<p>A thoroughly professional performance from Lt Col Sandeep Dewan gave him a well-deserved gold in the Puissance event on the final day of the Equestrian Challenge held at the Equestrian Centre for Excellence here on Sunday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Four senior riders – Dewan, astride Almost Heaven, Rishabh Mehta, guiding Caprice, Faiz Rezwan (Pat) and Nitin Gupta (Feliziana) were all gunning for gold. All four competitors negotiated the first round and progressed to the second, where the height of the wall was set at 145cm and the first and second hurdles were made optional.<br /><br />Unfortunately for Gupta, he dropped poles on the third and fourth jump to receive an elimination, while Rezwan had a refusal at the wall in round three putting him out of contention.<br /><br />In a two-way battle for supremacy, Dewan and Mehta pushed their way through round three clearing the wall, now at a height of 175 cm.<br /><br />At this point, the riders were given the option of sharing the gold but Mehta denied it and wanted a shot at grabbing sole gold, a decision that eventually backfired.<br /><br />The fourth jump-off saw the wall height being set at a massive 185 cm and Dewan went first.<br /><br />Despite nipping the pole at jump three, Dewan was still in contention but Almost Heaven brought the wall down to leave Mehta in pole position.<br /><br />Caprice and Mehta began their final run vigorously but a refusal at the wall cost Mehta dear. The ECE rider gave it another try but narrowly missed out as Caprice knocked the wall down with her hind legs.<br /><br /><br />Results: Childrens Category 85-95 cm: Jaydyn Singh (Eldo, ECE) 1; Rishi S (Krack Jack, Lawrence School, Lovedale) 2; Sibi G (Orient Glory, Alexander Equestrian Club) 3.<br />Open Category 85-95 cm: Jibran Khan (South Leo, ECE) 1; Jaydyn (Eldo, ECE) 2; Harsh Shah (Soul Mountain, Individual) 3.<br /><br />120 cm: Chetan Reddy (Cleo, EIRS) 1; Lt Col Sandeep Dewan (Almost Heaven, HEC) 2; Lt Col Sandeep Dewan (Frenchman, HEC) 3.<br /><br />Puissance: Lt Col Sandeep Dewan (Almost Heaven, HEC) 1; Rishabh Mehta (Caprice, ECE) 2; Faiz Rezwan (Pat, ECE) 3.<br /><br />Relay: Jibran Khan and Rushil Patel 1; Lt Col Sandeep Dewan and Zeeshan Malik 2; Faiz Rezwan and Pranay 3.<br /></p>
<p>A thoroughly professional performance from Lt Col Sandeep Dewan gave him a well-deserved gold in the Puissance event on the final day of the Equestrian Challenge held at the Equestrian Centre for Excellence here on Sunday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Four senior riders – Dewan, astride Almost Heaven, Rishabh Mehta, guiding Caprice, Faiz Rezwan (Pat) and Nitin Gupta (Feliziana) were all gunning for gold. All four competitors negotiated the first round and progressed to the second, where the height of the wall was set at 145cm and the first and second hurdles were made optional.<br /><br />Unfortunately for Gupta, he dropped poles on the third and fourth jump to receive an elimination, while Rezwan had a refusal at the wall in round three putting him out of contention.<br /><br />In a two-way battle for supremacy, Dewan and Mehta pushed their way through round three clearing the wall, now at a height of 175 cm.<br /><br />At this point, the riders were given the option of sharing the gold but Mehta denied it and wanted a shot at grabbing sole gold, a decision that eventually backfired.<br /><br />The fourth jump-off saw the wall height being set at a massive 185 cm and Dewan went first.<br /><br />Despite nipping the pole at jump three, Dewan was still in contention but Almost Heaven brought the wall down to leave Mehta in pole position.<br /><br />Caprice and Mehta began their final run vigorously but a refusal at the wall cost Mehta dear. The ECE rider gave it another try but narrowly missed out as Caprice knocked the wall down with her hind legs.<br /><br /><br />Results: Childrens Category 85-95 cm: Jaydyn Singh (Eldo, ECE) 1; Rishi S (Krack Jack, Lawrence School, Lovedale) 2; Sibi G (Orient Glory, Alexander Equestrian Club) 3.<br />Open Category 85-95 cm: Jibran Khan (South Leo, ECE) 1; Jaydyn (Eldo, ECE) 2; Harsh Shah (Soul Mountain, Individual) 3.<br /><br />120 cm: Chetan Reddy (Cleo, EIRS) 1; Lt Col Sandeep Dewan (Almost Heaven, HEC) 2; Lt Col Sandeep Dewan (Frenchman, HEC) 3.<br /><br />Puissance: Lt Col Sandeep Dewan (Almost Heaven, HEC) 1; Rishabh Mehta (Caprice, ECE) 2; Faiz Rezwan (Pat, ECE) 3.<br /><br />Relay: Jibran Khan and Rushil Patel 1; Lt Col Sandeep Dewan and Zeeshan Malik 2; Faiz Rezwan and Pranay 3.<br /></p>
