Test Events 2013 : Results from the Endurance and Eventing competitions
The Endurance and Eventing competitions organized as part of the 2013 test events for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games ™ 2014 in Normandy took place last week in Sartilly, Le Pin National Stud and Caen. The Driving competition, third and last test event of the year, will be held in Caen on 23, 24 and 25 August, behind closes doors once again.
ENDURANCE IN SARTILLY ON 16 AUGUST : SHEIKH HAMDAN BIN MOHAMMED AL MAKTOUM TRIUMPHS
58 competitors and their horses had teed off at 6:30 am Friday, August 16 2013 in Sartilly for a 129 km journey comprising four loops of 22 to 38 km. In spite of a rainy and cold weather, HE Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (UAE) won the event in 6h14mn34secs, beating Raed Mahmood and Ahmed Am Hamdani.
With this event, the Organizing Committee was able to test all the elements related to the sporting aspects of the competition, and most importantly the track, as underlined by Laurent Cellier, Director of the Sports Department: "The competitors told us they appreciated the track, which is very technical and varied with paths on sand, forests, pastures and more. Those positive comments confirm we made the right choices. We also received very good feedback from some major national delegations. We still have a year to work on all the details, but the “master plan” is done".
Click here to check out the best pictures from the race
Final Rankings
EVENTING : VITTORIA PANIZZON AND MERLOTS MAGIC CROWNED
The Eventing CCI ** competition crowned Italian Vittoria Panizzon on Merlots Magic. After the Dressage test (Friday) and the Cross-Country (Saturday) at the heart of the magnificent Le Pin National Stud, the 44 competitors present were then transferred to Caen on Sunday morning for the Jumping test.
"I'm really happy," said the winner of the day, Vittoria Panizzon, after the awards ceremony. "I had never been to Le Pin National Stud before and I loved the course. I'm sure there will lots of spectators next year. And if we could have the same support and the same atmosphere as last year at the London Olympics, that would be fantastic. "
This event was a real challenge because the cross-country track was used for the first time since its inauguration in July 2013, and the transfer of horses between the Le Pin National Stud and Caen was crucial to ensure the smooth running of the event. “Mission accomplished” according to Fabien Grobon, CEO of the Normandy 2014 Organizing Committee: "We conclude this second test event with rich lessons for the Organising Committee. Various sporting aspects and our organisation model have been tested, as well as some important structuring technical choices".
Click here to check out the best pictures from the Eventing competition
Download the final individual results
NEXT : THE DRIVING COMPETITION ON 23, 24, AND 25 AUGUST IN CAEN
“So far so good” since all the test events’ actors - volunteers, riders, federations, media, etc. - have expressed their appreciation during the course of the week.
However, the Organising Committee remains focused for the third and final test event: the Driving competition, which will be held on 23, 24 and 25 August in the Prairie Racecourse in Caen. This event will be held in camera, and bring together 12 teams and more than 100 volunteers.
Schedule:
• Dressage on 23rd August at 8am
• Cross-Country marathon on 24th August at 2pm (8 sections; 1 and 9km)
• Obstacle cone driving on 25th August at 9.30am