Contagio Z son Coby 8 and Impress-K van 't Kattenheye Z impress in the LGCT Grand Prix of Rabat

Last weekend, the final stage of the Longines Global Champions Tour 2024 took place in Rabat. It was an exciting finale to the season, in which not only the last coveted golden ticket for next month's Playoffs in Riyadh was at stake, but also the battle for overall victory in this year's overall standings.

The absolute highlight of the weekend was the LGCT Grand Prix, held on Sunday afternoon. Several horses with blue/yellow blood managed to impress again this time. One of them was the 14-year-old gelding Coby 8, a son of the grey stallion Contagio Z and Escudo, who was bred in Germany by Jürgen Geffken. Together with German rider Philipp Weishaupt, Coby 8 was one of seven combinations who managed to qualify for the jump-off. In that, they came out strong, as they managed to provide the second fastest barrage round in 37.28 seconds. Unfortunately, they ran into a jumping fault on the way, which meant they missed out on a place on the podium and had to settle for ^sixth place.

Also in the jump-off, we saw Belgian rider Thibeau Spits with the 9-year-old black stallion Impress-K Van 't Kattenheye Z, a son of Indoktro-K Van 't Kattenheye and Vagabond de la Pomme, bred by Tony and Mieke Raman. Spits and Impress-K Van 't Kattenheye Z had already won the LGCT Grand Prix of Riesenbeck International earlier this season and came ^7th this time after they too saw a fault in the jump-off.

Another notable combination in Rabat was German Daniel Deusser and his 16-year-old chestnut stallion Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z, a son of Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve and Mr. Blue, bred by Jonas Bellemans. Deusser and Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z started their weekend strongly with ^5th place in the first round of the Global Champions League on Friday. Their impressive form continued on the final day on Sunday, where they finished a fine ^3rd in the 1.45m speed class.

CSI2* competition

Besides the prestigious CSI5* competition, however, there was also jumping at two-star level in Rabat over the past few days. The CSI2* GP on Saturday afternoon saw Zangersheide horse at the top of the leaderboard. It was Moroccan rider Farid Amanzar who managed to claim victory with the 12-year-old gelding Churchill Z, a son of Clinton and Toulon bred in France by Christophe Montre. In a jump-off for which four combinations managed to qualify, they were over 1.5 seconds ahead of the competition with a clear round in 41.70 seconds.

We also saw a remarkable performance during the 1.40m class on Friday. Young Brazilian rider Luiz Felipe Neto de Azevedo jumped into the spotlight with the 9-year-old gelding Click Clack Vdc Z, a son of Comilfo Plus Z and Indian Gold van de Castershoeve Z bred by Joke Mardaga. Neto de Azevedo and Click Clack Vdc Z stayed clear in this class against the clock, which earned them a well-deserved ^3rd place in the standings.