Casual DV Z and Fantasio Floreval Z shine in Bordeaux

With the five-star competition of Jumping International de Bordeaux last week, it was once again jumping for World Cup points in the Western European League, which was now down to the ^13th and penultimate leg of the season. It was another fantastic weekend in the French wine city for our blue and yellow colours of Zangersheide, as both the Longines FEI Jumping Word Cup and the Grand Prix Audi featured a Z horse in the lead.

While at most competitions the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup is scheduled on Sunday afternoon, in Bordeaux it has been an established tradition on Saturday evening for years. French track builder Jean-François Morand had designed a tough course for this World Cup consisting of 13 obstacles and 17 jumps, with some interesting combinations at the end of the circuit. First there were two consecutive double jumps at 7ab and 8ab, followed by a triple jump at 12abc. In between was a flowing line from obstacle 9 to 11, with the added challenge of a delicate grey board on obstacle 10. A total of 39 combinations ventured into this basic round and, of those, 12 managed to qualify for the jump-off.

One of those barragists was Belgian rider Pieter Devos with his 10-year-old mare Casual DV Z, a daughter of Cornet Obolensky and Cicero Z who was born and raised at the home of the Devos family. In that jump-off the duo managed to repeat their flawless performance from the first round and with a finishing time of 39.54 seconds they secured a great^2nd place.

Pieter Devos: "The atmosphere here is always incredible. The very first World Cup that Casual jumped was here and back then she already jumped double clear. Now, a year later, we finish second, so we are moving forward (laughs). My horse jumped fantastic. This winter she jumped three World Cups and each time she was double clear. She's just a great horse."

On Sunday, the Parc des Expositions de Bordeaux was then once again fully packed for the Grand Prix Audi, that other highlight of Jumping Bordeaux 2025. In it, we got to enjoy a blue/yellow victory, as it was French rider Cedric Hurel who came out strongest with the 15-year-old gelding Fantasio Floreval Z, a son of Florian de la Vie and Clinton bred in France by Evelyne Pater. Hurel and Fantasio Floreval Z were one of four combinations that managed to get through the basic round unscathed, securing a place for the jump-off. In that one, they again failed to make a mistake and with a time of 41.76 seconds they managed to outclass the competition.

But the ^3rd place in this Grand Prix Audi also got a Zangersheide-touch thanks to Pieter Devos and his 11-year-old chestnut mare Jarina J, the daughter of our grey stallion Cicero Z who was bred by H.C.B.M. Janssen and with whom Devos managed to win the CSI5* Grand Prix of Amsterdam just a fortnight ago. Devos and Jarina J saw a fault in the jump-off in their hurry and this performance earned them a ^3rd place in the rankings this time.

Besides the Longines FEI Jumping Word Cup, there was also a 1.45m class on Saturday for the CSI5* competition in which Swiss rider Steve Guerdat managed to claim a podium place with the also 11-year-old mare Emerine Z, a breeding product of Souleika Cretskens who combined the blood of Emerald van 't Ruytershof with that of Camus. In a class against the clock, Guerdat and Emerine Z kept all the bars neatly in the scoops, resulting in a ^3rd place.

Furthermore, French rider Julien Anquetin also managed to secure a podium place with the 12-year-old grey gelding Z Ice Cube Z, a son of Zacharov TN and Casco bred in the Netherlands by P.J. Amendt. In the 1.50m speed class on Friday evening, Anquetin and Z Ice Cube Z secured^2nd place after a flawless round.