Top weekend for Lorenzo de Luca and Promise Z in Lier!

Last weekend, the most attention undoubtedly went to the European Jumping Championships in Milano, but next to that there was of course also a lot of other international action on the programme. For example, we were guests on Belgian soil in Azelhof, Lier, where the Italian rider Lorenzo de Luca had a strong weekend with the 10-year-old mare Promise Z, a daughter of Gestion Priamus Z and Graf Grannus who was bred by Jonna Sundblad.

The first highlight of the weekend came for de Luca and Promise Z during the 1.45m Longines Ranking class on Friday afternoon. After a clear round, they were one of the 10 combinations that managed to secure a place in the jump-off. They entered the ring again as penultimate combination and with a clear round in 30.58 seconds they were able to write this Longines Ranking test on their list of honors.

The victory during this Longines Ranking class also meant that de Luca and Promise Z were immediately qualified for the CSI3* GP on Sunday afternoon. This 1.55m class took place over two rounds and after a clear first round they were among the 13 best combinations that managed to qualify for the second and decisive round. They again delivered a flawless performance and with a finish time of 44.82 seconds they were just under 1.5 seconds ahead of the competition.

In 7th place during this CSI3* GP we saw the Luxembourg rider Victor Bettendorf with his 11-year-old grey gelding Simolo de la Roque Z, the son of Spartacus TN and Casall who was bred by Top Stallions Company and with whom Bettendorf jumped to a 2nd place jump during the four-star show in Münster the week before. In 44.46 seconds, Bettendorf and Simolo de la Roque Z managed to do it even faster than de Luca and Promise Z during that second round, but a fault along their way eventually kept them from victory. During the 1.45m high Longines Ranking class on Friday they were also good for an 8th place in the ranking and during the 1.40m class on Thursday for a 10th place in the ranking.

Another combination that managed to jump into the picture in Lier was the Belgian rider Christophe Vanderhasselt with the 11-year-old grey gelding Arthuro de Sarlar Z (Breemeersen Adorado x Obourg – B: André Tavernier). During the Longines Ranking class on Friday they jumped to a 6th place and during both the CSI3* GP on Sunday and during the 1.40m class on Thursday they were good for an 8th place in the ranking.

During the 1.45m main class on Thursday, the Brazilian rider Bernardo Alves once again delivered a top performance with his 11-year-old chestnut mare Vigo's Flip de Muze Z (Vigo d'Arsouilles x Robin I Z – B: Joris De Brabander), with whom he also became 2nd during Jumping Bonheiden the week before. In a class against the clock they managed to keep all the poles in the cups and this performance earned them a 2nd place, just like in Bonheiden.

During the 1.40m class on Friday there was also a podium place for the Belgian rider Frédéric Vernaet with the 9-year-old mare Just Dance T&L Z (James van de Kornelishoeve x Upsilon van de Heffinck – B: Cédric and Delphine Tilleman). Both during the 1st and during the 2nd phase they ensured a flawless performance, which ultimately resulted in a 3rd place in the ranking.