© PSV J.Morel
Lalie Saclier - a member of the Equita Riders team – wins the opening class of the CSI 2* competition
Lalie Saclier and Ultra Blue de Jaurand won the Prix De Sutter Naturally, a class with 1.35 obstacles against the clock. As the last rider of the class to take to the arena, Lalie Saclier, who is based in the Ain region of France, had plenty of time to observe the other competitors. And she certainly gathered some valuable information, since she went on to clock the fastest clear round in 54"63.
« Ultra Blue is an experienced horse and I know him really well. And Equita is an important competition for me, so I'm determined to put in a good performance here. That's why I decided to ride Ultra Blue for this class. I'd seen Alexis Lheureux's round and thought he'd done a really quick time. But I didn't let that influence me; I stayed focused on what I had planned to do and it worked out really well. Now, my goal is to perform well in the major classes with my lead horse J'Adore and even try to qualify for the Grand Prix as early as today (Wednesday) ! » said the 26-year-old rider.
The podium of this first international class was made up entirely of French riders. Second place went to Alexis Lheureux and Gemma d'Aunis, who had led the class for a long time (55''88), with third place on the podium going to Dylan Ringot riding French Kiss d'Ivraie (55''99).