Z-horses secure four gold medals in Drammen

As well as the CSIO in Sopot, Poland, an international Nations Cup was also on the programme in Norway last weekend. The next round of the Longines EEF Series took place at the Drammen Rideklubb, and there too the blue and yellow colours proved particularly successful. With four resounding victories, including the win in the CSIO3* Grand Prix, the Z-class horses delivered an impressive run of performances.

Following the Nations Cup on Friday, Sunday afternoon saw the other highlight of the weekend: the CSIO3* Grand Prix. A total of forty-nine pairs took part, eight of whom successfully completed the 1.55m-high basic course. The spotlight was on the Danish rider Martin Dinesen Neergaard and the 13-year-old stallion Here I’Am Z, a son of Harley VDL and Cor d’Almé Z, bred by Ayumi Kotani. Dinesen Neergaard and Here I’Am Z also managed to complete the jump-off clear of faults and, with a finishing time of 37.08 seconds, they outclassed the competition by nine hundredths of a second.

On Saturday, the main class of the day was a 1.45m class with a jump-off, and victory there too went to the blue and yellow colours. The honour went to Dutch rider Bart Lips and the 11-year-old gelding Ding Dong van Overis Z, a son of Diamant de Semilly and Chellano Z, bred by Gerald Lenaerts and Sigrid Gielen of Studfarm Overis. In a jump-off for which nine pairs had qualified, they raced to the finish in 43.32 seconds, giving them a half-second lead over their nearest rivals.

On the opening day on Thursday, there were also two Z-class victories to note, one of which was secured by the Belgian rider Jean-Christophe De Grande and the 11-year-old stallion Anubis van de Vossestaart Z (Aimar van het Polderhof x Toulon – breeder: Alex Cnockaert). De Grande and Anubis van de Vossestaart Z, who last winter added the CSI2* Grand Prix of Ghent to their list of achievements last winter, were the overall winners of the 1.45m Grand Prix qualifier, in which they finished with a clear^second phase in 27.86, giving them a lead of around three-quarters of a second over the competition.

The fourth and final Z victory went to the Dutch rider Henk van de Pol and the 10-year-old mare Evry Vd Verbindingshoeve Z (Elvis Ter Putte x Numero Uno – breeder: Kevin Luyckx). They triumphed in the 1.40m class, where they kept everyone else at bay with a clear^second phase in 25.57 seconds. A day later, van de Pol and Evry Vd Verbindingshoeve Z confirmed that fine performance by securing^7th place in another 1.40m class.

In addition to his victory with Anubis van de Vossestaart Z, Jean-Christophe De Grande also enjoyed a successful weekend with the 9-year-old stallion Massimo Z ( Menko Vd Wellington x Ceasar Ter Linden – breeder: Laura Vanhoutte). The pair competed three times over the weekend in 1.40m classes, securing a top-five finish on each occasion. On both Thursday and Friday, De Grande and Massimo Z jumped to^4th place, whilst on Sunday they rounded off their competition with a^5th place.

Finally, British rider Carron Nicol also secured a podium finish with the 8-year-old stallion Dolomite Z (Diamant de Semilly x Caretano Z), who was born here at Zangersheide Stud. During the 1.40m speed class on Sunday morning, they secured^third place after a clear round.