Four blue and yellow victories in Kronenberg

For the second week in a row, international show jumping took place last weekend at the Peelbergen Equestrian Centre in Kronenberg, where a two-star competition was also on the programme this time. Of course, a lot of Z-horses made their appearance in the ring again and within the two-star competition, they managed to secure no less than four victories over the weekend.

One of those wins came in the name of Dutch rider Willem Greve and the 10-year-old mare Candy Luck Z, a daughter of Comme Il Faut and Canturo bred by Dirk Geerinckx. Greve and Candy Luck Z had already started their competition well on Thursday with a ^5th place in the 1.40m class, but only really came into their own during the 1.45m Grand Prix qualifier on Friday evening. In a class against the clock, they crossed the finish line in 66.03 seconds, outclassing the competition by more than a full second.

Besides the victory, the^2nd place in this Grand Prix qualifier also coloured blue and yellow thanks to Greve's compatriot Pim Mulder and the also 10-year-old mare Cirondine Z (Cicero Z Van Paemel x Hornet Rose - Breeder: De Beemdhoeve). Mulder and Cirondine Z also had a shot at victory, but their time of 67.09 seconds proved not sharp enough to knock Greve and Candy Luck Z off the throne.

In the 1.40m class on Thursday there was already a ^5th place for Willem Greve and Candy Luck Z, but here too we saw a Z-horse at the top of the leaderboard. Indeed, the win went to Bolivian rider Karen Boos Pegler and the 11-year-old grey mare Baladay Z, a daughter of Bamako de Muze and Cento bred by Jan de Visser. In this class, too, they jumped directly against the clock and with a clear round in 65.18 seconds, Pegler and Baladay Z were almost one and a half seconds ahead of their closest pursuer.

Another victory went to the fast Brazilian rider Thiago Ribas Da Costa and the 12-year-old chestnut mare Catharina W&W Z, a daughter of Centurio 22 and Griseldi who was bred by Wilfried Rutten and with whom Ribas Da Costa has already managed to amass a fine record. Ribas Da Costa and Catharina W&W Z triumphed in the 1.40m Medium Tour on Friday, where they were barely one hundredth of a second ahead of the competition with a finishing time of 34.69 seconds in the^2nd phase. A day later, they confirmed this performance when they secured another^2nd place during another 1.40m Medium Tour class.

The fourth and final victory was for Dutch rider Henk van de Pol and the 10-year-old mare Evry Vd Verbindingshoeve Z, a breeding product of Kevin Luyck who combined the blood of Elvis Ter Putte with that of Numero Uno. Van de Pol and Evry Vd Verbindingshoeve Z, also good for a ^4th place in the 1.35m class on Thursday, crowned themselves the winners of the 1.35m class on Friday, where they were no less than four (!) full seconds ahead of the competition.

In addition to all those victories, there were also some Z-horses who managed to achieve top placings in beautiful Kronenberg. For example, during the 1.45m high Longines Ranking Test on Thursday there was a ^4th place for British rider Tim Gredley with the 9-year-old mare Vuitton Of Picobello Z (Vagabond de la Pomme x PKZ Contact van de Heffinck - Breeder: Picobello Horses), during the 1.45m high Grand Prix qualifier on Friday a ^5th place for Dutch rider Sanne Thijssen with the 8-year-old mare Farah Z (For Pleasure x Caretano Z - Breeder: Freek Hoogenboom), during the 1.40m class on Saturday a ^3rd place for Pim Mulder with the also 8-year-old Diamond Z (Diamant de Semilly x Breitling LS - Breeder: Freek Hoogenboom) and during the CSI2* Grand Prix a ^7th place for the young Dutch rider Emma Bocken with the 11-year-old mare Kadessa Z (Kannan x Harley VDL - Breeder: J.A.M. Bocken).