05 March '25
Dourkhan Hero Z makes spectacular start in Longines Global Champions Tour
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Studbook
© Christian Ahlmann
The magnificent Al Shaqab accommodation in Doha last weekend marked the start of the brand-new season of the Longines Global Champions Tour. Over the next few months, at 16 dazzling destinations, the world's best riders will once again gather and compete in the various teams and, of course, individually.
In Doha, the opening day on Thursday was entirely dominated by the team competition of the Global Champions League and in it Christian Ahlmann managed to grab immediate attention. During the first round over a height of 1.55m, Ahlmann brought our 10-year-old stallion Dourkhan Hero Z (Sea Coast Don't Touch Tiji Hero x Zandor Z - B: Luc Henry) to the start and together they managed to ensure a dazzling round. In a class against the clock, they kept all the bars neatly in the scoops and thus immediately started the new season with a fantastic performance.
Ahlmann and Dourkhan Hero Z were not the only ones to shine during this first leg of the season, however, as we also got to enjoy a blue/yellow victory in Doha. Indeed, in the 1.45m class on Saturday, Dutch rider Sanne Thijssen and her 12-year-old mare Cupcake Z, the daughter of Chacco Blue and Caretano Z, bred in the Netherlands by Sandra van den Broek-Wilmes and with whom Thijssen also showed a strong performance in both Oliva and Vejer de la Frontera in recent weeks. Thijssen and Cupcake Z sped to a convincing finishing time of 57.68 seconds in this speed class, making them the only combination to manage to keep the chrono under 60 seconds.
Another notable combination in Doha was German rider Kendra Claricia Brinkop and the 11-year-old chestnut gelding Surprising Dream Sho Z, a son of Stakkato and Carthago Z from the breeding farm of Gert-Jan Bruggink and Pia-Luise Aufrecht of Stal Het Oosterbrook in the Netherlands. Brinkop and Surprising Dream Sho Z already shone a first time on Friday with a2nd place during the 1.45m class and a day later they had another podium finish when they claimed 3rd place during the 1.45m class.
In the second round of the Global Champions League on Thursday, French rider Simon Delestre managed to jump into the prizes with his 12-year-old black gelding Dexter Fontenis Z, the son of Diarado and Voltaire bred by S.C.R.I S.Ky Horses. They kept all the bars neatly in the scoops and this performance earned them 5th place in the individual standings.