Top five classification for Nimrod de Muze Z in the CSIO5* Grand Prix of La Baule

While the spotlight in Cannes last weekend was on the fifth leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour, La Baule was also full of top-class sport at the very highest level. On the Atlantic coast, there was competition at the prestigious Jumping International de La Baule, which included a CSIO5* Nations Cup on the programme on Friday. During the CSIO5* Grand Prix on Sunday, there was blue/yellow success, with a Z horse in the top five of the standings.

The Rolex Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon was undoubtedly the absolute highlight of the weekend in La Baule and for this, French track builder Grégory Bodo and his team had once again laid out a masterpiece. The 1.60m base course consisted of fourteen obstacles with no fewer than seventeen jumps and caused quite a few difficulties for the riders along the way. In the end, eight out of fifty combinations managed to complete the circuit successfully, qualifying for the decisive jump-off.

One of those eight barragists were Brazilian rider Pedro Veniss and the 14-year-old chestnut gelding Nimrod de Muze Imperio Egipcio, a son of Nabab de Rêve and Tinka's Boy who was given the birth name Nimrod de Muze Z by breeder Eric Polfliet. In that jump-off, Veniss and Nimrod de Muze Imperio Egipcio re-entered the ring as the first combination and immediately set the tone with a clear round. They finished in 39.77 seconds, which gave them a nice ^4th place in the final ranking.

However, Veniss and Nimrod de Muze Imperio Egipcio were not the only ones to shine in La Baule. It was also a successful competition for German rider Rene Dittmer and the 10-year-old mare Echo vh Gerendal Z, a daughter of Echo van 't Spieveld and Jodokus bred in the Netherlands by the Verhey family of Gerendal Stables. Dittmer and Echo vh Gerendal Z made a first appearance on Friday when they claimed ^6th place in the 1.45m speed class, but achieved their best performance in the 1.50m main class on Saturday afternoon. In a jump-off for which eighteen combinations managed to qualify, they again managed to ensure a clear round and with a finishing time of 38.37 seconds they secured ^5th place in the rankings.

Another notable combination in La Baule were Swedish rider Peder Fredricson and the 11-year-old chestnut gelding SV Vroom de la Pomme Z, the son of Vigo d'Arsouilles and Untouchable who was bred by Geert Baertseoen and with whom Fredricson finished ^3rd at the CSI5* Hamburg Grand Prix the week before. Fredricson and SV Vroom de la Pomme Z immediately started their competition well in La Baule with a ^5th place during the 1.50m class on Thursday, while they managed to secure a ^6th place during the 1.50m class on Saturday. It took them 38.82 seconds to complete the jump-off, more than half a second slower than Dittmer and Echo vh Gerendal Z.

There were also two placings for Belgian Champion Gilles Thomas and the 10-year-old grey gelding Chuck Marienshof Z, a son of Colestus and Emerald van 't Ruytershof bred by Johny De Coninck and Sandra Ecker of Stal Marienshof. Both in the 1.45m class on Thursday and Friday, Thomas and Chuck Marienshof Z did not make a single mistake and this performance earned them ^7th place in the standings twice.

Finally, Swiss rider Jason Smith also managed a top ranking with the 8-year-old gelding One And Only Eda Z, a son of Ogano Sitte and Cherubin van de Helle bred in France by Pascal Rigaud. In the 1.45m accumulator class on Saturday morning, Smith and One And Only Eda Z left the ring with a maximum score of 65 points and their finishing time of 54.52 seconds was good for ^4th place.