John Sheridan posted on January 23, 2012 09:08
KURTEN RETURNS TO FORM WITH AMSTERDAM GRAND PRIX WIN
IRELAND'S Jessica Kurten celebrated her first major Grand Prix win in over a year with a 24,750 euro cheque at Amsterdam's four-star show in the Netherlands this afternoon (Sunday).
The Antrim-born rider, aboard Stal Poels and James Paterson Robinson's ten year-old gelding Vincente, saw off fierce competition in the nine horse jump-off and at the final bell was three-hundredths of a second faster than her closest challenger, Dutch World Equestrian Games gold medallist Gerco Schroder and the grey mare Eurocommerce California.
Afterwards Kurten said: "Vincente has been improving in recent months and he just gets better and better. It was a very fast jump-off and I decided to take more of a risk at the second last jump than the other riders, and it paid off. I'm really delighted."
Forty five riders competed in the Rolex World Ranking class.
Kurten's last senior Grand Prix win before Amsterdam was in December, 2010 at Mechelen, Belgium in the World Cup class, riding Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois.