Thirteen riders competed for the win in the Helsinki Grand Prix rematch. This time, the fastest rider was Japan’s Eiken Sato on Chadellano JRA. Jone Illi rode her first five-star Grand Prix and was the top Finnish rider in the class.
Thirteen riders competed for the win in Saturday’s 155 cm Helsinki Grand Prix jump-off. This time, the fastest rider was Japan’s Eiken Sato on Chadellano JRA. Jone Illi rode his first five-star Grand Prix and was the top Finnish rider in the class.
The class’s final round provided plenty of excitement for the audience, as the lead changed hands several times. Eiken Sato ultimately held on to the lead until the very end. Second place went to Kevin Staut of France on Kannonqulan, and third place went to Giampiero Garofalo of Italy on Querido van’t Ruytershof.
Sato, who is aiming for this season’s World Championships in Aachen and the Asian Games in Japan, was very pleased with his victory. He has been with Yuri Mansuri’s team for just over half a year and believes it has had a positive impact on his recent progress on the competition circuit. He has made changes to his training regimen and has gained a lot of new knowledge.
Sato’s racing partner, Chadellano JRA, is owned by the Japan Equestrian Federation. Sato is very grateful that they have placed their trust in him to race the horse.
Finns Performed Well Despite Their Eliminations
Jone Illi once again posted the best Finnish result in the class. His first round with Celtas Quillian went very well, but unfortunately, due to a single knockdown, the pair did not qualify for the jump-off.
“I’m really happy—this was a big step forward. I was disappointed after the course, because it was a pretty unlucky fall. It was just a very small mistake there. I can’t help but be pleased with the horse. I feel confident. You can see that the horse is capable of this, and I was capable of it, and it didn’t feel terribly difficult,” Illi says excitedly.
“I’ve always believed in the horse, but I didn’t think we’d reach this level—at least not this quickly. I have my team to thank entirely for the fact that our results have improved so quickly since I moved to Germany,” says Illi.
Illi was honored as the best Finnish rider in her class with the Christopher Wegelius Memorial Trophy. The award honors Wegelius’s memory and is a perpetual trophy that Illi had the honor of being the first to receive.
Petra Heikkinen and Oechie-K also delivered a brilliant performance on the standard course, with just one fall.
“It was entirely my own riding mistake, because I rode the previous line a little too hastily and then couldn’t quite find my balance for the triple combination. The course was definitely at the right level for us,” Heikkinen recalls.
“It’s been fun to ride here. It’s always fun to ride in Helsinki. There’s a big crowd, and it always feels different to compete in front of a home crowd,” Heikkinen says happily.
Helsinki International Horse Show, Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Center
Results: February 28
CSI5* 155 cm Helsinki Grand Prix, main round and jump-off. Started 35th, finished 13th
1) Eiken Sato – Chadellano JRA, JPN 0-0/32.89
2) Kevin Staut – Kannonqulan, FRA 0-0/33.59
3) Giampiero Garofalo – Querido van’t Ruytershof, ITA 0-0/35.54
… 17) Jone Illi – Celtas Quillian, FIN 4/67.76
18) Petra Heikkinen – Oechie-K, FIN 4/68.53
…32) Anna-Julia Kontio – Cayadina, FIN 16/68.86
Jasmin Seppälä-Geerink – Kerel van het Sterrebos, FIN RT
Full results: LINK
