Catharina W&W Z makes a mark in the CSI2* Grand Prix of Deurne

Last weekend was filled with international action on Dutch soil, with competitions taking place at both Green Valley Estate in Deurne and the National Equestrian Centre in Ermelo. In Deurne, Thiago Ribas Da Costa and his mare Catharina W&W Z were among the starters, making a strong impression with a top placing in the CSI2* Grand Prix.

The competition programme at Green Valley Estate was particularly well filled, as the show started as early as Wednesday afternoon. The highlight of the weekend was the CSI2* Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon, which brought a total of forty-five combinations to the start. The 1.45m high basic round by course designer Henk Linders and his team proved to be a tough task, as only four combinations managed to qualify for the jump-off. One of those four barragists were Brazilian rider Thiago Ribas Da Costa and his 13-year-old chestnut mare Catharina W&W Z, a daughter of Centurio 22 and Griseldi born in the Netherlands to breeder Wilfried Rutten. Ribas Da Costa and Catharina W&W Z, who had already started their competition on Wednesday with a^2nd place in the 1.40m class, managed to put the winning time on the scoreboard in the jump-off in 38.24 seconds, but two jumping faults kept them from victory in the end and finally relegated them to ^4th place.

In ^6th place in this Grand Prix we saw Belgian rider Dimme D'Haese and the 9-year-old stallion Floris R Z, a son of For Pleasure and Hors La Loi II from the breeding farm of Thijs Roumen. Dhaese and Floris R Z did neatly keep all the bars in the basic round, but one penalty point for exceeding the time allowed eventually kept them out of the jump-off.

On Saturday, the main class of the day was the 1.40m Final and in it it was Portuguese rider Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida who claimed the top prize with the 9-year-old grey gelding Chicco van de Doornhaag Z, a son of Cicero Z van Paemel and Toulon from the breeding farm of Jonas Vertenten. In a jump-off for which 11 combinations qualified, Almeida and Chicco van de Doornhaag Z crossed the finish line in 33.74 seconds, giving them a lead of over half a second over the competition. One of those competitors were German rider Sebastien Adams and the also 8-year-old chestnut stallion Agarono Z (Aganix du Seigneur Z x Clarimo ASK - breeder: Theo Molenaers). They crossed the finish line in 36.62 seconds after a clear jump-off, which was good for ^5th place overall.

Then, in the 1.40m class on Friday, Belgian rider Yana Jansegers made herself noticed with the 9-year-old mare Cancun de Vy Z, a daughter of Corydon Van T&L and For Hero de Hus bred by a Yves Vilain. In both the^1st and^2nd stages they provided a flawless performance and with a finishing time of 27.99 seconds they secured^2nd place.

Also in this 1.40m class, American rider Rachel Penner was among the prize winners with the 12-year-old stallion Funky Fred Marienshof Z (Fantomas de Muze x Libero H - breeder: Stal Marienshof). The duo, already good for ^8th place in the 1.35m class the day before, rushed to the finish line in 30.27 seconds in the^2nd phase, with ^7th place as final result.

Finally, Thiago Ribas Da Costa also managed to jump into the prizes twice with the 7-year-old mare Coralle Van 't Roosakker Z (Comme Il Faut x Diamant de Semilly - breeder: Marc Kluskens & Luc Henry). They made a first appearance on Thursday with a ^6th place in the 1.35m class and closed their competition on Sunday with a ^4th place in another 1.35m class.