Italian takes top prize in Athina Onassis jumping event
AFP
RIO DE JANEIRO- Italian show jumper Gianni Govoni won top prize at the Athina Onassis International Horse Show held in Brazil on the week-end, a glamorous stop in the Global Champions Tour attracting wealthy horse lovers.
Govoni, riding gelding Joyau d'Opal, completed the Grand Prix course in Rio in 36.15 seconds on Saturday, taking home the 95,000-euro (136,000-dollar) winner's purse.
Third place went to Germany's Marco Kutscher on stallion Cornet Obolensky, picking up 38,000 euros for his 37.40-second performance.
The overall leader in the Tour, Belgium's Patrick McEntee, sat the Rio leg out. He has a comfortable margin over the next closest rider in the competition, Germany's Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, who was also absent.
After Rio, the GCT goes to the Dutch town of Valkenswaard later this month before wrapping up with the finals in November in Doha, Qatar.
Athina Onassis, the 24-year-old multi-millionaire patron of the show bearing her name, was photographed casually riding with Charlotte Casiraghi, fourth-in-line in Monaco's princely dynasty, and fellow horse-lover.
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