27 December '25
Dries Dekkers and El Bandito BPH Z triumph in Zangersheide Prize for 6-year-old stallions
© Paardenfotograaf
After the final of the free jumping for the 2-year-old horses, the bridge between breeding and sport was once again bridged this afternoon in the Christmas Arena of Jumping Mechelen. The Zangersheide Prize for 6-year-old stallions was on the programme and brought a strong line-up, with a total of twenty-eight combinations starting. The high level was clearly reflected in the results, as no fewer than twelve combinations eventually managed to qualify for the jump-off.
That decisive jump-off had a distinctly Belgian flavour, with an all-Belgian podium as the final result. Victory went to Dries Dekkers with the Zangersheide stallion El Bandito BPH Z, a son of Etoile van De Neerheide Z and Kannan bred by BPH Stables. Dekkers and El Bandito BPH Z reappeared in the ring as the sixth combination and put in a particularly strong performance. With a flawless round in 33.75 seconds, they proved ultimately unbeatable.
Dekkers and El Bandito BPH Z thus kept more than half a second ahead of the numbers two in the standings. That honour went to Seppe Wouters with the stallion Candy Prince de Leonte, a son of Candy De Nantuel and Quaprice Bois Margot from the Leonte Ionut-Flavian stud farm. Wouters and Candy Prince de Leonte also did not register a fault, but needed 34.27 seconds to complete their jump-off.
Bronze went to Nico Baerts with the Zangersheide stallion Elite van de Molen Z, a son of Emerald van 't Ruytershof and Canazaro from the breeding farm of Kristof Engelen. Elite van de Molen Z is also a half-brother of Kayenne Z (Kannan), who currently holds first place in the Z-Ranking. Baerts and Elite van de Molen Z clocked in 35.03 seconds and thus also took a place on the podium.
The other places in the top five were for Dutchman Harrie Smolders with Tiger van 't Ruytershof (Chacfly PS x Comme Il Faut - breeder: Bert van den Branden) and for former Belgian champion Gilles Thomas, who guided The Lewis van het Heidehof (Udarco van Overis x Chin Chin - breeder: Andy Van Buggenhout) clear through the jump-off.
Click here for the results.