De Flor 111 Z signs for successful five-star weekend in Wellington

On European soil, we could enjoy the World Cup stage in Bordeaux, France, last weekend, but in the United States, too, there was once again top-level show jumping in the past few days. After World Cup action at Thermal's Desert International Horse Park last week, there was five-star action this time at Wellington International, where the fifth week of the Winter Equestrian Festival was on the programme. With three top 10 placings, including one victory, it made for a fantastic weekend for the chestnut stallion De Flor 111 Z!

During this fifth week of the Winter Equestrian Festival, jumping at five-star level took place for the first time and again produced a lot of fantastic show jumping. An important role was played by the now 15-year-old chestnut stallion De Flor 111 Z, a son of Der Senate 111 and Action Breaker bred by Peter Van Santvoort and Harrie Theeuwes. De Flor 111 Z has now been a combination with Canadian rider Erynn Ballard for over a year and a half, and last weekend they signed for three top 10 placings in Wellington. After the duo started their show on Wednesday with a ^10th place in the 1.45m class, they made themselves heard for the first time on Friday with a top 5 ranking in the 1.50m class. In a class against the clock, they crossed the finishing line in 62.07 seconds, securing ^5th place in the standings.

However, Ballard and De Flor 111 Z kept the best for the final day on Sunday, when they became the overall winners of the 1.50m main class. In both the first and second and decisive rounds, they kept it neatly clear and with a finishing time of 45.90 seconds, they were well ahead of the rest of the field of competitors.

Also in this 1.50m class on Sunday, Irish rider Michael Duffy managed to top the leaderboard with 10-year-old chestnut stallion Mister Qerly Z, an offspring of Mosito van het Hellehof and For Pleasure bred in Germany by CDM CmbH. Duffy and Mister Qerly Z ran into 2 penalty points for in the first round, which finally earned them ^5th place in the standings.

On Saturday evening it was traditional Grand Prix-time in Wellington, in which a Z-horse also managed to jump into the limelight. That honour went to American rider Spencer Smith and the 12-year-old grey gelding Keeneland, a son of Carmena Z and Quattro B, who was born as Cadeau Z to his Dutch breeder Anja Aerts. Smith and Keeneland were among the eight combinations that managed to qualify for the jump-off, in which they eventually secured ^6th place.

In the 1.55m main class on Thursday, it was Smith's compatriot Jessica Springsteen who ensured blue/yellow success with the 11-year-old stallion Cayman de Poteau Z, a son of Cayado and Casall ASK from the breeding farm of PGMBH Hammes. A faultless first round was followed by a flawless performance in the second round as well, resulting in a ^4th place finish.

There was also a blue/yellow victory in Wellington, however, thanks to American rider Nicolette Hirt and the also 11-year-old gelding Dalton van de Lindehoeve Z, a breeding product of Marc De Brabandere who combined the blood of Dagano Vdw Z with that of Walme vd Lindehoeve Z. Hirt and Dalton van de Lindehoeve Z were the winners of the 1.40m class on Wednesday, in which they were more than five (!) full seconds ahead of the competition with a whirlwind round in 62.00 seconds.

With their victory, Hirt and Dalton van de Lindehoeve Z beat the likes of Colombian rider Marc Bluman and the 11-year-old mare Phelina de Septon (Jenson van 't Meulenhof Z x Landor S - breeder: Elevage de Septon), who were good for^2nd place in the standings. They too did not make a mistake in this class, but needed 67.42 seconds to complete their round. In the 1.50m class on Friday, Bluman and Phelina de Septon finished in^2nd place again, while on Sunday they finished in ^6th place in another 1.50m class.

Finally, American rider Sloane Coles also managed to secure a place on the podium with the 9-year-old chestnut mare A Special Gift Z, a daughter of our chestnut stallion Aganix du Seigneur Z and Goodtimes bred in the Netherlands by A.C. van der Peijl. Coles and A Special Gift Z were in action within the two-star competition, in which they jumped to ^3rd place in the 1.40m class on Wednesday.