Corbie V.V. Z shines in the CSI4* Grand Prix of Ocala

Last weekend there was once again a lot of international show jumping to enjoy on American soil. This time, the beautiful World Equestrian Centre of Ocala was the setting for a real four-star competition, where riders from all over the world competed against each other. For the second week in a row, it was another fruitful weekend for our blue and yellow colours, as once again a Z-horse managed to jump into the picture with a place on the Grand Prix podium.

The World Equestrian Centre of Ocala was again pretty packed on Saturday evening for this CSI4* Grand Prix, in which the audience saw a total of thirty-four top combinations at work. The basic round by Mexican course designer Anderson Lima was nothing short of spectacular, with new obstacles, colourful florals and, above all, lots of technical challenges. Of the thirty-four starting combinations, eight eventually managed to clear the course without any faults, thus advancing to the ultimate jump-off. In it, the first combination was Israeli rider Daniel Bluman and his 11-year-old grey mare Corbie V.V. Z, a daughter of Cornet Obolensky and Chacco-Blue bred by Evelyne and Colin van Vreckom. Bluman and Corbie V.V. Z already started their competition on Wednesday with a victory in the 1.40m class and in this CSI4* Grand Prix they again provided an absolute top ranking. As in the basic round, the successful duo also had their barrage round go off without a hitch and with a finishing time of 37.96 seconds they finally secured a fantastic  2^nd place!

Daniel Bluman: "It's always tricky when you have to start first in the jump-off and there are several fast riders coming after you. My plan with Corbie was to hold her back in the beginning so I could let her go at the end. If I start a bit too fast, I lose a bit of control. But overall she jumped fantastic."

Besides Daniel Bluman and Corbie V.V. Z, American rider Lacey Gilbertson also managed to qualify for the jump-off with the 10-year-old mare Belle Amie vd Dassenheide Z, a daughter of Bamako de Muze and Emerald van 't Ruytershof from the breeding farm of Jill Goossens. Gilbertson and Belle Amie vd Dassenheide Z, who broke through internationally under the saddle of Belgian rider Wilm Vermeir, saw a fault in the jump-off and with a finishing time of 40.10 seconds they finally secured 6^th place.

In addition, Gilbertson's compatriot Bliss Heers also secured a place on the podium with 9-year-old chestnut mare Athina Z, a daughter of Aganix du Seigneur Z and Dakar VDL bred in the Netherlands by M.M.B. van den Nieuwenhuyzen. In the 1.40m class of the two-star competition on Saturday, they took 3^rd place after a flawless round.