Gerben Morsink and Navarone Z experience top weekend in Valkenswaard

Two weeks before the Longines Global Champions Tour arrives there, the home of Jan Tops and Edwina Alexander in Valkenswaard last weekend was the setting for the Longines Global Future Champions, the third and final week of the Summer Festival 2024. With three top placings, the absolute trendsetters of the weekend were undoubtedly Dutch rider Gerben Morsink and his 15-year-old homebred stallion Navarone Z, the son of Nabab de Rêve and Amor with whom he also took ^2nd place at the CSI3* GP of Lichtenvoorde in June.

The start of the show was immediately promising for Morsink and Navarone Z, as on Friday during the opening day they immediately managed to secure a top 5 ranking in the 1.50m main class. In a class against the clock, all rails stayed neatly in the reels and this performance earned them ^4th place in the standings. In the 1.50m class on Saturday, the successful duo was again on the appointment and managed to do even a little better than the day before. In this class too, they jumped directly against the clock and with a clear round this time they were good for ^3rd place in the standings.

But the best kept Morsink and Navarone Z ahead on the final day on Sunday, where they became the overall winners in the CSI4* GP. In a jump-off for which 13 combinations managed to qualify, they had the luxury of being the very last combination to reappear in the ring and with a clear round in 35.48 seconds they were more than half a second ahead of the competition!

Gerben Morsink: "I am just so happy and incredibly proud of my horse. It was great fun, my parents and friends were here to watch me and encourage me. It was a super day, I'm really very happy!"

Another striking combination at the Longines Tops International Arena was Morsink's compatriot Lars Kersten with the 9-year-old black stallion Chuck Marienshof Z, a son of Colestus and Emerald van 't Ruytershof bred by Marienshof Stables. Kersten and Chuck Marienshof Z were already good for a ^9th place in the 1.45m class on Friday and a ^4th place in the 1.50m class on Saturday during the first two days, but were also among the prize winners during the CSI4* GP. They also produced a clear round at the bar and their time of 37.97 seconds was good for ^6th place in the standings.

Furthermore, Lars Kersten also managed to jump twice in the prizes with the 11-year-old stallion Boebka Vh Marienshof Z, a son of Balou du Rouet and Clinton who was also bred by Stal Marienshof. Both in the 1.45m class on Saturday and Sunday, they managed to put in a flawless performance and this earned them ^4th place in the standings twice.

But the victory during that 1.45m class on Saturday was also blue and yellow, and Belgian rider Wilm Vermeir took care of that with his 9-year-old chestnut mare Eytuka Of Two Notes Z, the daughter of Emerald van 't Ruytershof and Chin Chin who was bred by Toby Huys. In both the^1st and^2nd stages, Vermeir and Eytuka Of Two Notes Z provided a flawless round and with a finishing time of 30.75 seconds, they were just under a full second ahead of the competition. For German rider Daniel Deusser, there was^2nd place in this class with his now 16-year-old stallion Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z (Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve x Mr. Blue) from the breeding of Jonas Bellemans. They managed to cross the finish line in 31.62 seconds after a clear round.

Last but not least, there was also victory for former Belgian Champion Nicola Philippaerts and the 10-year-old mare Klaartje Z, a daughter of Kannan and Flipper d'Elle bred in the Netherlands by Ties Raijmakers. Philippaerts and Klaartje Z were the winners of the 1.45m final class yesterday, where their finishing time of 60.82 seconds gave them more than a full second ahead of the competition.