Latest news from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Mares and Marcus Rule in Rio

Tonight's two part class in Rio was a glowing tribute to mares as they filled the top four places in a fourteen horse jump off. The Prix Bradesco was a winning round class so the best 20% went through to the second round against the clock where all of them started on zero. There was another 125'000 in total prize money  and this class was open to the national riders as well as the GCT ones so sixty horses were originally in the field.

The second phase was diminished by one when Ellen Whitaker was taken ill and could not jump off. Phillip Weishaupt started the ball rolling on dark bay Sovenir  29 and the pair set an excellent standard of 40.95. it did not like like he had left much room for manouvre either. Billy Twomey on another mare Tinka's Serenade, was first to get past the German combination by just two tenths of a second and then Roger Yves Bost, next in on his young mare Nifrane de Kreisker  removed a stride coming to the last and clipped a second off the Irishman's time. This was looking unbeatable but you can never say never when the last to jump is Marcus Ehning. Riding his Sandro Boy sired Sabrina, a daring turn to the second last had the desired effect and his time of 39.63 was enough to give him another win on a mare who has barely been unplaced this season. More pictures can be found in the gallery.