08 September '26
Ambassador Z makes a name for himself in Valkenswaard
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Studbook
© Christian Ahlmann
Although the Longines Global Champions Tour’s five-star competition naturally attracted the most attention last weekend in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands, there was much more on the programme at the Longines Tops International Arena. At the home of Jan Tops and Edwina Tops-Alexander, riders and horses competing in the other classes also had plenty of opportunities to shine, with several Z-horses once again distinguishing themselves with one or more top placings.
One of the Z-class horses that made an impression in Valkenswaard was our 6-year-old stallion Ambassador Z, the son of Aganix du Seigneur Z and Ruben di Ri d’Asse, who was born and reared here at Zangersheide Stud. Ridden by Christian Ahlmann, Ambassador Z competed in the Youngster Tour, and together they secured placings on three occasions. The pair began their weekend with a 6th place on Friday and a 4th place on Saturday, but saved the best for the final day on Sunday. In a jump-off for which fourteen combinations had qualified, Ahlmann and Ambassador Z once again kept all the bars in place and, with a finishing time of 35.75 seconds, secured an impressive third place.
On the opening day on Friday, Ahlmann’s compatriot Daniel Deusser also made a name for himself with Devil 2000 Z, the six-year-old son of Dominator 2000 Z and Chin Chin, bred by Tony Foriers of Stud 2000. They rode flawlessly in both thefirst andsecond phases, and this performance earned themeighth place in the rankings.
Alongside these fine performances from our up-and-coming talents, several offspring of Comilfo Plus Z also made their mark in Valkenswaard. For instance, during the CSI2* 1.35m class on Sunday morning, there was a victory for the Luxembourg rider Victor Bettendorf and the 9-year-old gelding Champion De La Roque Z, a son of Comilfo Plus Z and Coltaire from the Spits family’s stud. Bettendorf and Champion De La Roque Z, who had already started their competition on Friday with a4th place in the 1.45mclass, raced to the finish line in this morning’s class in 57.45 seconds, giving them a lead of just under 2.5 seconds over the competition.
The bronze in this 1.35m class on Thursday also went to an offspring of Comilfo Plus Z, thanks to the American rider Madison Wu and the 11-year-old mare Corona Z (Comilfo Plus Z x Calvaro Z), a home-bred horse from Huub Janssen in the Netherlands. Wu and Corona Z also produced a strong round, but took 60.23 seconds to complete their course.
Also on Sunday, Belgian rider Pieter Devos made his mark with his 8-year-old home-bred mare Courage DV Z, a daughter of Cornet Obolensky out of Cardento VDL. Devos and Courage DV Z competed in the CSI2* 1.40m class, where they secured3rd place after two clear rounds.
During the CSI2* 1.45m class on Friday, Greek rider Ioli Mytilineou took a prize with the 9-year-old stallion Ansingh de Lis Z, the son of Aganix du Seigneur Z and Kannan, bred by W.M. Lisman. Mytilineou and Ansingh de Lis Z, who had already achieved some strong results in recent weeks, tookfifth place after a clear round.
Finally, during the Youngster Tour, we saw two other Z-class horses that distinguished themselves with two placings. For instance, Belgian rider Thibeau Spits, riding the 7-year-old mare Cute van ’t Vossenhof Z (Corydon Van T&L x Everglade VDL – breeder: Van ’t Vossenhof Stud) took3rd place on Saturday and2nd place on Sunday, whilst Brazilian rider Yuri Mansur and the 7-year-old stallion Camo Waldstar Z (Cornet Obolensky x Zirocco Blue VDL – breeder: A. Waldman) shone on Saturday with a second place and rounded off their competition on Sunday with a creditablefifth place.