Offspring of Jenson van 't Meulenhof Z and Codex One Z shine in Sopot Grand Prix

While people at the very highest level could enjoy the Longines Global Champions Tour in St Tropez last weekend, there were of course plenty of other international competitions taking place as well. One such competition was the four-star competition of Sopot in Poland, which is also known for its Nations Cup. The CSIO4* Grand Prix on Sunday became a real success story for our Z stallions, with two of their offspring managing to jump handsomely into the top five of the standings.

The best performance here came from the 11-year-old gelding Inoui du Seigneur, a breeding product of Marc Vanlangendonck, who here combined the blood of Jenson van 't Meulenhof Z with that of Aganix du Seigneur Z. Inoui du Seigneur has been one of Belgian rider Rik Hemeryck's top horses for several years now, and that strong partnership was once again highlighted in Sopot. In this 1.60m Grand Prix, Hemeryck and Inoui du Seigneur stayed clear in the first round, making them one of the top 11 combinations that managed to qualify for the second round. There, they managed to repeat that flawless performance and with a finishing time of 43.25 seconds, the successful duo secured a great^2nd place.

However, Inoui du Seigneur was not the only Z offspring who managed a top 5 ranking during this CSIO4* Grand Prix. Indeed, ^4th place was taken by Liechtenstein rider Vanessa-Joy Nägele and the 9-year-old chestnut gelding Codex S, a son of Codex One Z and Clinton II from the breeding farm of Rita and Otto Sölzer. Nägele and Codex S also managed to ensure two neat clear rounds, but needed 43.31 seconds to complete their decisive round.

With the 10-year-old chestnut stallion Mr Quincy B, bred by Etter Sportpferde AG, another direct descendant of Aganix du Seigneur Z also managed to jump into the limelight in Sopot. Mr Quincy B is paired with Argentine rider Martin Dopazo and together they managed to achieve top results in both the Grand Prix Qualifier on Thursday and Saturday. On Thursday, Dopazo and Mr Quincy started their competition with a creditable ^5th place, while on Saturday they captured a podium spot when they took ^3rd place.

But victory in this 1.50m Grand Prix Qualifier on Saturday was also coloured blue and yellow thanks to Belgian rider Jeroen Appelen and the 9-year-old Z-bred gelding Gently Z, a son of First Gentleman and Numero Uno bred in the Netherlands by Schoof and Vullers. Appelen and Gently Z, who were also good for ^8th place in the 1.45m class on Thursday, sped to the finishing line in 39.85 seconds in the eight-man jump-off, almost a full second ahead of the rest of the field of competitors.

Finally, there were two more placings for Danish rider Søren Møller Rohde with the 9-year-old grey gelding Davos Ask Z, a son of Dakar VDL and U.S. from the breeding of W. de Dalie and R. Vos. Møller Rohde and Davos Ask Z made a first appearance on Friday when they finished ^7th in the 1.40m class, while a day later they secured another ^6th place in the 1.45m class.