14 September '26
Z-horses make their mark in Ascona
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Studbook
© Sportfot
In Switzerland last weekend, all eyes were on the CSI in Ascona, where competitions took place at both four-star and two-star levels. At the site of the former Ascona airport, a large number of riders and horses took to the arena, with several Z-level horses making a strong impression throughout the weekend.
One of the horses that caught the eye on Swiss soil was the 10-year-old stallion Cassanova One Bvl Z, a son of Codex One Z and Air Jordan Z, bred in the Netherlands by H.L.M. van Lier. Casanova One Bvl Z is one of British rider Oliver Fletcher’s top horses, and together they secured a top-10 finish in the CSI4* Grand Prix. Both in the 1.55m-high main round and in the fifteen-horse jump-off, they remained faultless, and this performance earned them a fine7th place in the rankings.
Another standout combination in the four-star competition was local rider Barbara Schnieper and the 11-year-old stallion Coco G Z, a son of Cornet Obolensky and Contendro I, bred by W. van Gestel in the Netherlands. Schnieper and Coco G Z competed three times in the arena, securing a top-10 placing on two occasions. After the pair had already made their mark on Saturday with an8th place in the 1.50m class, they rounded off their competition on Sunday with an impressive3rd place in the 1.45m class.
Dutch rider Thijmen Vos also secured two placings with the 9-year-old gelding Cornelis Vm Z (Classe HS x Elvis Ter Putte), where the letters ‘Vm’ refer to Jan Van Meever’s stud farm. In both the 1.45m class on Friday and the one on Sunday, they secured4th place after completing clear rounds.
Two-Star Competition
Alongside the four-star competition, however, a two-star competition was also held in Ascona, where no fewer than two blue-and-yellow victories were recorded. One of those victories was secured by British rider James Shore on the 9-year-old gelding New York G & DB Z, a son of Nadal Hero & DB and Inshallah de Muze, bred as part of a collaboration between Robert Geens and Valentijn De Bock. Shore and New York G & DB Z were the overall winners of the 1.40m class on Thursday, where they completed a clear round in 69.02 seconds, finishing hundredths of a second ahead of the competition.
That second Z-class victory went to the Swiss rider Philippa Bisang and the 9-year-old mare Cayenne Fleur Sw Z (Carrera VDL x Warrant), a home-bred mare by H.A. van der Weide. During the 1.35m class on Saturday evening, they raced to the finish in 58.93 seconds, putting them around a quarter of a second ahead of their closest challenger.
Last but not least, Bisang’s compatriot Elodie Hanselmann also enjoyed a successful weekend with the 10-year-old gelding Achtung Asborne Z (Arezzo VDL x Asca Z – breeder: BVBA Asborne). Having already made their mark on Thursday with a5th place in the 1.35m class, they were back in the spotlight on Saturday with a3rd place in the CSI2* Grand Prix.