Grand Prix successes in Bourg-en-Bresse

A lot of activity last weekend on French soil, where no fewer than three international competitions were scheduled across the country. One of these was the competition of Bourg-en-Bress, where a Z-horse managed to win a podium place at both the CSI4* Grand Prix on Sunday and the CSI2* Grand Prix on Saturday.

At the stroke of 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, the CSI4* Grand Prix at Ainterexpo in Bourg-en-Bresse kicked off, the absolute highlight and also the finale of five days of international show jumping. Fifty combinations appeared at the start and, of those, twelve were good in the 1.55m basic round run by Olympic coursedesigner Grégory Bodo and his team. One of those 12 were Belgian rider Andres Vereecke and his 13-year-old chestnut mare Halima van het Bonte Hof Z, a daughter of Hos d'O and Heartbreaker bred by Leen Braeckmans. Vereecke and Halima van het Bonte Hof Z also managed to stay neatly clear in the jump-off and with a finishing time of 41.79 seconds they secured the bronze podium place.

Also in this Grand Prix, Dutch rider Thijmen Vos came on strong with the 11-year-old gelding Cadillac Z, a son of Carrera VDL and Quasimodo vd Molendreef from the breeding farm of G. Weggemans in the Netherlands. Vos and Cadillac Z, already good for ^eighth place in the 1.50m Grand Prix Qualifier during the opening day on Thursday, crossed the finish line in the jump-off in 42.74 seconds, giving them final ^6th place in the standings.

However, the final day on Sunday started in Bourg-en-Bresse with a 1.45m class and in it it was a Z-horse that led the standings. Indeed, victory there went to Swiss rider Edouard Schmitz and the 10-year-old gelding Dillen 111 Z, a son of De Flor 111 Z Santa Rosa and Clovis who, as his name already suggested, was bred by the Theeuwes family of Stud 111. Schmitz and Dilllen 111 Z finished in 59.21 seconds in this speed class, giving them a lead of nineteen hundredths of a second over the competition.

On Saturday afternoon in Bourg-en-Bresse, there was also a blue/yellow victory thanks to Irish rider Mark McAuley and the 13-year-old stallion L'Arc En Ciel Z, a son of L'Arc de Triomphe and San Remo bred in France by Sarah Gospodnetic and Anne Delerie. Indeed, McAuley and L'Arc En Ciel Z, who also jumped to ^7th place in the 1.50m class on Thursday, became the final laureates in the 1.50m class. In both the first and the decisive second round, they neatly kept all the rails in the scoops and with a finishing time of 39.61 seconds they were the only combination that managed to keep the time under 40 seconds.

On Thursday during the opening day, the four-star competition started with a 1.40m speed class and with both gold and silver, it was completely dominated by two Z horses. The top prize went to home rider Jean Luc Mourier and the 10-year-old gelding Vagabond Of Picobello Z (Vagabond de la Pomme x Contact van de Heffinck) from the Ruant family's breeding farm. Mourier and Vagabond Of Picobello Z managed to stop the clock in 61.05 seconds, outpacing the competition by more than half a second.

With this performance, they beat Mourier's compatriot Nicolas Bodin and his 10-year-old breeding product A Guakadera Z, a daughter of Akarad Hero Z combined with Sandro Boy, among others. Bodin and A Guakedera Z also provided a flawless performance, but needed 61.74 seconds to complete their round.

Another notable combination within the four-star competition were Frenchman Cedric Hurel and his 16-year-old top gelding Fantasio Floreval Z (Bazooka de Hus x Clinton - breeder: Evelyne Pater). They already ensured a podium finish on Friday with a ^3rd place in the 1.50m class, but they were also among the prize winners at the CSI4* Grand Prix. In 40.50 seconds they managed a razor-sharp finishing time, but a mistake on the way ultimately kept them off the Grand Prix podium and made them settle for ^10th place.

Furthermore, Belgian rider Anthony Wellens also managed a podium place with the 8-year-old gelding Gino du Domaine Z (George Z x Quidam de Rêvel - breeder: Luc De Brauwer). During the 1.40m class on Saturday, they ensured a clear round, with ^3rd place as the final result.

Apart from the four-star competition, the past few days in Bourg-en-Bress have also seen two-star competitions in which some Z-horses excelled. During the CSI2* Grand Prix on Saturday, for example, Frenchman Nicolas Cizeron and the 9-year-old stallion L'Ariello van de Zuurhaege Z (Lector vd Bisschop Z x Copin van de Broy - breeder: Simon Tobback) achieved a top ranking. In a jump-off for which 12 combinations managed to qualify, they crossed the finish line in 37.25 seconds, which was ultimately good for a nice ^3rd place in the rankings. His compatriot Romain Ozzola followed close behind in ^5th place with the Dominator 2000 Z mare Do D'O Z (Dominator 2000 Z x Nabab de Rêve - breeder: Herman Claessens). It took them 41.13 seconds to complete their jump-off.