Make My Day Z du Gevres secures gold at Chantilly

With the Chantilly Classic présenté par Al Shira'aa, another international four-star show jumping competition took place in France last weekend. The competition, which forms part of the prestigious Grand Prix Events, took place at the magnificent Hippodrome de Chantilly. A large number of Z-class horses lined up at the start, with Make My Day Z du Gevres securing an impressive victory.

For four days, the impressive Hippodrome de Chantilly, situated close to the famous Château de Chantilly, provided the backdrop for top-level international show jumping. The blue and yellow colours once again made their presence felt with a host of fine performances. One of the absolute highlights of the weekend came courtesy of local rider Marc Dilasser and the 11-year-old grey mare Make My Day Z du Gevres, a daughter of Mylord Carthago and Ukato, bred by Jan Sips and Martijn Cerpentier. After a quiet start to the competition with an^8th-place finish in the 1.35m class on Thursday, Dilasser and Make My Day Z du Gevres struck with ruthless precision the following day in the 1.50m Grand Prix Qualifier. In a jump-off for which eighteen pairs had qualified, the duo once again kept all the bars neatly in place. They finished in 41.58 seconds, giving them a lead of six hundredths of a second over their closest rivals.

The silver in this class was also claimed by a Z-horse, thanks to the top American rider Laura Kraut and the equally 11-year-old gelding Trés Bien Z, a son of Toulon and Nabab de Rêve who was born in the Netherlands at the stud farm of S.T. Dingen. They too produced a flawless jump-off, but took 41.64 seconds to complete their round. On the final day on Sunday, Kraut and Trés Bien Z were also on top form. After two clear rounds, they secured^4th place in the CSI4* Grand Prix.

Also in the CSI4* Grand Prix, Swiss rider Nadja Peter Steiner made her mark with the 10-year-old gelding Clearround IL Mondo Z, a breeding product of Tim Naessens that combined the bloodlines of Comme Il Faut with those of Clearway. They too remained faultless on both rounds, finishing in a fine^5th place.

Earlier on Sunday, Canadian rider Kara Chad also made a name for herself with the 9-year-old stallion Ciao Bello Nve Z, a son of Comilfo Plus Z and Inshallah de Muze from the stud of Natalie Vaneerdewegh. They competed in the 1.40m class, in which they also secured^5th place.

Another notable name in the four-star competition was the 9-year-old mare Castanha Van Het Beeckhof Z (Comilfo Plus Z x Tsar Hero), bred by Patrick and Romy Vandereyt. Ridden by the Swiss rider Edouard Schmitz, Castanha Van Het Beeckhof Z finished^9th in both the 1.40m class on Friday and the 1.40m class on Sunday.