Kayenne Z shines twice at Spruce Meadows

While on European soil last weekend we could enjoy the CHIO of Aachen on the one hand and the Longines Global Champions Tour of Monaco on the other, there was also jumping on the other side of the ocean at five-star level. In Calgary, Canada, it was the iconic grass arena of Spruce Meadows that once again provided the stage for absolute top-class sport. This included quite a few Zangersheide horses at the start, with 10-year-old mare Kayenne Z in a starring role.

Kayenne Z (Kannan x Canezaro) was bred in Belgium by Kristof Engelen and trained internationally by Belgian rider Ann Carton-Grootjans. However, since the beginning of this year she has been a combination with the American rider Kyle King and with two cracking performances last weekend it became clear that the duo are getting used to each other. That first performance of the weekend came on Thursday, when King and Kayenne Z were the overall winners of the 1.55m class. In a jump-off for which seven combinations managed to qualify, they crossed the finish line in 40.39 seconds, giving them a small lead of three hundredths of a second over the rest of the field of competitors.

But the successful duo also had an absolute lead during the spirited CSI5* Grand Prix on Saturday afternoon. King and Kayenne Z were one of the four combinations to clear the two rounds by Spanish course designer Santiago Varela and his team, thus qualifying for the all-decisive jump-off. Again, they did not show any faults and with a finishing time of 35.29 seconds they secured^2nd place this time.

Also in this CSI5* Grand Prix, Canada's top rider Tiffany Foster managed to achieve a top 10 ranking with her 11-year-old chestnut mare Electrique, a daughter of Emerald van 't Ruytershof and Voltaire who was born Electrique van het Cauterhof Z at her breeders Spiessens & Co BVBA. Foster and Electrique saw a fault in the second round, which earned them ^6th place in the final ranking.

Another notable combination in Calgary was Irish rider James Chawke and the 11-year-old mare Daido van 't Ruytershof Z, a daughter of our stallion Dieu Merci Van T&L Z and Bamako de Muze bred by the van den Branden family. Chawke and Daido van 't Ruytershof Z made a first appearance on Saturday with an ^8th place during the 1.50m class with 'Winning Round', but experienced their highlight of the weekend during the 1.50m Speed & Handiness class on Sunday morning. After a whirlwind round, they crossed the finish line in 79.20 seconds, which was finally good for^2nd place.

But ^3rd place in this morning class was also coloured blue and yellow thanks to Mexican rider Eugenio Garza Perez and the 17-year-old gelding Victer Finn DH Z, a son of Va Vite and Stakkato from the breeding farm of De Dwerse Hagen BVBA. Garza Perez and Victer Finn DH Z still managed to do it faster than Chawke and Daido van 't Ruytershof Z in 77.46 seconds, but because a fault also rolled out of the scoops along the way, this time was reduced to 81.46 seconds and so they had to make peace with bronze. This was also the second ranking of the weekend for Garza Perez and Victer Finn DH Z, after securing ^eighth place in the 1.50m class on Thursday.

With three placings, it was also a top weekend for Canadian rider Kara Chad and her 9-year-old mare Corinna Z, a breeding product of Ridge Farms Stone who combined the blood of Cornet Obolensky with that of Kannan. Chad and Corinna Z started their show in Calgary on Wednesday with a ^3rd place in the 1.45m class and the following days saw a ^4th place in the 1.50m class on Thursday and a ^5th place in the 1.50m Speed & Handiness class on Sunday morning.

There were also top-five placings for Irish rider Daniel Coyle and his 15-year-old mare Legacy, the daughter of Chippendale Z and Bon Ami, who was born Chaventele Z to breeder Romain Rotty. Coyle and Legacy managed to qualify for the jump-off during the 1.50m class on Friday, in which they secured ^5th place.