Come On Z jumps to silver in the CSI2* Grand Prix of Valkenswaard

Busy days in the Netherlands last weekend, where not one but two international competitions took place throughout the weekend. At the Longines Tops International Arena in Valkenswaard, Jan Tops and his partner Edwina Tops Alexander welcomed the international show jumping company for the second week of the Summer Tour 2025, with a lot of Z-horses showing great performances.

The most eye-catching name here was that of the 8-year-old gelding Come One Z, a son of Comme Il Faut and VDL Zirocco Blue N.O.P. bred in Denmark by Jørgen Eriksen. Saddled by French rider Ines Joly, Come One Z immediately came ^5th in the 1.40m opening class on Friday, but the highlight of the weekend came for the duo on Sunday afternoon when they clinched a podium place in the CSI2* Grand Prix. Joly and Come One Z were one of seventeen combinations to go clear in the 1.45m high basic round of the course designer Eddy Castellon and his team, qualifying for the decisive jump-off. In it, they once again managed to make their round flawless and with a finishing time of 38.33 seconds they secured a brilliant^2nd place.

However, Come One Z was not the only Z horse to be successful in this CSI2* Grand Prix of Valkenswaard, as there were also two other Z horses who managed to make the top 10 of the standings. Thus, ^4th place went to Belgian rider Wilm Vermeir with the 10-year-old gelding D'Amour JMG Z, a breeding product of Jean-Marie Gregoor who combined the blood of our stallion Dieu Merci Van T&L Z with that of Indoctro. Vermeir and D'Amour JMG Z, also good for a ^6th place in the 1.45m class the day before, were also clear in the jump-off, but needed 38.88 seconds to complete their round. ^10th place then went to Swiss rider Géraldine Straumann and the 11-year-old mare Melusina BVL Z (Mylord Carthago x Air Jordan Z) owned by breeder H.L.M. van Lier. They reached the finish line in 39.28 seconds after a clear barrage round.

Earlier on Sunday the riders of the two-star competition competed in a 1.40m class, in which several Z-horses also managed to jump into the limelight. The star performer was Dutch rider Sjoerd Kommers and the 10-year-old mare L'alize Z, a daughter of L'Arc de Triomphe and Quattro B bred in Germany by Harald Gassen. In this class against the clock, Kommers and L'alize Z sped to the finish in 65.10 seconds, which earned them^2nd place in the standings just like Joly and Come One Z.

For the second day in a row, Kommers' compatriot Willem Greve managed a top ranking in this class with the 10-year-old mare Candy Luck Z, a daughter of Comme Il Faut and Canturo from the breeding farm of Dirk Geerinck. Greve and Candy Luck Z finished in 66.81 seconds after a clear round, taking ^4th place, just as they did in the 1.40m class on Saturday.

Furthermore, in this 1.40m class on Sunday there was also a ^5th place for his compatriot Niels Kersten with the 10-year-old gelding Aotearoa of The Lowlands (Andiamo Z x Indoctro - Breeder: Lowlands Stud BVBA), a ^6th place for Danish rider Laura Baaring Kjaergaard with the 8-year-old mare Ariana Z (Aganix du Seigneur Z x Cruyff - Breeder: Freek Hoogenboom) and ^8th place for Mexican rider Enrique Gonzalez with the 10-year-old gelding Air Play EC Z (Aganix du Seigneur Z x Calato Z - Breeder: EC Horses).

On Saturday, the main class of the day for the two-star competition was a 1.45m Longines Ranking class and in it French rider Antoine Ermann ensured a podium place with the 9-year-old gelding Delirium Zoetendaele Z, a son of Diamant de Semilly and Der Senaat 111 from the breeding farm of Carine and Arnold Lootens. In a class against the clock, Ermann and Delirum Zoetendaele Z crossed the finishing line in 65.32 seconds, also securing a handsome^2nd place. During the opening day on Friday, Ermann and Delrium Zoetendaele Z also made themselves heard when they finished ^7th in the 1.40m class.

Finally, earlier on Saturday there was also a^2nd place for Dutch rider Thalessa de Jong with the 10-year-old stallion Karan-K van 't Kattenheye Z, a son of Kannan and Caretano Z who, as his name suggests, was bred by Tony and Mieke Raman. In the 1.40m Medium Tour they were one of no fewer than 20 combinations to qualify for the jump-off, in which they once again produced an unparalleled round.