16 July '25
Verdini d'Houtveld Z wins the CSI3* Grand Prix of Ocala
©Andrew Ryback Photography - Ocala
Two weeks after they already enjoyed a fantastic weekend including a win in the Grand Prix Qualifier, Australian rider Lauren Balcomb and her 14-year-old 'partner in crime' Verdini d'Houtveld Z rode another cracking performance at Ocala's beautiful Word Equestrian Centre last weekend. The successful duo competed there at the three-star competition last weekend and crowned themselves winners of the CSI3* Grand Prix on Saturday evening.
Canadian course designer Peter Grant and his team had once again laid out a beautiful and challenging course for this CSI3* Grand Prix. A total of thirty combinations took up the challenge, of which eleven managed to qualify for the jump-off. Among them, therefore, was rider Lauren Balcomb and her 14-year-old gelding Verdini d'Houtveld Z, the son of Verdi TN and Caretino from the breeding farm of Xavier Van Melckenbeke and with whom Balcomb has been a top combination for some time now. Balcomb and Verdini d'Houtveld Z were the first to clear the first round and were therefore the first in the jump-off. And they did so excellently, because with a whirlwind round in 39.85 seconds they immediately managed to put the winning time on the scoreboard.
Lauren Balcomb: "Verdini is just so amazing! We've been working together for so long and we know each other so well. He loves the jump-off and is so combative. He wants to go as fast as possible and responds so well to everything I ask him. If I need to keep my balance, he comes right back. He really is an incredible horse."
However, Balcomb and Verdini d'Houtveld Z were not the only ones to ensure a blue/yellow victory in Ocala last weekend. The 1.50m Grand Prix Qualifier on Thursday, for example, was won by Balcomb's compatriot Sharn Wordley and the 11-year-old gelding Brin d'Or de Haute Melen Z, a son of Bamako de Muze and Baloubet du Rouet bred by Georges Trulemans and whom Wordley had already started his competition on Wednesday with a 4th place in the 1.40m opening class. In a jump-off for which six combinations managed to qualify, Wordley and Brin d'Or de Haute Melen Z again kept all the bars in the scoops and a finishing time of 38.78 seconds gave them over a full second ahead of the rest of the field of competitors. In the CSI3* Grand Prix, Wordley and Brin d'Or de Haute Melen Z also confirmed these performances by claiming 5th place in the standings. Again, they did not allow themselves to be caught out on any faults.
Sharn Wordley: "Brin d'Or is really very careful. He had a good winter and then had a few months of rest. I was just rebuilding him and did a few shows to get him going in the ring. Because he is so cautious, he needs a few rounds to get into the rhythm. But he felt good and jumped really great last week."
Victory in that 1.40m opening class on Wednesday was in turn for Austrian rider Peter Petschenig and the 10-year-old stallion Hocus Pocus 111 Z, a son of Hermantico and Heartbreaker out of the breeding of C.A.M. van de Oetelaer and Stud 111. In both the1st and2nd phases, they managed to ensure a flawless performance in the process.
On Wednesday, however, the main class of the day was a 1.45m high speed class and here too there was success for our blue and yellow studbook colours. Thus silver went to Argentine rider Luis Pedro Biraben with the 9-year-old mare Baileys Van De Broy Z, a daughter of Bisquet Balou van de Mispelaere and Lord Z bred by Birgit Engelbosch. Biraben and Baileys Van De Broy Z kept their cool, managing to stop the clock in 66.92 seconds.
Finally, in this 1.45m class there was also a 4th place for Portuguese rider Luis Sabino Gonçalves and the 11-year-old chestnut gelding Scoop de Septon Z, a breeding product of Elevage de Septon combining the blood of Hunters Scendro with that of Echo van 't Spieveld. Luis Sabino Gonçalves and Scoop de Septon Z also provided a flawless performance, but needed 68.19 seconds to complete their round.