27 April '26
Impress-K van 't Kattenheye Z reigns supreme at Fontainebleau
/
Studbook
©PVS-J.Morel
Belgian rider Thibeau Spits and his black pearl Impress-K van 't Kattenheye Z once again proved their absolute top form! A month after their impressive performances in both 's Hertogenbosch and Paris, they made their appearance last weekend in Fontainebleau, France, where on Sunday afternoon they wrote the CSI5* Grand Prix on their record books with great flair.
Under a beaming sun and in front of well-filled stands, the prestigious main arena of the Grand Parquet de Fontainebleau was the setting for a thrilling CSI5* Grand Prix last weekend. The large crowd in attendance was treated to a field of competitors that did full justice to the event, with 50 of the world's best riders at the start. French course designer Grégory Bodo had designed a technical and demanding course that left little or no room for improvisation. The course therefore put the combinations to the test, with only six pairs eventually managing to qualify for the jump-off. One of those six were Thibeau Spits and his 11-year-old stallion Impress-K van 't Kattenheye Z, a son of Indoktro-K van 't Kattenheye and Vagabond de la Pomme, bred by Tony Raman and Mieke Strobbe. Spits and Impress-K van 't Kattenheye Z re-entered the ring in that decisive jump-off as the third combination and produced a unique result. As the only combination they managed to deliver another flawless round, convincingly beating the competition.
Thibeau Spits: "I didn't really know what to expect. After Paris, he had had a break because of breeding, so he was a bit temperamental and not very focused. I was already happy to have qualified for the Grand Prix. But today he was calmer. He is also a horse who knows very well what to do. He jumped fantastically. I wasn't sure if my jump-off would be fast enough with the competitors in front of me. Fortunately, I had a double clear round. Of course, the World Championships remain a goal for this year, and results like today help with that. So I think I have a good chance of being there and getting a good result."
Also in this CSI5* Grand Prix, Spits' compatriot Pieter Devos once again came out on top with his 11-year-old top mare Casual DV Z, the daughter of Cornet Obolensky and Cicero Z van Paemel who was born and raised in the Devos family home. They too were among the combinations that managed to advance to the jump-off, in which they finally secured a 5th place.
Christian Ahlmann also appeared in this Grand Prix with our 10-year-old stallion Untouched LB Z, a son of reigning European Champion United Touch S and Cornet Obolensky. Ahlmann and Untouched LB Z were the first combination in the basic round to manage to keep all the bars in the scoops, but two penalties for exceeding the time allowed unfortunately kept them out of the jump-off and made them settle for 10th place.
A day earlier in Fontainebleau, Christian Ahlmann had also jumped into the limelight with our 11-year-old stallion Dourkhan Hero Z (Sea Coast Don't Touch Tiji Hero Z x Zandor Z - breeder: Luc Henry). During the 1.55m class against the clock, Ahlmann and Dourkhan Hero Z did not show any faults and this performance earned them a nice 6th place in the rankings.
With two top placings, it was also a successful competition for Austrian rider Max Kühner and the 9-year-old gelding Kurt D Z (Kentucky van 't Ruytershof x Comme Il Faut), who was born in Germany to breeder Dietrich Denker. Kühner and Kurt D Z immediately made themselves noticed on Thursday during the opening day with a 5th place in the 1.45m class, but only really got under steam with a win in the 1.50m class on Friday evening. In a class against the clock, they sped to the finish line in 58.52 seconds, putting them eighteen hundredths of a second ahead of the competition.
Another notable combination was home rider Olivier Perreau and the also 9-year-old stallion Leopard des Joanins Z (L'Arc de Triomphe x Quick Star - breeder: Stephane Monier). They started their competition on Thursday with 10th place in the 1.45m opening class, while another 7th place followed a day later in the 1.50m class.
In addition to the five-star competition, the past few days in Fontainebleau have also seen jumping at two-star level, in which our blue and yellow studbook colours were also successful. The CSI2* Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon, for example, saw Irish rider Eoin McMahon and the 10-year-old grey stallion Disney Z (Dimitri Z x Numero Uno - breeder: Baekgaarden Youngsters A/S) take the podium. In a jump-off for which ten out of fifty-four combinations qualified, they crossed the finish line in 39.16 seconds, with a fine 2nd place as final result.