Ph. ©DigiShots
It was a "ladies first" kind of night in the 1m50 VDL Groep Prix when USA’s Lauren Hough bested a field of 50 entries to win at CSI3* Maastricht in the Netherlands. Local, rising talent Lisa Nooren finished as the runner up in a competitive, 15-rider jump off.
Setting a thrilling pace, Hough and 11-year-old, Belgian Warmblood mare Ohlala (Orlando x Cardento) cleared the final round in 37.17 seconds. Nooren and nine-year-old, French bred stallion VDL Groep Sabech D’Ha (Qredo de Paulstra HN x Talent Platiere HN) were over two seconds shy of catching Hough, with a time of 39.34 seconds. Third place went to Ireland’s Denis Lynch and the 11-year-old, Dutch Warmblood mare Zamora (Quasimodo Z x Nimmerdor).
Lynch was followed by three Dutch riders: Jur Vrieling with Zaval VDL (Casall x Emilion), Marc Houtzager with Sterrehof’s Voltaire (Now or Never M x Accord II), and National Champion Leopold van Asten with VDL Groep Zagreb (Querlybet Hero x Heartbreaker).
Hough will hope to use the super performance from her mare at their next competition, Longines Global Champions Tour Championship finale in Doha, Qatar, from November 12 to 14.
For full results of the VDL Groep Prix, see here.