Grand Prix glory for Kamille Delta Mossel Z in Cervia

For the second week running, there was international action last weekend at the Le Siepi Cervia equestrian centre in Italy, where the competition this time was at three-star level. Just like the week before, the competition proved to be another success for our blue and yellow colours, as once again it was a Z-class horse that claimed top honours in the Grand Prix.

On Sunday afternoon, all eyes in Cervia were on the CSI3* Grand Prix, in which a total of fifty-seven rider-horse pairs competed against one another. The 1.50m-high basic course proved to be technically demanding and challenging, meaning that only nine pairs managed to qualify for the jump-off. The spotlight was on local rider Guido Franchi and the 11-year-old chestnut mare Kamille Delta Mossel Z, a daughter of Kannan and Vigo d’Arsouilles who was bred in the Netherlands by Wim van de Plasse. Franchi and Kamille Delta Mossel Z also managed to keep their cool in the jump-off and, with a finishing time of 39.35 seconds, were the only pair to keep their time under 40 seconds.

However, Franchi and Kamille Delta Mossel Z were not the only ones to secure success for the Dutch team during this final event of the weekend. The French rider Elisa Chimirri also once again topped the rankings with her 14-year-old grey stallion Calandro Z, the son of Calato Z and Sandro Boy from Tim Holford’s stud farm. Chimirri and Calandro Z, who had been crowned overall winners of the CSI2* Grand Prix during the opening week, managed to stop the clock at 41.92 seconds after a clear-round jump-off, which earned them a fine^4th place this time round.

Also in this Grand Prix, the Slovenian rider Andrej Pavlovic made his mark with the 10-year-old stallion Avenger Z, a son of Aganix du Seigneur Z and Cassini I, bred in Germany by Gestüt Eichenhain GmbH. Pavlovic and Avenger Z also kept all the bars neatly in place during the jump-off, but two penalty points for exceeding the time limit ultimately kept them out of the jump-off and meant they had to settle for^10th place.

Earlier on Sunday, Italian rider Martina Ferrari secured a top-five finish with the 10-year-old chestnut gelding First Choice DV Z (For Pleasure x Cicero Z van Paemel), where the letters DV refer to the Devos family’s stud farm. Ferrari and First Choice DV Z competed in the 1.40m class, where they took^5th place after a clear round.

On Saturday, there was also a Z-class victory thanks to the Swiss rider Edouard Schmitz and the 9-year-old chestnut mare Castanha Van Het Beeckhof Z, a daughter of Comilfo Plus Z and Tsar Hero, bred by Patrick and Romy Vandereyt. Schmitz and Castanha Van Het Beeckhof Z were the winners of the 1.35m class, where, with a clear-round^second phase in 29.82 seconds, they were just one hundredth of a second ahead of the runner-up.

Edouard Schmitz also made a name for himself with the 9-year-old stallion Agassi Z, a son of Aganix du Seigneur Z and Cruyff, who was bred by Freek Hoogenboom. They made their mark in Friday’s 1.50m class, where they also secured^fifth place after a flawless round.

Last but not least, Italian rider Riccardo Vittori also secured a victory with the 14-year-old grey gelding Cayeto Z (Cicero Z van Paemel x Poor Boy – breeder: Kim Van Decraen). In Friday’s 1.35m class, they crossed the finish line in 57.91 seconds, narrowly edging out the competition.