard Schmitz with Gamin van’t Naastveldhof. Edouard was the first rider in the class to go clear.
“I was very pleased with how my horse jumped. It’s our first time here in Norway, and we’ll leave with great memories,” said the Swiss rider, who will compete in the World Cup in Helsinki next weekend.
Third place went to the French rider Julien Gonin.
“I didn’t expect a worse result today,” he joked after the class.
Crowd favorite and home rider Victoria Gulliksen was the best Norwegian rider, finishing in 17th place with five faults. She was not particularly satisfied with her performance.
“I rode unfocused, which caused both the knockdown and the time fault, but it was fantastic, as always, to come home and ride in front of this crowd, which is really engaged in every round,” said Victoria.
Event director Morten Aasen couldn’t have been more pleased with the final show at Unity Arena. Once again, he confirmed a record attendance. Next year, the competition will take place at a new arena north of Oslo.
“I really want to highlight and say a big thank you to all the volunteers who have been part of making this happen. It’s been fantastic,” said a tearful Morten Aasen.
Next year, the Agria Oslo Horse Show will take place from October 16-19.