28 July '25
Cupcake Z and Fellaini de Liebri Z triumph in Hickstead
© Boots and Hooves Photography
After an intense European Championships in A Coruña, Spain, two more five-star competitions were scheduled at the very highest level last weekend. One of those competitions was The All England Jumping Course in beautiful Hickstead, and in it, some Z-horses managed to provide great results.
One of those horses was the 12-year-old mare Cupcake Z, a daughter of Chacco Blue and Caretano Z out of the breeding of Sandra van den Broek-Wilmes. Cupcake Z has now been one of Dutch rider Sanne Thijssen's top horses for about two and a half years and that strong partnership was once again highlighted last weekend. Indeed, on Saturday morning, Thijssen and Cupcake Z were the winners of the 1.50m The Brilliance Horse Auction Trophy. In a jump-off for which seventeen combinations managed to qualify, Thijssen and Cupcake Z once again managed to ensure a flawless round and with a finishing time of 34.58 seconds they were just under half a second ahead of the rest of the field of competitors.
Sanne Thijssen: "To be honest, I didn't have the smoothest jump-off. I actually think I could have done one less canter jump to obstacle two and one less to the double jump. But then we saw a forward distance to the last obstacle. (laughs) Cupcake has a very small canter, but in a jump-off she suddenly has a huge canter! She is a horse with a lot of potential."
Besides the victory of Sanne Thijssen Cupcake Z, there was a second Z-horse in this morning's class that managed to reach the top 10 of the standings. Indeed, 8th place went to British rider William Fletcher and the 9-year-old mare Calixte Heartbreaker Z, a daughter of Cicero Z van Paemel and Heartbreaker bred by Hellen Wells. Fletcher and Calixte Heartbreaker Z, also good for a 7th place in the 1.45m class on Thursday, also managed to ensure a clear jump-off, but needed 38.66 seconds to finish their round.
Later on Saturday, a 1.45m Speed & Handiness class was also on the programme for the five-star competition and it too got a Z horse at the top of the leaderboard. Here it was Swedish rider Marcus Westergren who crowned himself winner with the 11-year-old grey mare Fellaini de Liebri Z, a daughter of Faustino de Tiji and Corrado I bred by Lieven Bruyneel of Liebri BVBA. Westergren and Fellaini de Liebri Z reached the finish after a clear round in 67.83 seconds, just faster than the competition.
But the bronze in this class was also blue and yellow thanks to German rider Rene Dittmer and the 13-year-old mare Echo vh Gerendal Z, a breeding product of the Verhey family who combined the blood of Echo van 't Spieveld with that of Jodokus. Dittmer and Echo vh Gerendal Z also made no mistake, crossing the finish line in 68.24 seconds.
Finally, Belgian rider Annelies Vorsselmans also managed to jump into the prizes again with her 10-year-old mare C. Kulottie W Z, a daughter of Comme Il Faut and Guidam from the breeding farm of P.H.B.M van Wegen. Vorsselmans and C. Kulottie W Z, who won a class at the CSI in Ommen a fortnight ago, secured a nice 9th place during the 1.50m class on Thursday.