Three out of three for Cyranan Z in St. Tropez

At the Gassin Polo Club in St. Tropez, France, last weekend, most attention was naturally focused on the four-star competition, but in addition, the popular French seaside resort also saw competition at two-star level. In these classes, too, several Z-horses performed particularly well and managed to draw attention to themselves with some great performances.

The absolute star was undoubtedly French rider Lucas Fournier and his 11-year-old mare Cyranan Z, a daughter of Cyrano du Ruisseau Z and Heartbreaker bred in France by Francesca Gobessi and Najem Joy. Fournier and Cyranan Z had an impeccable track record in St Tropez, where they appeared three times at the start and also managed to secure three resounding victories. Already on Wednesday they set the tone with a win in the 1.40m opening class, before adding their second victory in a similar class on Friday. The highlight of the weekend, however, followed on Saturday, when they also beat no-one in the 1.45m-high Big Tour. In a jump-off for which nine combinations managed to qualify, they were sixteen hundredths of a second ahead of the rest of the field there with a clear round in 40.77 seconds.

On Friday afternoon in St. Tropez, Fournier's compatriot Margaux Rocuet and the 15-year-old chestnut mare Iliade Kdw Z, a daughter of Indoctro and Brahmann St. Simeon from the breeding farm of Kdw Horses BVBA, were also victorious. Rocuet and Iliade Kdw Z became the winners of the 1.45m Big Tour, in which they were more than half a second ahead of the competition with a strong round in 64.60 seconds.

On Thursday, French rider Jean Luc Mourier also recorded a blue/yellow victory with the 8-year-old gelding Chendro Mb Z, a son of Comme Il Faut and Harley VDL bred in the Netherlands by Marcel Bokdam. During the 1.35m class, Mourier and Chendro Mb Z finished in a convincing time of 59.09 seconds, just over three full seconds ahead of the other competitors. A day later, Mourier and Chendro Mb Z further confirmed this strong performance when they claimed ^8th place during the 1.40m class.

In addition to Jean Luc Mourier and Chendro Mb Z's victory, Belgian rider Louise Losfeld and the 12-year-old mare Athina Louise Z (Arko III x Ugano Sitte - B: Christine Callewaert) also took ^3rd place during the 1.35m class on Thursday. In this speed class, they too kept all the bars in the reels nicely, but needed 62.35 seconds to complete their round successfully.

In the CSI2* Grand Prix on Sunday morning, top French rider Simon Delestre managed to jump to another top ranking with the 8-year-old chestnut mare Castanha van het Beeckhof Z, a daughter of our chestnut stallion Comilfo Plus Z and Tsar Hero bred by Patrick and Romy Vandereyt. Delestre and Castanha van het Beeckhof Z, also good for a ^9th place in the 1.40m class on Thursday, did not have a fault in either the basic round or the jump-off and this performance earned them a nice ^4th place in the ranking.

Last but not least, Luxembourg rider Victor Bettendorf also managed to finish ^4th with the also 8-year-old mare Extasia Bella By Classic Z, a daughter of Emerald van 't Ruytershof and Ultra Boy. Bettendorf and the breeding product of Cassandra Toni achieved this ^4th place during the 1.40m class on Saturday, where they ensured a nice clear round.