SERGIO ALVAREZ MOYA & NO NONSENSE TOP THE OLIVA NOVA BEACH & GOLF RESORT GRAND PRIX AT SPRING MET IV 2026
Spain’s very own Sergio Alvarez Moya and the 8-year-old stallion No Nonsense TN (Hernandez TN x Verdi TN) won Sunday’s CSI3* 1.50m Grand Prix presented by Oliva Nova Beach & Golf Resort at Centro Ecuestre Oliva Nova (ESP), besting an impressive field of starters as the second week of competition at Spring MET IV concluded in glorious April sunshine.
In a jump-off of thirteen, Alvarez Moya and No Nonsense TN clocked the winning time of 35.34 seconds, taking the win ahead of a group of seasoned champions; Great Britain’s 2025 European team gold medallist Donald Whitaker on Ulania 3 (Uriko x Acord II) placed second in 35.80, while Brazil’s four-time Olympian Pedro Veniss (BRA) with Nimrod de Muze Imperio Egipcio (Nabab de Reve x Tinka’s Boy) took the third place in 36.18, followed by Denmark’s two-time Olympian Andreas Schou (DEN) with Darc de Lux (Darco x Contender) – his ride for the Tokyo Olympics – in fourth in 36.59.
“We bought him at the end of his fifth year and we've been developing him slowly,” Alvarez Moya explained about the talented No Nonsense TN. “My rider Ismael used to ride him. Now, we had the feeling that he is very mature, so I took over the reins to step him up a little bit. Here, I wanted to go day by day with him and see how it goes. He was jumping so easy, I thought we should try the Grand Prix, and I have to say that he jumped it effortless. He's a very smart horse with a lot of energy, a modern type with great balance. He's got everything.”
“I think it was fair, nothing too big or too complicated,” he continued, about the first-round course set by Gerard Lachat (SUI). “With many related distances, you had to stay focused all the way and choose the right track.”
“When my horses are young, I usually don't ride fast. “With No Nonsense, I could give it a go without a risk; he's naturally fast, he's always in balance, he can turn short – and he did it very easy. I know he always tries to do his best, even though he doesn't have so much experience.”
“The place is fantastic,” Alvarez Moya said about the venue at Centro Ecuestre Oliva Nova. “It is by far, in my opinion, the best venue we have in Spain. Everything is clean and well organised; they do a great job. The facilities are top, and what is even better, is that every year when we come back, there is something new, there is something that they have improved.”
Next week marks the third and final week of competition at Spring MET IV.
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Photo by Hervé Bonnaud / www.1clicphoto.com
Full results here