Vida Loca Z takes bronze in the CSI4* Grand Prix at Deauville

Although there was no action at the very highest level last weekend, there were once again some excellent four-star show jumping events on the programme. One of these was the Longines Deauville Classic, where a great many Z-level horses also made their appearance in the arena. They also managed to put in some excellent performances, culminating in a podium finish in the CSI4* Grand Prix.

The Longines Deauville Classic is one of the competitions in the renowned Grand Prix Events series, which naturally attracted many big names to the town in Normandy. The highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly the CSI4* Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon, which saw a total of fifty rider-horse pairs take to the arena. Twelve of them successfully completed the 1.55m-high basic round designed by Swiss course designer Gerard Lachat and his team, thereby securing a place in the decisive jump-off. One of those twelve contenders for victory was the French rider Kevin Staut and his 10-year-old chestnut mare Vida Loca Z, the daughter of Vigo d’Arsouilles and Cornet Obolensky, who was bred in Italy by Soc. Agricola A.R.I. Edeldame. Staut and Vida Loca Z also managed to keep their cool in the jump-off and, with a finishing time of 43.68 seconds, secured a fine^third place.

^Fourth place in this CSI4* Grand Prix was taken by his compatriot Cédric Hurel and the 16-year-old gelding Fantasio Floreval Z, the son of Bazooka de Hus and Clinton, bred by Evelyne Pater in France. Hurel and Fantasio Floreval Z, who had already kicked off their competition week on Thursday with a^third-place finish in the 1.50m class, completed a clear round in 44.85 seconds, ultimately missing out on a podium place by the narrowest of margins.

During Friday’s 1.50m class, Belgian rider Bart Jay Junior Vandecasteele made a name for himself with the 10-year-old stallion Lotti Blue Z, a son of Le Blue Diamond van ’t Ruytershof and Wandor van de Mispelaere, bred by Alfons Van Bruyssel. Vandecasteele and Lotti Blue Z, who have already delivered several fine performances in recent months, raced against the clock in this class to cross the line in 66.96 seconds, which ultimately also secured them^third place in the rankings.

Vandecasteele also enjoyed a successful competition with the 11-year-old grey gelding Vamos de la Pomme d’Or Z, a breeding product of Patrick Huyse that combines the bloodlines of Vigo d’Arsouilles with those of Ogano Sitte. Vandecasteele and Vamos de la Pomme d’Or Z first made their mark on Friday with a^fourth place in the 1.40m class, whilst on Saturday they secured^sixth place in the 1.45m class.

However, there was also a blue-and-yellow victory to be recorded in Deauville, thanks to the French rider Alix Ragot and the 9-year-old mare Serafina Dbh Z, a daughter of Stakkato Gold and Ramiro Z bred by De Bruyn. Ragot and Serafina DBH Z were the convincing winners of the 1.40m class on Friday, completing a clear-round^second phase in 30.04 seconds to finish just under 2.5 seconds ahead of the competition.

Following his strong performance the previous week in St. Lô, French rider Hugo Breul once again secured a prize with the 10-year-old chestnut stallion Kiekeboe Picobello Z, a son of the French sire Kannan and Indoctro, bred by the Ruant family of Picobello Horses. Breul and Kiekeboe Picobello Z made their mark in Friday’s 1.50m class, securing^5th place after a flawless round.

On Thursday, the opening day, French rider Megane Moissonnier put in a stunning performance with the 10-year-old gelding Kandoo Z, a son of Kannan and Level Z, bred by Hilary Parren. The pair competed in the 1.50m main class, where they added a^second-place finish to their list of achievements.

Finally, French rider Max Thirouin also secured a podium finish with the 9-year-old grey stallion Chavez Z (Cicero Z van Paemel x Chellano Z), who was bred by Robby Schils. During Thursday’s 1.40m speed class, they kept all the bars neatly in place, finishing in^third place.