Two times gold in Kronenberg

Last weekend, most eyes were undoubtedly focused on the World Cup competition at Jumping Amsterdam, but in addition, the past few days also saw international show jumping on Dutch soil at the beautiful Peelbergen Equestrian Centre in Kronenberg. A lot of Z-horses made their appearance in the ring and managed to achieve some strong performances throughout the weekend.

One of those fine results came in the name of Belgian rider Jules Van Hoydonck and the 13-year-old chestnut mare Elize Z, a daughter of Elvis Ter Putte and Prince Royal from the breeding farm of Kris Van Kerckhove. Van Hoydonck and Elize Z have jumped quite a list in recent years and last weekend that impressive list was extended again. During the opening day on Thursday, they ensured another victory by winning the 1.40m Medium Tour. In a straight time class, they sped to the finishing line in 56.01 seconds, just under a full second ahead of their closest pursuer.

But ^3rd place in this class also coloured blue and yellow, and that was taken care of by German Benjamin Wulschner with the 11-year-old black mare Con Amore Z, a daughter of Cornet Obolensky and Oklund bred by E.A.C. BV in the Netherlands. Wulschner and Con Amore Z also provided a flawless score, but took 57.20 seconds to complete their round.

Besides Van Hoydonck and Elize Z's victory, however, there was also a second Z victory to note last weekend. In the 1.40m Medium Tour on Friday morning, it was Danish rider Theodor Linde who claimed the top prize with the 10-year-old mare Valencia du Dieu d'Arras Z, a breeding product of Jeremy Vanhoutte who combined the blood of Vigo d'Arsouilles with that of Heartbreaker. Linde and Valencia du Dieu d'Arras Z, also good for ^eighth place in the 1.35m class on Thursday, crossed the finish line in 23.59 seconds in the^2nd phase, which also put them just under a full second ahead of the rest of the pack.

During the opening day on Thursday, home rider Lars Kersten managed to secure a top ranking with the also 10-year-old chestnut mare Carmen H Z, a daughter of Cicero Z van Paemel and Air Jordan Z who was born to breeder Harrie Kolen. Kersten and Carmen H Z started in the 1.45m Grand Prix Qualifier, in which they secured^2nd place.

On Saturday morning, the final day of this two-star competition started with the 1.45m final of the Medium Tour, in which a Z-horse also managed to shine on the podium. Belgian rider Andres Vereecke took care of that with the 15-year-old gelding Dukaat Van Herkenrode Z (Dicasi O.H. x Darco - breeder: Cynthia Gilissen). In a jump-off for which eleven of the thirty-nine combinations managed to qualify, Vereecke and Dukaat Van Herkenrode Z again kept all the rails in the scoops, taking ^3rd place in the ranking.

Also in ^3rd place was German rider Michael Jung and the 11-year-old gelding Carte D'Or Z, a son of Chellsini Z and Darco bred by Tom Camerlynck. Jung and Carte D'Or Z, who were also good for ^7th place during the 1.35m class on Friday, achieved this bronze podium place during the 1.40m Small Tour on Saturday and this after keeping zero on score during both the^1st and^2nd stages.

Finally, Italian rider Giulia Mattioli also gave a strong performance with the 9-year-old stallion Ax'Ent van de Canthoeve Z, a son of our chestnut stallion Aganix du Seigneur Z in combination with Cadence Van' t Gelutt Z. During the 1.45m-high Big Tour on Friday, Mattioli and the breeding product of Ilona De Ruyter and Stijn Pittomvils finished in ^5th place after a double clear round.