Bronze gloss for Karamba Z de Poteau Z in the CSI2* Grand Prix of Mechelen

The five-star competition with the accompanying Longines FEI Jumping Word Cup attracted the most attention at Jumping Mechelen earlier this week, but in addition to that, the Nekkerhal also hosted show jumping at two-star level, among others. Several Z-horses managed to put their best foot forward in this too, culminating in a podium place in the CSI2* Grand Prix.

After the hard-fought Longines FEI Jumping Word Cup, the CSI2* Grand Prix was still to be seen on Tuesday evening in Mechelen, in which forty-nine combinations made their appearance in the ring. Once again, Bart Vonck and his team's basic round had many challenges and in the end there were seven who managed to finish the 1.45m high basic course without any faults. One of those seven prospective winners were Belgian rider Elke Appeltans and her 12-year-old gelding Karamba de Poteau Z, a son of Kannan and Calando I bred by PGMBH Hammes. Appeltans and Karamba de Poteau Z re-entered the ring second in that decisive jump-off and once again managed to keep their cool. They finished in 39.60 seconds, which gave them a great ^3rd place at the end.

But ^4th place in this denouement of the two-star competition was also blue and yellow thanks to her compatriot Maverick van Lent and the 11-year-old chestnut gelding Vario de Bo Z, a breeding product of Philippe Bormans who combined the blood of Vagabond de la Pomme with that of Gottwald. Van Lent and Vario de Bo Z managed to put the fastest time on the scoreboard in 33.05 seconds, but a mistake on the way ultimately kept them from victory and left them stranded just beside the Grand Prix podium.

In sixth place in this Grand Prix we then saw French rider Xavier Hazebroucq and the also 11-year-old stallion Cordillo van de Bosrand Z, a son of Comme Il Faut and Padius from the breeding farm of Luc Huyghe. Hazebroucq and Cordillo van de Bosrand Z, who also secured^2nd place in the 1.40m class on Sunday, also saw a fault in the jump-off, but needed 34.59 seconds to finish their round successfully.

On Monday, the riders of the two-star competition also had a 1.45m class and in it we saw a Z-horse at the top of the leaderboard. That honour went to Belgian rider Mathias Hazebroek and the 12-year-old chestnut gelding Cointreau vd Wouwerse Velden Z, a son of Cupido Van De Hoefslag Z and Der Senaat bred by Theo Hazebroek. Hazebroek and Cointreau vd Wouwerse Velden Z, who had already started their competition on Sunday with ^8th place in the 1.40m class, were one of twenty-one combinations who managed to advance to the jump-off. In doing so, they rushed to the finishing line in 31.25 seconds, adding this main class of the day to their record of achievements.

With this victory, they beat compatriot Jean-Christophe de Grande and the 11-year-old stallion Anubis van de Vossestaart Z (Aimar van het Polderhof Z x Toulon - breeder: Alex Cnockaert), among others, who were good for^2nd place in the ranking. They too provided a double clear round, but finished in 31.44 seconds in the process.

Besides the victory of Hazebroek and Cointreau vd Wouwerse Velden Z, there was also a second blue/yellow victory in Mechelen. In the 1.35m class on Tuesday, it was Belgian rider Gilles Nuytens who claimed victory with the 9-year-old mare Bellini de Donna Z, a daughter of Bamako de Muze and Nagano born to breeder Guy De Wilde. In both the^1st and^2nd stages, Nuytens and Bellini de Donna Z managed to keep zero on the scoreboard and with a finishing time of 32.76 seconds, they were five hundredths of a second ahead po the their closest pursuer.

With two top 10 placings, it was also a successful competition for Swedish rider Cajsa Soberon and the 11-year-old stallion Cibello Z, a son of Cicero Z and Levisto Z who was born with us at Stoeterij Zangersheide. Soberon and Cibello Z scored ^7th place during the 1.45m class on Monday and during the CSI2* Grand Prix they were good for ^8th place in the standings. Then one time penalty unfortunately kept them out of the jump-off.

Finally, Belgian rider Neal Vanderwegen also managed to win two more prizes with the 8-year-old gelding Briljant D&E Z (Bamako de muze x Diamant de Semilly - breeder: Ernie Van Den Berg & Dries Lammens). They started their competition on Sunday with a ^5th place in the 1.35m class and on Tuesday they finished with a ^4th place in another 1.35m class.