23 July '24
Beau de Laubry Z wins the Rolex Grand Prix of Dinard
© Jumping International Dinard
Besides the Longines Global Champions Tour at Riesenbeck International in Germany, a second five-star competition took place last weekend with Jumping International Dinard, which has been part of the renowned Rolex Series since this year. Here too, the victory in the CSI5* GP on Sunday afternoon coloured blue and yellow thanks to French rider Kevin Staut and the 11-year-old gelding Beau de Laubry Z, the son of Bisquet Balou van de Mispelaere and Nabab de Rêve from the Haelterman family's breeding at Haras de Laubry.
Staut and Beau de Laubry Z were also good for 9th place in a 1.45m class on both Thursday and Friday, but so held their own during the Rolex Grand Prix on Sunday. They were one of the six combinations who stayed clear in the basic round and thus qualified for the jump-off. As the very last combination to start, they managed to keep their cool with a clear round in 41.41 seconds, they were more than a full second ahead of the competition!
Kevin Staut: "I am obviously delighted. Dinard is a great competition with an extraordinary audience. In this competition, history comes to the fore and that gives a different dimension. I have participated in the Grand Prix maybe 10 or even 15 times. I have often placed 2nd, but I have never had the pleasure of winning it because the level was always extraordinary. So it's a fantastic feeling that I have managed to do it now."
In the 1.55m main class on Friday, US rider Alessandra Volpi managed to jump into the spotlight with the 9-year-old mare Candy Luck Z, a daughter of Comme Il Faut and Canturo bred by Dirk Geerinckx. In both the basic round and the jump-off, Volpi and Candy Luck Z did not have a single fault and this performance earned them 3rd place in the standings. Furthermore, Irish rider Darragh Kenny also managed to place in this class with the 10-year-old stallion Hamrah van het Exelhof Z (Harley VDL x Cassini I - B: Exelhof). They too managed to provide a flawless performance on two occasions, which in turn was good for 8th place in the standings.
CSI3* competition
Most of the attention went to the CSI5* competition, of course, but in addition, the Dinard grass arena also saw some three-star show jumping. And in this too Kevin Staut came on strong, as he managed to secure a podium place at the CSI3* GP on Sunday morning with the 8-year-old chestnut mare Vida Loca Z, a daughter of Vigo d'Arsouilles and Cornet Obolensky bred by Soc. Agricola A R.I. Edeldame. In a jump-off for which eight combinations managed to qualify, Staut and Vida Loca Z finished in 38.34 seconds after a clear round, which eventually earned them2nd place in the standings. For Austrian rider Max Kühner, there was another 10th place in this GP with the 9-year-old stallion EIC Anton SBK Z (Arko III x Quintero ASK - B: Louis Bijloos). They did manage to keep all the bars neatly in the scoops in the basic round, but a time penalty unfortunately kept them out of the jump-off.
Finally, there was also a podium place for Colombian rider Roberto Teran Tafur with the 9-year-old grey gelding Iron Maiden, a son of Clarimo ASK and Kashmir Van Schuttershof who was born Cadans van de IJzervallei Z at breeder Titus Vereecke's place. During the Derby on Saturday evening, they were one of only 3 combinations to manage to complete the spirited round without any faults, thus securing 2nd place in the standings.