13 August '24
Dieu Merci Van T&L Z daughter Daido van 't Ruytershof Z shines in Vancouver!
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Studbook
© Thunderbird Show Park - Kim Gaudry
In addition to the various international competitions inside Europe, there was of course international action on the other side of the Atlantic last weekend. In Vancouver-Langley, Canada, we were guests at the beautiful Thunderbird Show Park, where a three-star competition was on the programme. With two resounding victories and on top of that a top 5 ranking, it turned out to be a wonderful weekend for Irish rider James Chawke and his 10-year-old mare Daido van 't Ruyterhof, the daughter of our stallion Dieu Merci Van T&L Z and Bamako de Muze bred by the van den Branden family of Stal 't Ruytershof.
During the opening day on Wednesday, Chawke and Daido van 't Ruytershof Z immediately managed to impress when they claimed victory in the 1.45m main class. In a class against the clock, they raced to a convincing finishing time of 57.00 seconds, making them the only combination to manage to keep the chrono under 60 seconds.
On Friday the duo then appeared at the start in the 1.50m class and once again they managed to secure a top ranking. In a jump-off for which seven combinations managed to qualify, they managed to put the 3rd fastest time on the scoreboard in 41.34 seconds, but a mistake on the way meant they eventually had to settle for 5th place in the standings.
However, the absolute highlight of the weekend was experienced by Chawke and Daido van 't Ruytershof Z on Sunday with a fantastic victory in the CSI4* GP! After a clear basic round there, they were one of the 6 combinations who managed to advance to the jump-off and with a flawless performance in 36.84 seconds, they had a comfortable and lead of over 1.5 seconds over the competition.
James Chawke: "She did that easily enough (laughs)! We bought Daido van't Ruytershof Z with the idea that she would at least jump ranking tests. She only jumped her first four-star competition here in Vancouver in May, where she still got a few faults out of inexperience. But by now I am sure she can handle this level. My strategy in the jump-off was to just ride as fast as possible. I knew Tiffany (Foster) and Katie (Laurie) were still starting after me, so it was going to be fast. I think I was pretty fast from obstacle one to obstacle two and I also gained some time in the last line. But actually Daid is just naturally very fast on the ground (laughs)."
However, Chawke and Daido van 't Ruytershof Z were not the only combination to achieve success in the Canadian metropolis.Second place in the CSI4* GP was also blue and yellow, thanks to Canadian rider Tiffany Foster and her also 10-year-old mare Electrique, a daughter of Emerald van 't Ruytershof and Voltaire, who was born Electrique van het Cauterhof Z at breeder Spiessens & Co BVBA. Foster and Electrique, who were also good for a 3rd place in the 1.50m class on Friday, also managed to keep all the rails in the jump-off, but needed 38.66 seconds to finish their round successfully.
Finally, there were also two Zangersheide horses in Vancouver for whom there was a place on the podium. During the 1.45m main class on Wednesday, there was a 3rd place for Canadian rider Vanessa Mannix with the 13-year-old mare Carmela Z (Candillo Z x Caretano Z - B: F. Verhagen) and during the 1.40m class on Thursday there was also a 3rd place for Mexican rider Simon Nizri with the 8-year-old grey mare Chianti Di Fer Z (Cicero Z x Baloubet du Rouet).