Z-horses have strong weekend in Arezzo

Over the past few days, a lot of attention was focused on the start of the Longines Global Champions Tour on the beautiful beach of Miami Beach, but in addition to that, there were of course many other international competitions on the programme worldwide. At the Arezzo Equestrian Centre in Italy, for instance, they were ready for the third week of the Toscana Tour 2026, and a lot of Z-horses came out strong again.

One of those combinations who again jumped into the limelight in Arezzo was Christian Ahlmann and our 9-year-old stallion Applebridge Tag Z, the son of Aganix du Seigneur Z and VDL Corland bred by Evert and Ilse van Gorp. Ahlmann and Applebridge Tag Z already showed their good form last week with a resounding victory at the Grand Prix Qualifier on Friday and during this third week they also secured an absolute top ranking. Indeed, this time they secured a podium place during the 1.45m Longines Ranking Test on Sunday afternoon. In a jump-off for which nine out of sixty-seven combinations qualified, they again produced a flawless performance, securing^2nd place in the rankings.

The day before, Ahlmann had also ensured another great result with our 10-year-old stallion Querido VG Z (Dominator 2000 Z x Chellano Z - breeder: Aloïs Van Gorp), with whom he had already secured ^3rd place the week before. In the 1.45m Longines Ranking class, Ahlmann and Querido VG Z sped to the finish in 66.29 seconds, finishing just off the podium in ^4th place.

The victory in this Longines Ranking Test on Saturday then turned blue and yellow thanks to Dutch rider Harrie Smolders and the 9-year-old gelding Estrello Eh Z, a son of Emerald van 't Ruytershof and Graf Top bred by the Verlooy family of Euro Horse. Smolders and Estrello Eh Z, who already started their competition week on Thursday with an ^eighth place in the 1.45m class, crossed the finish line in 65.77 seconds, narrowly beating the competition.

Besides those good performances with Estrello Eh Z, Smolders also made a mark with the 10-year-old grey gelding Devino Vd Weretherbach Z (De Flor 111 Z x Calvin Z - breeder: Heinz Lentz). During the 1.40m class on Thursday they ensured a double clear round, with ^4th place as final result.

The highlight of the weekend in Arezzo was of course the CSI4* Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon, in which blue and yellow success was also to be noted. Brazilian rider João Victor Castro Aguiar Gomes De Lima and the 12-year-old gelding Kenzo Quality Z (Kannan x Con Air 7 - breeder: Quality Stud) took care of that. They managed to advance to the jump-off after a clear first round, in which they took ^5th place.

With two top 10 placings, Dutch rider Bart Lips had another successful weekend with the 14-year-old gelding Davinci Z (Dutch Capitol x St. Ludwigs Aquillino - breeder: De Claesstraete Stables). They started their week on Thursday with a ^6th place in the 1.40m class and two days later followed up with a ^9th place ranking in the 1.45m class. But also with the 11-year-old gelding Ding Dong van Overis Z (Diamant de Semilly x Chellano Z - breeder: Studfarm Overis), Lips managed to confirm his good form of the week before. In a second 1.40m class on Thursday, Lips and Ding Dong van Overis Z did not make a mistake, which earned them ^3rd place this time.

Then in the 1.50m Grand Prix Qualifier on Friday, there was another podium place for Belgian rider Leonie Peeters and her 12-year-old stallion Kameroen Eb Z (Kannan x Quantum - breeder: LVP Stables). In a nine-strong jump-off, Peeters and Kameroen Eb Z again kept all the bars neatly in the reels and with a finishing time of 39.75 seconds they secured^2nd place.

Finally, there were also some combinations who managed to secure ^5th place throughout the weekend. For British rider Joseph Stockdale and the 8-year-old stallion Satisfaction Van Den Ambacht Z (Satisfaction FRH x Marius Claudius - breeder: Jan Janssens) it was during the 1.40m class on Thursday, for German rider Hans Günther Blum and the 10-year-old stallion Tip Top Van De Zuuthoeve Z (Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve x Conan Z - breeder: Zuuthoeve) during the 1.40m class on Friday, ahead of Brazilian rider Luiz Felipe Cortizo Gonçalves de Azevedo and the 12-year-old mare Sierra du Piedroux Z (Hunters Scendix x Contefino - breeder: Claude Noiret) during the 1.50m class on Friday and ahead of American rider Megan McDermott and the 9-year-old gelding Da Vinci DV Z (Dominator 2000 Z x Turbo van 't Gestelhof - breeder: Devos Stables) during the 1.45m class on Saturday.