31 August '26
Top finish for Tobago Z’s son in the Rolex Grand Prix of Brussels
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Studbook
© Sportfot
Following the spectacular finale of the FEI World Championships in Aachen, there has once again been plenty of action at the very highest level over the past few days. The Conter family in Wolvertem were eagerly awaiting a new edition of the Brussels Stephex Masters, one of the most prestigious five-star show jumping events of the year and, moreover, part of the renowned Rolex Series. The Rolex Grand Prix was, therefore, the absolute highlight of the weekend, and a top placing was secured by a descendant of our stallion Tobago Z.
Five days of international show jumping came to a close on Sunday afternoon in Wolvertem with a thrilling Rolex Grand Prix, presented by Audi. French course designer Grégory Bodo and his team had mapped out a challenging course for this 1.60m Grand Prix, with only five of the forty-seven pairs successfully completing the first round. They qualified, along with seven other pairs, for the decisive second round. One of those five pairs to achieve a clear round in the first round were the Belgian rider Frédéric Vernaet and his 12-year-old black stallion Orak d’Hamwyck T&L, a son of our stallion Tobago Z , and Toulon, bred by Danny Vergauwen – Van Impe. Vernaet and Orak d’Hamwyck T&L picked up four penalty points in the second round and, with a finishing time of 46.66 seconds, ultimately secured a fine5th place.
Along side this top placing by Orak d’Hamwyck T&L, there were, of course, plenty of other Z-class horses that caught the eye on the lovely grass tracks at Wolvertem. One of them was the 11-year-old gelding Vivario JL Z, a son of Vigo d’Arsouilles and Heartbreaker, bred by Luc and Jules Leemans. Together with his rider Christian Ahlmann, Vivario JL Z immediately made his mark on Thursday, the opening day, with athird place in the 1.50m main class, whilst on Saturday, in another 1.50mclass.
During that 1.50m class on Thursday, Belgian rider Niels Bruynseels was also among the prize-winners with the 10-year-old mare Devidanga SW Z, a daughter of Dominator 2000 Z and Numero Uno who was born in the Netherlands to the Zijlstra family. A clear round earned them7th place in the standings.
Another standout combination in the five-star competition were the Swiss rider Nadja Peter Steiner and the equally 10-year-old gelding Clearrround IL Mondo Z (Comme Il Faut x Clearway), a horse bred by Tim Naessens. They opened on Thursday with an8th place in the 1.40m class, but reached their highlight of the weekend during the 1.50m class on Friday. There, following a clear round, they secured an impressive2nd place.
Four gold medals in the three-star competition
The five-star competition may have attracted the most attention, but there were also three-star events taking place in Wolvertem, amongst other things. The Z-class horses were once again very much in evidence there too, securing no fewer than four victories over the course of the weekend. One of those victories was secured by the Dutch rider Maikel van der Vleuten and the 10-year-old stallion Kentucky TMS Z, a son of Kannan and Toulon bred by Tal Milstein Stables. Van der Vleuten and Kentucky TMS Z, who had already secured6th place in the 1.45m class on Thursday, were crowned winners of the 1.45m main class on Saturday. They rode flawlessly in both the first round and the ‘Winning Round’, and with a finishing time of 60.12 seconds, they were just under half a second ahead of the runner-up.
Meanwhile, Belgian rider Anthony Wellens and the 10-year-old mare Cela van Koekenhuyze Z (Casallo Z x Clinton), bred by Frank Dhaensens, secured two victories. In both the 1.40m class on Wednesday and the one on Thursday, they outclassed the competition with a dazzling round.
The fourth blue-and-yellow victory in the three-star competition went to the French rider Alix Ragot and the 9-year-old mare Serafina Dbh Z (Stakkato Gold x Ramiro Z), bred by De Bruyn. They were crowned champions in the 1.45m class on Friday morning, where their clear round in 64.87 seconds gave them a lead of exactly one full second over their closest rival. A day later, they confirmed this performance by takingsecond place in the 1.45m speed class.
Another standout combination was the Luxembourg rider Odile Gierech and the 8-year-old mare Addicted Z, a daughter of our stallion Aganix du Seigneur Z and Vagabond de la Pomme, bred by Dieter Van Herck and Imke Nys. Gierech and Addicted Z competed three times over the weekend and managed to secure a top-10 placing on all three occasions. On Wednesday, they began their competition with a6th place in the 1.40mclass, followed by a5th place in the 1.40m class on Thursday and a fine3rd place in the 1.45m class on Saturday.
Christian Ahlmann also secured a bronze medal with the 10-year-old stallion Diabolo van Betz Z (Dominator 2000 Z x Cassini II), who was bred by Jan Mues. They secured thisthird place in the 1.45m class on Thursday, riding clear rounds in both the first round and the jump-off.
Finally, Brazilian rider Camila Mazza de Benedicto also secured a podium finish with the 9-year-old gelding Carrasco N89 Z (Clarimo ASK x Andiamo Z – breeder: Nick Verlies). In Wednesday’s 1.40m class, they too secured a finethird place.
Last but not least, there was also a blue-and-yellow victory to note in the two-star competition classes. This was achieved by the Belgian rider Robin Vermeir and the 11-year-old mare Magic van ’t Hulgenrode Z (Midas vh Endhouse x Vigo d’Arsouilles), bred by Marcel De Ridder. After finishing10th in the 1.40m class on Wednesday, they went on to win the 1.40m ‘Speed & Handiness’ class on Saturday.