A fine Grand Prix performance by Dragonball in Ocala

On American soil last weekend, a great deal of attention was focused on the three-star show in Saugerties, New York, but there was also international show jumping action to be enjoyed at the World Equestrian Centre in Ocala. The seventh week of the 2026 Summer Series was on the programme there, where a Z-class horse secured a place on the podium during the CSI2* Grand Prix.

At the shows in Ocala, the Grand Prix is invariably scheduled for Saturday evening, and on this occasion, forty-four rider-horse pairs took to the arena. The 1.45m-high basic course proved to be a tough challenge, as only five of them managed to secure a place in the jump-off. One of those five contenders for victory was the American rider Chloe Reid and the 9-year-old stallion Dragonball, a son of Diamant de Semilly and Landjunge who was born at Stud Sarl Rbc in France as Deep Purple Rbc Z. Reid and Dragonball, who had already secured ^6th place in the 1.50m class on Thursday, also managed to keep their cool in the jump-off and, with a finishing time of 42.01 seconds, secured ^2nd place in the rankings.

Also among the top finishers was the American rider William Simpson with the 15-year-old grey gelding Victor Z, a son of Vittorio and Concorde who was bred in Sweden by Hans Jarhäll. Simpson and Victor Z, who had already secured^third place in the 1.45mclass, managed to keep all the bars in place in the first round, but one penalty point for exceeding the time limit unfortunately kept them out of the jump-off and ultimately relegated them to ^sixth place in the rankings.

Finally, during Thursday’s 1.45m class, Simpson’s compatriot Alexandria Beneson also secured a podium place with the 12-year-old mare Kara D’Alvé Z (Kannan x Galoubet A), bred by Silvia Alvanese. A clear round in both the first round and the jump-off also earned them a fine^third place.