Convincing Grand Prix win for Chasspleen Flamingo Z at Oliva

While no less than two two-star competitions were enjoyed on Belgian soil last weekend, there was also a lot going on in Spain over the past few days. This time, the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour in Oliva hosted a three-star competition, with a Z-horse in the lead during the CSI3* Grand Prix.

The Mediterranean Equestrian Tour of Oliva is drawing to a close and during this penultimate week of the Spring Tour 2026, there was once again a lot of top-class sport on the Spanish coast. The highlight of the weekend was the CSI3* Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon, in which a total of forty-five combinations made their appearance in the ring. Of these, eight managed to get through the 1.50m high basic round held by German course designer Peter Schumacher and his team unscathed, securing a place for the decisive jump-off. The star of that jump-off was Colombian rider Santiago Diaz Ortega and the 11-year-old grey gelding Chasspleen Flamingo Z, a son of Cardento VDL and Dollar du Murier bred by S.A.R.L. Cavalex. Diaz Ortega and Chasspleen Flamingo Z, also good for a ^9th place in the Gold 1.45m class the day before, again kept all the bars neatly in the jump-off and with a convincing finishing time of 35.81 seconds they were more than two full seconds ahead of the competition.

Santiago Diaz Ortega: "Chasspleen gets better every day, I am so proud of him (laughs). I have him together with Abdel Said and Jos Lansink, they were so nice to give me the chance to ride such a fine horse."

However, Chasspleen Flamingo Z was not the only Z horse that managed to shine in this CSI3* Grand Prix, as bronze also coloured blue and yellow. Making sure of that was French rider Michel Robert and the 12-year-old chestnut gelding Calasto Z, a son of Calvaro F.C. and Stakkato bred in the Netherlands by Hans Schipper. Robert and Calasto Z, who in the previous days had finished ^10th in the Gold 1.45m class on Thursday and ^5th in the Gold 1.50m class on Friday, were also clear in the jump-off, but needed 38.16 seconds to complete their round.

Earlier on Sunday, a 1.45m Longines Ranking class was also on the programme for the riders of the three-star competition and in that class, too, it was a Z-horse that led the standings. That honour fell to Dutch rider Lars Kersten and the 9-year-old gelding Grimaldi van het Keizershof Z, a son of Grand Slam VDL and For Pleasure out of Leon Otten's breeding. In both the^1st and^2nd phases, Kersten and Girmaldi van het Keizershof Z maintained a flawless performance and with a finishing time of 35.04 seconds, they were 1 hundredth of a second ahead of the competition.

In the Gold 1.45m class on Saturday, British rider James Smith managed to secure^2nd place with the also 9-year-old mare Astrade Z (Air Jordan Alpha Z x Indoctro), bred in the Netherlands by Borst Stables. In a jump-off for which seventeen combinations managed to qualify, Smith and Astrade Z finished in 42.21 seconds, finishing over a second short of victory.

However, with a finishing time of 39.81 seconds, the fastest barrage round in this Grand Prix Qualifier came in the name of Diaz Ortega's compatriot Ruben Arroyave and the 14-year-old mare Valeska Z (Van Gogh x Balou du Rouet), who was born to breeder Nadine Resche. Arroyave and Valeska Z, who started their show on Thursday with a^2nd place in the Gold 1.45m class, however, in their haste saw a bar go against them, eventually having to settle for ^5th place.

Besides his good performance with Valeska Z, Ruben Arroyave also had a successful weekend with the 8-year-old mare Eldorada Blue Z (Eldorado van de Zeshoek x Chacco Blue), also bred by Nadine Resche. Arroyave and Eldorada Blue immediately jumped into the limelight on Thursday with a ^3rd place in the Gold 1.40m class and managed to add a victory to their record of achievements the following day. In the Gold 1.40m class they crossed the finish line in 64.70 seconds, which gave them a lead of just under a full second over the rest of the field.

Another notable combination throughout the weekend were Belgian rider Neal Vanderwegen and the also 8-year-old gelding Brilliant D&E Z, a son of Bamako de Muze and Diamant de Semilly bred by Dries Lammens. Vanderwegen and Brilliant D&E Z already made their presence felt in the first days of the week with a ^6th place during the Gold 1.40m class on Thursday and a ^3rd place during that on Friday, but held their best during the Gold 1.40m class on Saturday. The duo finished in 31.44 seconds in the^2nd phase, outclassing the competition by more than half a second.

Furthermore, British rider Sammie Jo Coffin also provided another Z victory with the 13-year-old gelding Elsalvador Van 't Schaaphof Z (Emilion van 't Schaaphof x Forever - breeder: Maurice van de Walle). They triumphed during the Gold 1.35m class on Friday, where they outclassed the competition with a clear round in 58.93 seconds.

Last but not least, there was also a podium place for Swedish rider Andre Brandt with the 8-year-old stallion Deuce Bigalow Max Z (Diamant de Semilly x Kannan - breeder: Matthieu Vandendriesche). During the Gold 1.45m class on Thursday, they provided a flawless performance, which earned them ^3rd place in the rankings.