Release date: 02/07/2010 |    

After a non competitive warm up session last night the GCT of Portugal opened properly for the 5* riders with a speed class which was exciting enough to really whet the appetitie for the rest of the competitions. In the expansive arena at Estoril it is always a challenge for the designer to make places where tight turns can get the better of flat out galloping but today Frank Rothenberger got the balance eaxctly right. Marco Kutscher on Gut Neuenhof Lea was first in and set a decent standard of 59.46 which looked as though it could be beaten easily but in fact it was over ten horses later before Julian Epaillard managed to do so with Mister Davier. But then into the ring trotted the speed queen of the GCT, Cannes and Valencia winner Vonka A. Combining flat out gallops with polo pony turns is her speciality and when the clock stopped, rider Daniel Deusser could have been forgiven for thinking the 6000 Euro was in the bag when it showed a time of 55.20 which took a full three seconds off the Frenchmans total! there was still half the class to ride though and perhaps surprisingly, it was Nick Skelton who gave beating him a real good go on his Grand Prix horse Carlo but they just failed to catch the german pair with 55.89. In the end though, it was almost the last man in who stopped any premature celebration. Roger Yves Bost had only one other rider to follow him and if anyone had though Vonka was home and hosed in the winners spot, no-one had told the Frenchman or his mount Jovis de Ravel. The horse, who has had numerous good placings including one behind another speed demon Gianni Govoni in Valencia, turned the tables on the grass surface here and sped home in 53.65. It is not often that you will see a combination take a second and a half off the German pair and perhaps the unofficial title of GCT Speed Horse of the Season is still up for grabs!