Calixte Heartbreaker Z signs again for top weekend in Abu Dhabi

While the Dutch capital Amsterdam was jumping for World Cup points at the very highest level, a four-star World Cup was also on the programme last weekend. The place to be was sunny Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where a new edition of the Al Shira'aa International Horse Show took place. One of the absolute standouts of the weekend was the mare Calixte Heartbreaker Z, who throughout the show once again signed for two top placings

Two weeks after the 10-year-old mare Calixte Heartbreaker Z (Cicero Z van Paemel x Heartbreaker - breeder: Hellen Wells) shone with a victory and a^2nd place under the saddle of British rider Alexander McLean in Abu Dhabi, another top weekend followed over the past few days. The newcomer duo immediately started on Thursday with a top 10 ranking in the 1.45m Longines Ranking class and after that things went up a few notches. A first highlight came on Friday afternoon, when McLean and Calixte Heartbreaker Z became the overall winners of the 1.50m main class. In a class against the clock, they managed to put a time of 68.71 seconds on the scoreboard, putting them a final eighteen hundredths of a second ahead of the competition.

The highlight of the weekend in Abu Dhabi was, of course, the Al Shira'aa Longines FEI Jumping World Cup on Sunday evening and in it, too, McLean and Calixte Heartbreaker Z played a starring role. Indeed, after a clear first round, they were among the top 13 combinations to qualify for a second round. In that decisive round, they once again showed their absolute class by posting the fastest time on the scoreboard in 43.85 seconds. Unfortunately, in their haste they also saw a bar roll out of the scoops, so they eventually had to settle for ^3rd place on the podium.

However, McLean and Calixte Heartbreaker Z were not the only ones in Abu Dhabi to ensure a blue/yellow victory. In the 1.45m class on Friday morning, it was home rider Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi who snatched the top prize with the 10-year-old mare Emeraude de Zabala, a daughter Emerald van 't Ruytershof and Calvaro Z who was born Emeraude Du Loup Z to her French breeder Frank Berron. In a jump-off for which 12 out of forty-six combinations managed to qualify, Al Marzooqi and Emeraude Du Loup Z finished in 37.50 seconds, narrowly beating the competition. They thus confirmed their performance of the day before, when they also took ^4th place in the 1.40m class.

Silver in the morning class on Friday went to Christian Ahlmann and the 10-year-old stallion Sheeran WL, a descendant of our stallion Codex One Z. Ahlmann and Sheeran WL, who had also finished ^8th in another 1.45m class the day before, also managed a clear jump-off, but needed 37.71 seconds to complete the round.

Furthermore, Christian Ahlmann also managed to jump into the limelight with the 10-year-old gelding Vivario JL Z, a breeding product of Luc and Jules Leemans who combined the blood of Vigo d'Arsouilles with that of Heartbreaker. Ahlmann and Vivario JL Z secured ^3rd place in the 1.50m class on Friday after a flawless round in 69.37 seconds. Also in this class, he also came ^7th with our 9-year-old stallion Apllebridge Tag Z (Aganix du Seigneur Z x Corland VDL - breeder: Evert and Ilse van Gorp).

Another notable combination in the Oil State was German rider Sophie Hinners with the 12-year-old mare Come Away Flamingo Z, a daughter of Cardento VDL and Dollar du Murier bred in France by Alexandra Rantet. Indeed, in both the 1.45m class on Saturday and Sunday morning, Hinners and Come Away Flamingo Z secured a superb^2nd place.

Who also managed to place twice were Belgian rider Constant van Paesschen and the also 12-year-old mare Kannavara Z, a daughter of Kannan and Contender from the breeding farm of Dave Blyau. Van Paesschen and Kannavara Z made an excellent start to their competition on Thursday with a nice ^3rd place in the 1.45m class and closed on Sunday with an ^8th place in the 1.45m Speed & Handiness class.

Finally, there were also two other Z-horses that stood out by jumping to a top 5 ranking. For example, in the 1.50m class on Friday, van Paesschen's compatriot Abdel Saïd finished ^5th with the 11-year-old gelding Quaker Brimbelles Z (Quicksilver St. Simeon x Hickstead - Quicksilver St. Simeon). Simeon x Hickstead - breeder: Haras des Brimbelles), while Swedish rider Antonia Pettersson Häggström claimed ^4th place at CSI2* Grand Prix with the 9-year-old stallion Azur Z (Asca Z x Kashmir Van Schuttershof - breeder: Sport Horses BVBA).