France’s Maxime Livio has done it again, taking back-to-back wins in the Agria Top 10 Indoor Eventing Final on the closing night of the Sweden International Horse Show in Stockholm riding the crowd favourite, Boleybawn Prince.
Belgium’s Cyril Gavrilovic and Gatine de l'Aubree produced a clear round on the Staffan Lidbeck designed course Christmas-inspired course for second place while Sweden’s Frida Andersén and Box Compris went for the time but collected some expensive penalties in third place.
Frida and Box Compris were also last year’s runners-up, but this will be the mare’s last competition as she is now retired to be a brood mare.
It was also the last time at the Friends Arena in Stockholm for the very popular 19-year-old Boleybawn Prince, a horse that excelled in Indoor Arena Eventing in recent years, as he is set to retire after his next competition.
“For sure with this horse I have quite a lot of pressure” said Maxime “Because if I do my job well, I’m 100% sure he will do his job well. So, if he misses something it's because I miss something.
The pressure doesn’t come from the competition but more our relationship, because since he’s so generous I really would like to ride my very best. When I manage to do that, most of the time he is really successful. I’m very happy to have such a horse.”
Last year Maxime won both rounds at Sweden but this year, the Warm-Up competition went to the USA’s Boyd Martin on Thursday evening. In Sunday night’s Final however, Boyd had to settle for fourth place on board eight-year-old Caruccio Paradise.
The UK-based Swedish rider Sofia Sjöborg and Eastbourne took fifth place, Denmark’s Peter Flarup riding Fascination was sixth and Britain’s David Doel riding Captain Tiger Lily finished seventh.
