Kevin Staut and Beau de Laubry Z win the Stuttgart World Cup

Last weekend there was of course a lot of attention for the conclusion of the Longines Global Champions Tour at the Prague Playoffs, but next to that there was also another World Cup leg on the program with the Stuttgart German Masters in Germany. It became once again a success story for the blue/yellow colors of Zangersheide, because after the victories of Richard Howley and his gelding Consulent de Prelet Z (Consulent Z x Fuego du Prelet – B: Svo Trans Feka) during the World Cups of Oslo and Helsinki, we also got a Zangersheide horse at the top of the rankings in Stuttgart.

It was the French rider Kevin Staut who won this World Cup with the 10-year-old gelding Beau de Laubry Z, a son of Bisquet Balou Vd Mispelaere and Nabab de Rêve who was bred by the Haelterman family of Haras de Laubry. Staut and Beau de Laubry Z had already started their show on Thursday with an 8th place during the 1.45m high opening class and during the World Cup they were one of the 8 combinations that managed to qualify for the jump-off. They entered the ring again as the 5th combination and with a fantastic round in 41.78 seconds they managed to outclass the competition!

Kevin Staut: “I’m really happy – can you believe it’s 11 years since I won here last! I had a good left turn at the wall (fence 3) and then Henk (Nooren, French Chef d’Equipe) told me I had to turn inside if possible tot the vertical (last fence) – but let’s see how you jump the oxer (second-last). If you jump that well then you are in the trajectory tot take the last because the horses are really fast and mine would not be the fastest – but he was so great today!”

“Beau de Laubry Z was supposed to be a dealing horse but Henk took him in his view next year for the Olympics so he’s really motivated that we are doing a great job on him. He’s got him at home sometimes to do flatwork, he’s at every practise I am doing to try to help me. The horse is really sensitive and a bitt stiff, but we are working a lot and this is a horse with such a big, big heart and he’s such a clever one. I’m really lucky the owners decided to keep him until the end of next year, the secured him for me to ride so it’s a great, great pleasure.”

“Before I got him he was just jumping 1.40m – 1.45m and honestly when they were showing me the video I didn’t want to try him, because he was really special! And then they were telling me they would bring him to my place and I could try him anyway. I wasn’t motivated at all, but the feeling when I got on him was really great, so we mad the deal. Sometimes the stories come from nowhere – this horse was really not on target to be a superstar, but he’s trying to do his best and now he is there and he’s just amazing.”