Nicola and Moya van de Bisschop came close to a podium finish, eventually taking fourth place in Saturday evening's Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Monaco. Brother Thibault and Pittman van het Lilleveld secured eighth place. The strong results came after an excellent week in Monaco. On Thursday, Nicola and Moya van de Bisschop qualified for the Grand Prix by finishing second in the qualifying class. On Friday, Thibault and Royal van het Schawijke also claimed second place in the Prix Fédération Équestre de la Principauté de Monaco.
Team Philippaerts We Live Horses can look back on a very successful show. Nicola was delighted with the form of Moya van de Bisschop after another strong performance on Thursday. "Moya is in great shape. A few weeks ago she finished third in the Grand Prix of Saint-Tropez and she also jumped very well in Paris. Finishing second in Thursday's qualifier in Monaco was another great result. I am really happy with the way she is performing."
On Friday, Thibault matched his brother's result by finishing second in the 1.50m Prix Fédération Équestre de la Principauté de Monaco with Royal van het Schawijke. "I have been riding Royal for two years now," says Thibault. "He is still relatively inexperienced, but he learns very quickly and that shows he still has a lot of potential. Friday's class was challenging in a small arena, which is something he has not experienced very often. The jump off did not go exactly the way I wanted, but I am still very happy with second place. We have been competing at five-star level a lot in recent weeks and Royal is becoming more and more consistent. Friday was the first time he really showed how good he can be. He is definitely a horse for the future."
Saturday's Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix saw both Philippaerts brothers finish inside the Top 10. Nicola produced two clear rounds with Moya van de Bisschop to secure fourth place. "Moya finished second in the qualifier and fourth in the Grand Prix. She is in excellent form at the moment. It is always a pleasure to arrive at a show when your horses are performing like this."
Thibault delivered the fastest time of the jump-off aboard Pittman van het Lilleveld, but one rail kept the pair off the podium, leaving them in eighth place. "Pittman is my best horse," says Thibault. "Last year we finished second in the Grand Prix of New York and this time we had to settle for eighth place. But he jumped brilliantly. Before the jump off we made a plan and I went all in for the win. We set the fastest time, but unfortunately one rail came down. When you feel the opportunity is there, you have to give everything to win. If you have done everything you can and it is still not enough, then that is simply part of our sport."
