Beauville Z N.O.P. and Belano vd Wijnhoeve Z deliver victories in Cannes

The international show jumping circuit was back in full swing last weekend, with two five-star competitions on the calendar for the second week in a row. One of these took place in Cannes in the south of France, where the Longines Global Champions Tour descended for its fifth leg of the season. Also in this glamorous setting, a number of Z-horses managed to jump into the limelight again, resulting in some striking performances and resounding victories.

Providing one of those victories was Dutch rider Maikel van der Vleuten and his 15-year-old gelding Beauville Z N.O.P., a son of Bustique out of a dam by Jumpy des Fontaines, bred by Pascal Habets. The bronze medallists from last year's Paris Olympics started their show in Cannes strongly right away, as they won the first round of the Global Champions League on Thursday. In this 1.55m class against the clock, they sped to the finish in 56.97 seconds, putting them over a second and a half ahead of the rest of the field of competitors.

Also in this class, van der Vleuten's compatriot Sanne Thijssen managed to jump into the picture with the 12-year-old mare Cupcake Z, a breeding product of Sandra Wilmes who combined the blood of Chacco Blue with that of Caretano Z. Thijssen and Cupcake Z also kept all the rails in the clear and their finishing time of 60.18 seconds was good for ^6th place.

A day later there was also a Z victory in the French film city thanks to Spanish rider Mariano Martinez Bastida and the 16-year-old gelding Belano Vd Wijnhoeve Z, a son of Berlin and Darco bred by Danny De Cuyper. In the 1.50m class, Martinez Basida and Belano Vd Wijnhoeve Z were one of 19 combinations who stayed clear in the basic round, qualifying for the jump-off. In it, they managed to repeat that flawless performance and with a finishing time of 36.83 seconds they outclassed the competition by more than half a second.