16 Oktober '23
Great weekend in Oslo!!
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Stammbuch
© FEI - Kim C Lundin
The Norwegian capital Oslo has been the setting for the start of the new World Cup season for years now and this tradition continued this year. It was an excellent start and by extension a top weekend for our blue/yellow colors of Zangersheide, because both during the CSI5* GP on Saturday and during the World Cup on Sunday afternoon we had a Z horse at the top of the rankings!
The first World Cup leg of the season, which took place yesterday afternoon, was of course the absolute highlight of the weekend and the Zangersheide horses clearly left their mark. Of the 17 combinations that managed to qualify for the jump-off after a flawless basic round, no fewer than 4 horses had the letter Z after their names! That jump-off resulted in great sport and it was the Irish rider Richard Howley who jumped to the victory with the 12-year-old gelding Consulent de Prelet Z, a son of Consulent Z and Fuego du Prelet who was bred by Svo Trans Feka and with whom Howley won a class in Dublin and finished 2nd during the Longines Global Champions Tour of Rome in recent weeks. Howley and Consulent de Prelet Z entered the ring again in the jump-off as the 12th combination and managed to beat the competition with a clear round in 34.55 seconds.
Richard Howley: “I’ve had Consulent for about 18 months and he’s jumped numerous clears in het Global Champions Tour and won a 1.60m class in Dublin this year. He’s super consistent. My intention has been to get as many good results on the board as possible and to push for the Word Cup Final. Consulent is a fantastic horse, I was just schooling him a bit this week and we were planning on the win and it came up. This one of the biggest achievements of my career!”
Dexter Fontenis Z
But Richard Howley and Consulent de Prelet Z were not the only combination that managed to ensure blue/yellow success. The French rider Simon Delestre and his 10-year-old black gelding Dexter Fontenis Z, a son of Diarado and Voltaire who was bred by S.C.R.I S.Ky Horses, have already provided a few strong performances in recent weeks and confirmed in Oslo that excellent shape. For Delestre and Dexter Fontenis Z, the highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly their victory during the CSI5* Rikstoto Grand Prix on Saturday evening. They were one of the 5 combinations that managed to qualify for the jump-off and with a clear round in 34.24 seconds they had a small second lead over the competition.
But the successful duo also played a leading role during yesterday afternoon's World Cup. They were also among the 17 combinations that managed to qualify for the jump-off and they even seemed to be on their way to a double victory. As the 2nd combination at the start, they had set the tone with a clear round in 34.85 seconds, but in the end they had to admit their superiority in Howley and Consulent de Prelet Z.
Who also managed to achieve a strong performance during the World Cup was Delestre's compatriot Kevin Staut with the 10-year-old mare Beau de Laubry Z (Bisquet Balou van de Mispelaere x Nabab de Rêve – B: Haras De Laubry). They also managed to keep it clear again in the jump-off, resulting in a 4th place. Furthermore, the Belgian rider Jordy van Massenhove finished 10th with his 11-year-old self-bred stallion Verdiamo Z (Verdi TN x Andiamo Z).
Next to the victory of Simon Delestre and Dexter Fontenis Z, we also saw two other Zangersheide horses at the top of the rankings on Saturday during the CSI5* Rikstoto Grand Prix. For example, there was a 5th place for the Belgian rider Anthony Wellens with his 11-year-old chestnut stallion Danger Civil vh Lindenhof Z (Diamant de Semilly x Silvio I – F: Jean Pierre Bosch), who jumped their very first CSI5* GP in Oslo. They also managed to qualify for the jump-off and received 4 penalty points. The Swedish rider Peder Fredricson finished 7th here with the 9-year-old chestnut stallion Vroom de la Pomme Z (Vigo d'Arsouilles x Silvio I – B: Geert Baertsoen), with whom he finished 3rd during the CSI3* GP of St. Tropez earlier this mont. Fredricson and Vroom de la Pomme Z managed to keep it clear, but incurred 1 penalty point for time.
Comilfo Plus Z
Before the start of the World Cup, a 1.55m high Accumulator class was also on the program for the CSI5* competition yesterday and in this class there was success for the blood of our chestnut stallion Comilfo Plus Z. The 6th place went to the Finnish lady rider Aura Vasama with the 8-year-old mare Corona Z, a breeding product of Huub Janssen who combined the blood of Comilfo Plus Z with that of Calvaro Z. Vasama and Corona Z remained clear and ended their course with a maximum score of 65 points. The Belgian rider Pieter Devos followed in 7th place with the also 8-year-old mare Casual DV Z (Cornet Obolensky x Cicero Z – B: Stal Devos).
On Saturday, Devos compatriot Pieter Clemens managed to jump into the spotlight with the 9-year-old mare Big Beauty Z (Big Star Jr K Z x Padinus – B: C. Teunissen). During the 1.45m high speed class, they managed to keep all the poles in the cups and this was good for a 5th place in the rankings.
CSI2* competition
Next to the CSI5* competition, a CSI2* competition also took place in Oslo in recent days and during the CSI2* GP, which was already scheduled on Friday evening, Peder Fredricson managed to jump to the victory with the 9-year-old mare Expression From Second Life Z (Emerald van 't Ruytershof x Caretano Z – B: Second Life Stables BV). In a jump-off for which only 2 combinations were able to qualify, Fredricson and Expression From Second Life Z were the only combination that managed to keep it clear again. For his compatriot Erica Swartz there was a 3rd place with the also 9-year-old gelding Cavicii Z (Carlow van de Helle x Cardento VDL – B: Erica Swartz) and for the Swiss rider Martin Fuchs a 5th place with the also 9 year-old chestnut stallion Viper Z (Vigo d'Arsouilles x Grannus – B: Guido Sperveslage).