Christian Ahlmann and Otterongo Alpha Z win again this year in Abu Dhabi

Just like last year, Christian Ahlmann is spending the first weeks of the new calendar year in the United Arab Emirates again this year, where last weekend he took part in the first week of the Al Shira'aa International Horse Show in Abu Dhabi. On Friday, Ahlmann briefly experienced a déjà vu moment there to last year's edition, as for the second year in a row he managed to win a class there with our 11-year-old chestnut stallion Otterongo Alpha Z.

Christian Ahlmann and Otterongo Alpha Z, the son of Darco and Hedjaz from the breeding farm of Jozef Poets, already showed their excellent form during the last weeks of 2024. In mid-December, they managed to jump into the limelight during the competitions in Riyadh with a^2nd and ^4th place, while at Jumping Mechelen they impressed again with a great performance and an accompanying^2nd place at the Zangersheide Open Sires Of The World. Last weekend, Ahlmann and Otterongo Alpha Z's excellent form was once again confirmed when they were the winners of the 1.45m Longines Ranking class on Friday evening. In a class against the clock, the successful duo rushed to the finish line in 59.81 seconds, making them the only combination to manage to keep the chrono under 60 seconds.

However, Ahlmann and Otterongo Alpha Z were not the only combination to ensure blue/yellow success during this Longines Ranking Test, as we also saw two other Z horses in the top 10 of the rankings. Thus, Brazilian rider Luiz Felipe Cortizo Gonçalves De Azevedo Filho also managed to secure a top 5 ranking with the 11-year-old grey mare Sierra du Piedroux Z, a daughter of Hunter's Scendix and Contefino bred by Claude Noiret. Gonçalves De Azevedo Filho and Sierra du Piedroux Z also kept all the bars neatly in the reels and with a finishing time of 60.85 seconds they secured ^4th place in the standings.

^7th place then went to Italian rider Filippo Lupis with the 12-year-old stallion Contito EB Z, a breeding product of Beauty BVBA who combined the blood of Canturano I with that of Candillo Z. They managed to stop the clock in 63.80 seconds after a flawless round.

Earlier on Friday, a 1.40m class for the CSIU25 competition was also on the programme in Abu Dhabi and in it too we got a Z horse at the top of the leaderboard. It was home rider Saif Owaida Mohammed Alkirbi who convincingly claimed victory there with the 13-year-old stallion Dincky Toy Z, a son of Dicasi O.H. and Animo from the breeding farm of Erik Verschelde. Saif Owaida Mohammed Alkirbi and Dincky Toy Z rushed to the finish in 60.00 seconds, putting them more than three full seconds ahead of the competition.