12 August '25
Daido van 't Ruytershof Z wins Vancouver Grand Prix again
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Studbook
© Kim Gaudry
Irish rider James Chawke and his top mare Daido van 't Ruytershof Z clearly have a special bond with the beautiful Thunderbird Show Park in Vancouver-Langley. Last year, the duo already jumped there three times to win a Grand Prix and also last weekend they showed that they feel completely at home on the impressive grass track of this top accommodation. In the CSI3* Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon, the undisputed highlight of the weekend, Chawke and Daido were again unbeatable and added another resounding victory to their record.
The Vancouver Langley audience enjoyed beautiful summer weather and top-class show jumping, with a total of twenty-eight combinations competing. Fourteen of them managed to complete the basic round and thus qualify for the decisive jump-off. James Chawke had two irons in the fire and, as the last starter, he once again entered the ring with the 11-year-old mare Daido van 't Ruytershof Z, the daughter of our stallion Dieu Merci Van T&L Z and Bamako de Muze, bred by the Van den Branden family of Stal 't Ruytershof. The duo once again kept their cool and with a fantastic round in 40.37 seconds, they ended up nine hundredths ahead of the closest pursuer, securing their fourth Grand Prix victory in Vancouver.
Chawke also had a second trump card in the jump-off with the 12-year-old stallion Nacara van Berkenbroeck Z, a son of Nonstop and Indoctro from the breeding farm of Michel Spaas. Chawke and Nacara van Berkenbroeck Z were the first in the jump-off and their clear round in 40.94 seconds earned them a handsome 3rd place overall.
On Friday, Chawke had also competed both horses in the 1.50m qualifying class for this CSI3* Grand Prix and also then he managed to take full control of the class. This time, however, the roles were reversed: the victory went to Nacara van Berkenbroeck Z. In a jump-off for which twelve combinations managed to qualify, the duo galloped to the finish in 37.89 seconds, more than a full second ahead of the competition. With Daido van 't Ruytershof Z he tooksecond place in this class. Here, too, all the fences stayed neatly in the scoop, taking them to the finish in 39.09 seconds.
Taking 4th place in this class was Canadian home rider Kara Chad and the 9-year-old mare Corinna Z, a daughter of Cornet Obolensky and Kannan bred by Ridge Farms Stone. They too did not make a mistake in the jump-off, putting a time of 40.91 seconds on the scoreboard.
Furthermore, it was also a successful weekend in Vancouver for American rider Lauren Crooks-Brennan and the 10-year-old stallion Crooner Brimbelles, a breeding product of the French Haras des Brimbelles who combined the blood of Cornet Obolensky with that of Russel II. Crooks-Brennan and Crooner Brimbelles Z made a first appearance on Wednesday during the opening day with a 9th place in the 1.40m class, while on Sunday they finished their competition with a 6th place in the CSI3* Grand Prix.
Furthermore, Canadian rider Samantha Buirs also managed to jump into the prizes twice with the 10-year-old stallion Chic D'Emma Z, a son of Cigaret JVH Z and Unique II Drum vh Juxschot bred by Voermen Stables and Luc Matthijssen. They started their competition on Thursday with a 6th place in the 1.40m class, while they then secured a 7th place in the CSI3* Grand Prix.
Finally, the Belgian rider François Mathy Jr. also managed to place 9th with the 9-year-old gelding Morice F Z (Mosito van het Hellehof x Bamako de Muze - Breeder: Kelly Fioole). In the 1.45m class on Saturday, they managed to set a time in 44.80 seconds in the2nd phase that entitled them to a place on the podium, but due to a fault on the way, they did not finishsecond but sixth.