Elfra Van Beek Z in the top five at the CSI3* GP of Eindhoven

After a one-year hiatus, the Netherlands could once again enjoy the wonderful CSI of Eindhoven last weekend, which traditionally took place at the Karpendonkse Plas. The CSI3* GP on Sunday afternoon there naturally formed the absolute highlight of the weekend and in it there was a top ranking for Belgian Champion Gilles Thomas and the 10-year-old black stallion Elfra Van Beek Z, a breeding product of Guido Herrijgers who combined the blood of El Salvador with that of Vagabond de la Pomme. Thomas and Elfra Van Beek Z had also jumped into the picture on Thursday during the opening day with a^2nd place in the 1.50m GP Qualifier and during the CSI3* GP they were one of the six combinations that made it through the basic jump-off unscathed by British track builder Rafael Suarez and his team. In that jump-off, they unfortunately saw a bar roll out of the scoops and after a finishing time of 42.83 seconds, they ended up handsomely ^4th in the standings.

Another combination who had an excellent weekend on the grass track in Eindhoven was Dutch rider Piet Raijmakers Jr and his 12-year-old top mare Van Schijndel's Olaya Z, the daughter of Ogano Sitte and Concorde bred in the Netherlands by F. Van Och. Raijmakers Jr and Van Schijndel's Olaya Z got off to an excellent start in Eindhoven straight away, as they immediately became the winners of the 1.40m opening class on Thursday. In both the^1st and^2nd phases they could not be caught out on a fault and with a finishing time of 28.66 seconds they were just under half a second ahead of the competition. But also in the following days, the successful duo was not to be left out of the top rankings. Raijmakers Jr and Van Schijndel's Olaya Z secured^2nd place in the 1.40m class on Friday, while another ^4th place followed in the 1.40m class on Saturday.

Who also managed to secure a podium place was Raijmakers' compatriot Pim Mulder and the 11-year-old gelding Viktor Z, a zoo by Verdi TN and Caretano Z out of the breeding of Freek Hoogenboom. During the 1.50m-high Big Tour on Friday, Mulder and Viktor Z were one of 17 combinations who managed to qualify for the jump-off, in which they took^2nd place in the standings after another flawless round. However, Maikel van der Vleuten was also one of the prize winners in this class with his 14-year-old gelding Beauville Z N.O.P. (Bustique x Jumpy des Fontaines - B: Pascal Habets). They too ensured a clear round of the barrage and their performance ultimately placed them ^6th in the standings.

Last but not least, Dutch rider Niels Tacken also managed to jump into the prizes twice with the 16-year-old grey mare Alexia Z, a daughter of Andiamo Z and Dutch Capitol who was bred in the Netherlands by P.M.H. Strijbos. Tacken and Alexia Z made it into the prizes for the first time on Friday with a ^10th place in the 1.40m class, and a day later they also managed to finish ^6th in another 1.40m class.