Edoardo Ingrà and Candy Crack Z top the leaderboard in first qualifier for seven-year-olds

At the centrally located Ratina Z-Arena, the seven-year-olds were the first to compete and were presented with a course set at a height of 1.40 m. Belgian course designer Bernard Mathy and his team provided a tough initial test. Of the 195 horse-and-rider combinations that lined up at the start, 60 managed to complete both the first and second phases without faults. The fastest duo was Italian rider Edoardo Ingrà and the AES mare Candy Crack G, a daughter of Crack Balou and Cocoshynsky, bred and owned by Emanuele Gaudiano. Ingrà and Candy Crack G were the seventeenth pair to enter the arena this morning and, with a clear-round second phase in 26.87 seconds, they claimed victory in this first qualifying class of the weekend.

The second place went to the British rider Angela Thomson on the AES mare Dawn Lancer, a daughter of Dollar du Rouet and Dollar Dela Pierrie, bred in Great Britain by The Lancer Stud. Thomson and Dawn Lancer also kept all the poles up, but their final time of 26.91 seconds ultimately proved just not fast enough to dethrone Ingrà and Candy Crack G.

The thrid place, meanwhile, remained at home thanks to none other than Christian Ahlmann and the grey stallion Toemme de Regor Z. The son of Chacco Blue and Cento comes from the Veldeman family’s stud at Stal De Regor and also made a strong impression today. Ahlmann and Toemme de Regor Z stayed clear in both phases and clocked a finishing time of 26.99 seconds in the second phase.