Silver for Bumblebee JMJ Z in the Belgian Championship for 7-year-old horses

Besides the competitions in Opglabbeek and Ghlin, there was a lot of action on Belgian soil last weekend at the Hazebroek family's Azelhof in Lier. There, on the one hand, the second week of the Summer Tour 2025 was on the programme, but the Azelhof was also once again the setting for the Belgian Championship for 7-year-old horses. It was another fruitful Belgian Championship for our Zangersheide colours with two horses on the podium that have blue/yellow blood running through their veins.

It was another well-filled championship this year, as no fewer than one hundred and ninety-five combinations appeared at the start during the qualifying rounds on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Competition was therefore particularly fierce and in the end, the best sixty combinations managed to qualify for the grand final on Sunday afternoon. In that final, the tension remained high until the very last moment, as a total of eight combinations managed to stay clear in that final as well, thus securing a ticket for the ultimate jump-off.

One of those eight prospective winners was Belgian rider Arnaud Gaublomme with the chestnut mare Bumblebee JMJ Z, a daughter of Baloubet du Rouet and Diarado born to breeder Jan Moens. Gaublomme and Bumblebee JMJ Z were also finalists two years ago at the World Championship for 5-year-old horses in Lanaken, where they secured a nice ^6th place. In the jump-off of this Belgian Championship for 7-year-old horses, they again managed a flawless round with a finishing time of 42.31 seconds to secure a brilliant silver medal.

But the bronze also got a strong blue/yellow tint thanks to Belgian rider Jordy Oostvogels and the mare Sans Doute de Wulf Selection, a breeding product of Antoon De Wulf who combined the blood of our stallion Extra Z with that of Dream d'Hedge Wulf Selection. Oostvogels and Sans Doute de Wulf Selection also managed to stay clear over the entire championship and in the decisive jump-off they managed to put a time of 43.42 seconds on the scoreboard.

Also in the top five of this Belgian Championship we saw Belgian rider Neal Vanderwegen with the gelding Brilliant D&E Z, a son of Bamako de Muze and Diamant from the stud farm of Dries Lammens. They reached the finish line in 44.90 seconds in the jump-off, stranding just beside the podium in ^4th place.