Time Breaker S Z gathers ranking points in Oliva

With competitions in both Oliva and Valencia a little further away, there was plenty of international action on Spanish soil again last weekend. Especially in Oliva, the Z-horses once again came out strong, achieving many top placings throughout the weekend.

One of those top placings came in the name of the 10-year-old gelding Time-Breaker S Z, a son of Toulon and Calvados bred in the Netherlands by P. Sleutels. Time-Breaker S Z has been the top horse of Belgian Young Riders champion Mathieu Guery for some time now and that strong partnership was confirmed again last weekend. Indeed, on Friday the successful jumped to a podium place in the 1.45m Longines Ranking Test. In a class against the clock, the young Guery and Time-Breaker S Z sped to the finish in 58.59 seconds, securing 2^nd place and the accompanying ranking points.

Also on Friday, American rider Kc van Aarem also managed to score a podium place with the 8-year-old mare Elabeeleen V/H Vijverbos Z, a daughter of Excellent van de Zuuthoeve and Poor Boy from the breeding farm of Guido Vanhumbeeck. The duo, who also gained 8^th place in the 1.30m class the day before, secured 3^rd place in the Gold 1.40m class after a flawless round.

With three top 10 placings, British rider James Smith had another successful weekend with his 14-year-old stallion Eagele Z, the breeding product of Bart Timmermans who combined the blood of Eldorado van de Zeshoek with that of Ramiro Z. Smith and Eagele Z started their competition week in Oliva with a 3^rd place in the Gold 1.35m class on Friday, followed by a 2^nd place in the Gold 1.40m class on Saturday and a 4^th place in the Gold 1.30m class on Sunday.

During that Gold 1.40m class on Friday, Belgian rider Alexander Housen was also among the prize winners with 8-year-old stallion King Of Panama Hero Z, a son of Kassander van 't Roosakker Z and Darco bred by Luc Henry. A double clear round earned Housen and King Of Panama Hero Z 5^th place in the rankings.

Then again, the 1.45m Longines Ranking Test on Saturday produced top 10 placings for the likeable Colombian Dayro Arroyave and the 8-year-old gelding Kafka Van Paebroek Z (Kannan x Carthago Z) from the breeding farm of Koen Sneyders. In an 8-strong jump-off, they were good for 6^th place after seeing a bar roll out of the scoops on the way.

On Thursday during the Gold 1.40m class, Estonian rider Grete Veske jumped into the limelight with the also 8-year-old chestnut stallion Apple Jack DB Z, a son of Aganix du Seigneur Z and Lupicor bred by Bart Goen and Diliana Augustus. They too did not make a mistake in this class against the clock, finishing in 5^th place.

Finally, there were also two combinations in Oliva who managed to qualify twice over the weekend. For Swiss rider Léa De Coulon with the 13-year-old gelding Goldfinger Z (Goldfever I x Pilot - Breeder: Tops Horse Trading BV) it was with a 4^th place during the Gold 1.30m class on Thursday and with a 2^nd place during the Gold 1.35m class on Friday, while American rider Emily Dehoff with the 11-year-old chestnut stallion Viper Z (Vigo d'Arsouilles x Grannus - Breeder: Guido Sperveslage) took 9^th place during that 1.30m class on Thursday and 7^th place during the Gold 1.40m class on Saturday.