Call Me de Muze Z wins the CSI2* GP of Lier

Besides the various competitions outside our national borders, there was of course also international action at home again last weekend, at the Hazebroek family's Azelhof in Lier. The highlight of the weekend was the CSI2* GP on Sunday afternoon, in which, just like the previous week in Bonheiden and Opglabbeek, we had a Zangersheide horse at the top of the leaderboard. It was Belgian rider Andres Vereecke who jumped to victory with the 12-year-old grey mare Call Me de Muze Z, a breeding product of Joris De Brabander and Leon Melchior who combined the blood of Clarissimo Z with that of the Ramiro Z mare Ratina Gamma Z. Vereecke and Call Me de Muze Z stayed clear in the basic round ridden by track builder Eddy Geysmans and his team and were thus one of the 10 combinations that managed to advance to the jump-off. In it, they managed to cross the finish line in 40.49 seconds, proving too strong for the competition.

Besides his good performance with the mare Call Me de Muze Z, Andres Vereecke also had a good weekend in Lier with her 9-year-old son Cuba Libre de Muze Z, another breeding product of Joris De Brabander who combined his mare Call Me de Muze Z with Cornet Obolensky. Vereecke and Cuba Libre de Muze Z started their competition in Lier with a ^6th place in the 1.35m class on Thursday and the following days saw a^2nd place in the 1.40m class on Friday and a ^7th place in the 1.40m class on Saturday.

However, Vereecke and Call Me de Muze Z were not the only ones to ensure a Zangersheide victory at the Azelhof, as victory also coloured blue and yellow during the 1.45m Longines Ranking class on Friday. Here it was Brazilian rider Thiago Ribas Da Costa who was the overall winner with the 11-year-old chestnut mare Catharina W&W Z, the daughter of Centurio 22 and Griseldi bred by Wilfried Rutten, with whom Ribas Da Costa also managed to win a Longines Ranking Test in both Bonheiden and Opglabbeek in recent weeks. In a jump-off for which no fewer than 30 combinations managed to qualify, Ribas Da Costa and Catharina W&W Z raced to the finish in 37.14 seconds, putting them more than half a second ahead of the competition.

There were also two wins for Belgian rider Jules van Hoydonck and the 11-year-old chestnut mare Elize Z, a daughter of Elvis Ter Putte and Prince Royal bred by Kris Van Kerckhove. Van Hoydonck and Elize Z have already won numerous classes in recent weeks and months and confirmed that good form by adding the 1.35m class to their record of achievements on both Friday and Saturday.

Another notable combination was British rider Laura Renwick and her 11-year-old grey mare Enjoy CK Z, a daughter of Echo van 't Spieveld and Coronado from the breeding farm of Kristof Ceulemans. During the various 1.45m classes, Renwick and Enjoy CK Z won^2nd place and ^7th place twice.

During the various Longines Ranking classes, Belgian rider Wilm Vermeir also managed to jump into the limelight with his two 9-year-old Zangersheide horses. He finished ^3rd on Friday with the mare Magic van 't Hulgenrode Z (Midas vh Endhouse x Vigo d'Arsouilles - F: Marcel de Ridder) and on Friday Vermeir finished ^4th with his homebred stallion Top Invest 313 Z (Thunder van de Zuuthoeve x Concorde). On top of that, he also took ^3rd place in the 1.40m class on Saturday with the 8-year-old mare Belle Amie Vd Dassenheide Z (Bamako de Muze x Emerald van 't Ruytershof - B: Jill Goossens), following just behind his compatriot Christophe Vanderhasselt and the 12-year-old grey gelding Arthuro de Sarlar Z (Breemeersen Adorado x Obourg - B: André Tavernier).