11 August '25
Bisquetta impressively wins Dublin Rolex Grand Prix
/
Studbook
© Sportfot
With no fewer than three five-star competitions on the programme, it was another well-filled weekend at the very highest level in recent days. One of those competitions was the magnificent Dublin Horse Show in Ireland, which has been part of the renowned Rolex Grand Prix Series since last year. The Rolex Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon there was therefore the absolute highlight of the weekend and it got a sensational denouement with a Z horse in the lead.
A total of 40 combinations filled the starting list of this CSIO5* Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon, for which Irish course designer Alan Wade and his team had laid out a particularly challenging course. With 14 obstacles, 17 jumps and a tight permitted time of 77 seconds, the 1.60m high basic course required absolute precision, power and, above all, control. The course was described by the riders and amazons as 'tough, but fair', but still caused quite a few combinations problems. Bars kept falling and as this Grand Prix progressed, no one managed to get through the round unscathed. Until American rider Laura Kraut was the penultimate to enter the ring... Together with her 11-year-old top mare Bisquetta, a daughter of Bisquet Balou C van de Mispelaere and Takashi van Berkenbroeck who was born as Bisquetta Squalls Estate Z to breeder Claire McCarthy-Winters, Kraut did manage to keep her cool and by being the only combination to put down a flawless round, she impressively wrote this Rolex Grand Prix on her record!
Laura Kraut: "Alan Wade had set up a course that was careful but fair. However, you had to ride perfectly to stay clear. I was lucky that my turn was late, which gave me a chance to watch the others and make a good plan of what I was going to do in the ring. Bisquetta was brilliant. She is very brave, very careful and this year she has really grown to another level."
However, besides Laura Kraut and Bisquetta's victory, 4th place in this Rolex Grand Prix also received a strong blue/yellow touch. For that, Christian Ahlmann and the 14-year-old grey mare Blueberry, a daughter of our stallion HH Conrad Z and Creve Coeur bred in France by SARL Haras De Hus, took care of that. Alhmann and Blueberry unfortunately saw a fault roll out of the scoops during their strong round, but a fast finishing time meant the duo still managed to secure a top ranking in the end.
On Friday, the Irish capital was all about the CSIO5* Nations Cup and in it too, some Z-horses once again managed to give their best. Among them were two clear rounds for Irish rider Tom Wachman and the 10-year-old stallion Tabasco de Toxandria Z, a son of Thunder van de Zuuthoeve and Cento Lano born to breeder Werner Dierckx. Wachman and Tabasco de Toxandria Z therefore had an important share in the 3rd place for the Irish team with their flawless performance.
In the 1.60m class on Thursday afternoon, Wachman's compatriot Cian O'Connor managed to secure a top 5 ranking with his 12-year-old grey gelding Iron Man, a son of Charisma Z and Mr. Blue who was given the birth name C-Iron Z by breeder Stoeterij Duysel's Hof. In a jump-off for which six combinations managed to qualify, O'Connor and Iron Man managed to secure 4th place.
7th place in this class was taken by Irish rider Shane Sweetnam and the 9-year-old gelding Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z (Comme Il Faut x Lord Z) from the Van Rossem family's breeding farm. Sweetnam and Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z did manage to keep all the bars neatly in the scoops in the basic round, but 1 penalty point for time unfortunately kept them out of the jump-off.
On Wednesday, during the opening day, Brazilian top rider Rodrigo Pessoa immediately managed to secure a place on the podium with his 11-year-old mare Dhalida, a daughter of Diamant de Semilly and Calvaro, who was born as Dhalida Diamond Vd Krekebeke Z to breeders Robrecht and Patricia Segaert. In the 1.55m main class, Pessoa and Dhalida did not make any mistakes and this performance earned them a great 3rd place in the ranking.
Finally, Dutch rider Harrie Smolders and the 9-year-old grey gelding Devino vd Weretherbach Z (De Flor 111 Z x Calvin Z - Breeder: Heinz Lentz) also made themselves heard in Dublin. In the 1.45m class for the two-star competition on Saturday, they secured 5th place after a great clear round.