Daughter of Cicero Z wins CSI5* Grand Prix of Amsterdam

After the stage in Leipzig, Germany, the World Cup circuit headed to the Netherlands last weekend, where a new edition of Jumping Amsterdam was on the calendar. On Saturday night in the Dutch capital, people could enjoy the CSI5* Grand Prix of Amsterdam, in which victory was given a particularly strong Zangersheide touch.

The RAI in Amsterdam was packed on Saturday for the CSI5* Grand Prix, in which 43 combinations appeared at the start and competed against each other. Of those 43 combinations, 10 managed to keep their cool in the basic round to secure a spot for the jump-off. One of them was Belgian rider Pieter Devos and his 11-year-old chestnut mare Jarina J, the daughter of our grey stallion Cicero Z, who was bred in the Netherlands by H.C.B.M. Janssen and with whom Devos won another class at the Stuttgart German Masters in November. In that decisive jump-off Devos and Jarina J were the penultimate combination to enter the ring again and with a whirlwind round in 31.44 seconds they were exactly 1 full second ahead of the rest of the competitors!

Pieter Devos: "The atmosphere today was incredible. When you enter as second-to-last and the public supports you so much, yes, that is very special. My mare Jarina J did everything she could today to put in a good round, and she more than succeeded. She has been taking it easy the past few weeks, and this is her first 1.60m since a long time. To finish this way is of course great."

CSIU25 competition

Most of the attention in Amsterdam naturally went to the CSI5* competition, but it also featured international youngsters in a CSIU25 competition. In it, Finnish rider Aura Vasama managed to secure a victory, among others, with the 9-year-old mare Eowyn de Goedereede Z, a daughter of Elvis Ter Putte and Nabab de Rêve from the breeding farm of De Goedereede BVBA. In the 1.40m opening class on Thursday, Vasama and Eowyn de Goedereede Z outclassed the competition, where their clear round in 60.46 seconds put them more than a full second ahead of the competition.

The Grand Prix of this CSIU25 competition took place on Saturday before the start of the CSI5* Grand Prix, in which Dutchman Siebe Leemans managed to claim a podium place with the 10-year-old stallion Gem Vd Riloo Z, a son of Gemini and Concorde bred by J.H. Van Loon Eugeen. In a jump-off for which six combinations managed to qualify, Leemans and Gem Vd Riloo Z again kept all the bars neatly in the reels and this performance earned them silver.

Finally, Amsterdam was also a successful competition for Leemans' compatriot Thijmen Vos and the also 10-year-old gelding Cadillac Z, an offspring of Carrera VDL and Quasimodo vd Molendreef bred by G. Weggemans. Vos and Cadillac Z started their show on Thursday with a ^10th place in the opening class and finished with a nice ^4th place in the CSIU25 Grand Prix on Saturday.