Convincing victory for Alexander McLean and Miss Countoulonia PS in 1st round of the six-year-olds

At the stroke of 08.00 this morning, the six-year-old horses got to start their first qualification. This opening class traditionally took place at the Ramiro Z Arena, where the atmosphere was immediately buzzing despite the early hour. The obstacles were set up at a height of 1.35m and, as with the seven-year-old horses, this was also a two-phase class. It promised to be a busy and exciting day, as no fewer than 253 combinations appeared at the start. Despite the cool weather and the early start time, the six-year-olds also attracted a lot of interest from breeders, riders and fans who had travelled to Lanaken to see the young talent in action.

Of those 253 participants, 85 combinations managed to clear both phases, but none could match the performance of British rider Alexander McLean. Together with the Oldenburg mare Miss Contoulonia PS (Messenger x Conthargos), where the letters PS refer to her breeder Paul Schockemöhle, McLean put down an extraordinary ride. In the second phase, the pair stormed through the finish in 24.45 seconds, putting them almost one and a half seconds ahead of the competition. A convincing victory that immediately made it clear that McLean and his mare should definitely be watched this week.

^2nd place went to German rider Tom Schewe, who managed to bring the first Z-horse into the rankings. Grey stallion Outsider H.J. Z (Oklahoma van de Zelm x VDL Indorado - Breeder: Herman Jacobs) was the seventh starter in the ring, and immediately set the tone with a fast clear round in 25.89 seconds, holding the lead for a long time.

Young Belgian rider Lars van Rossem rode to a superb ^3rd place with the BWP mare Too Nice Horta (Nixon van 't Meulenhof x Kannan), who was born and raised at the home of the van Rossem family. With a flawless ride and a time of 26.17 seconds, the duo secured a deserved podium place in this particularly strong field.