Hummer Z triumphs in the CSI4* Grand Prix of Upperville

Like in France, there was a lot of international action in the United States again last weekend, with three competitions scattered across the country on the programme. In Virginia, it was looking forward to the Upperville Colt & Horse Show, also known as the oldest show jumping competition in the country. The CSI4* Grand Prix there on Sunday was the highlight of the weekend and it got a Z horse at the top of the leaderboard.

For seven days in Upperville, people could enjoy this annual tradition, where both professionals and amateurs competed in the spectacular setting with the famous oak trees of Grafton Farm. The CSI4* Grand Prix on Sunday brought a total of 20 combinations to the start, six of which managed to secure a ticket for the decisive jump-off. The lead was Israeli rider Daniel Bluman and the 12-year-old gelding Hummer Z, a son of Harley VDL and Hemmingway bred in the Netherlands by P.H.A.E. Bocken. Bluman and Hummer Z, who also signed for ^3rd place in the 1.50m class on Friday, also managed to keep their cool in the jump-off and with a convincing round in 34.95 seconds, they were more than one and a half seconds ahead of their closest pursuers.

However, Bluman and Hummer Z were not the only ones to take a blue/yellow victory in Upperville. In the 1.50m class on Friday, it was Irish rider Philip McGuane who jumped to victory with the 9-year-old mare Crislin van den Bosrand Z, a daughter of Carambole and Nabab de Rêve from the breeding farm of Luc Huyghe. In a jump-off for which ten of the thirty-seven combinations qualified, they finished in 33.74 seconds, beating the competition by just one hundredth of a second.

Finally, American rider Campbell Brown also managed to secure a nice result with the 12-year-old mare Colina Z (C-Ingmar x Carthago Z), from the breeding farm of J.R.J. Evenhuis and L.G. Morsink in the Netherlands. Brown and Colina Z entered the 1.45m class on Thursday, where they secured ^5th place after a double clear round.