Top five placing for Casual DV Z in the LGCT Madrid Grand Prix

After previous stages in Doha, Mexico City and most recently Shanghai, the Longines Global Champions Tour began its European leg of the season last weekend. For this first leg in continental Europe, they headed to the Spanish capital Madrid, where it was looking forward to the famous LGCT Grand Prix yesterday afternoon.

In an LGCT Grand Prix, forty combinations traditionally compete and yesterday was no different in Madrid. Of those forty prospective winners, seven managed to complete the 1.60m basic round run by Spanish coursedesigner Santiago Varela and his team, securing a place in the jump-off. One of those seven barragists was Belgian rider Pieter Devos and his 10-year-old top mare Casual DV Z, a daughter of Cornet Obolensky and Cicero Z who was born and raised at the home of the Devos family. As the fifth combination to reappear in the ring, Devos and Casual DV Z once again managed to keep it neatly clear and their finishing time of 36.40 seconds earned them a final ^4th place in the standings.

Before the start of this LGCT Grand Prix, a 1.45m class also took place yesterday in Madrid and in this class too there was success for our blue and yellow colours. French rider Alexa Ferrer took care of that with the 9-year-old mare Kasbah Queen Hero Z, a daughter of our chestnut stallion Kassander van 't Roosakker Z and Erco Van 't Roosakker, born to breeder Luc Henry. In a class against the clock, Ferrer and Kasbah Queen Hero Z could not find a fault and that flawless performance earned them ^7th place in the rankings.

The opening day on Friday was immediately all about the Global Champions League, the competition where there are jumps for both a team result and an individual ranking. The second round also saw qualification for the LGCT Grand Prix and in it we saw a Z-horse at the top of the rankings. Indeed, victory there went to French rider Simon Delestre with his 12-year-old gelding Dexter Fontenis Z, the son of Diarado and Voltaire bred by S.C.RI.S Ky Horses. Delstre and Dexter Fontenis Z finished against the clock in 68.75 seconds in this class, giving them just under half a second ahead of the rest of the field of competitors.

But Alexa Ferrer was also one of the prize winners in this class, this time with the 10-year-old mare Caetlin Vd Heffinck Z. Ferrer and Caetlin Vd Heffinck, a daughter of Chacco Blue and Cabrio van de Heffinck from the Hamerlinck family's breeding farm, crossed the finish line in 72.49 seconds, which gave them ^6th place in the standings.

Finally, Christian Ahlmann also appeared in Madrid with our 10-year-old stallion Dourkhan Hero Z, the son of Sea Coast Don't Touch Tiji Hero and Zandor Z also bred by Luc Henry. At the first round of the Global Champions League, Ahlmann and Dourkhan Hero Z produced a flawless performance, securing ^7th place and also playing an important part in the Shanghai Swans'^2nd place in the team classification.