HH Conrad Z son Claptonn Mouche wins Miami LGCT Grand Prix

These are currently high days for the offspring of our Zangersheide stallions! Indeed,a week after the victory of German rider Philippe Weishaupt and his Contagio Z son Coby 8 at the CSI3* GP of Arezzo, we were able to enjoy another Grand Prix victory last weekend. On the beautiful beach of Miami Beach on Saturday evening, it was Irish rider Michael Duffy and the 12-year-old HH Conrad de Hus Z son Claptonn Mouche who impressively crowned themselves winners of the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix.

Known for its lively atmosphere and luxurious lifestyle, Miami Beach was the setting for the second leg of the Longines Gobal Champions Tour last weekend. Beachgoers and spectators there were treated to a world-class sporting spectacle, combined with the glamour and allure of one of the tour's most iconic destinations. The absolute highlight of the weekend was, of course, the LGCT Grand Prix on Saturday evening and it got a blue/yellow victory thanks to Michael Duffy and his bay gelding Claptonn Mouche, a breeding product of French GAEC Mouche who combined the blood of our stallion HH Conrad Z with that of Elan de la Cour. Duffy and Claptonn Mouche have been a combination since the beginning of this year and last Saturday were one of the 9 combinations that managed to qualify for the jump-off. In it, they impressed by being the only combination to again stay clear and thus write this second LGCT Grand Prix of the season on their record!

Also qualifying for the jump-off were young Belgian rider Thibeau Spits and the 10-year-old stallion Calvino II de Nyze Z, a son of Calvaro Z and Heartbreaker bred by Danny Nijs. Spits and Calvino II de Nyze Z were already good for ^10th place during the 1.45m speed class on Thursday during the opening day and confirmed that good form by jumping to ^9th place during the LGCT Grand Prix. But Spits also enjoyed success in Miami with the 9-year-old black stallion Impress-K Van 't Kattenheye Z, a son of Indoktro-K Van Kattenheye and Vagabond de la Pomme from the breeding farm of Tony Raman and Mieke Strobbe and with whom he managed to win the CSI2* GP of Ghent just a few weeks ago. During the team competition of the Global Champions League, Spits and Impress-K Van 't Kattenheye Z stayed clear during the first round and thus had an important share in the^2nd place of their team Prague Lions.

Another notable combination in Miami was Belgian rider Nicola Philippaerts with the 12-year-old chestnut mare H&M Luna van 't Ruytershof Z, a daughter of Levisto Z and For Pleasure bred by Stal 't Ruytershof BVBA and with whom Philippaerts became Belgian Champion in the Seniors in 2022 at our Lanaken venue. Philippaerts and H&M Luna van 't Ruytershof Z started their show on Thursday with a ^10th place in the 1.40m opening class, but they also managed to impress on the other days. On Friday, for example, they jumped to an individual ^3rd place during the first round of the Global Champions League and on Saturday morning they were convincing winners of the 1.50m high speed class. With a clear round in 62.97 seconds, they were then more than 1.5 seconds ahead of the competition.

During the second round of the Global Champions League on Friday, we also saw a Zangersheide horse in the top 3 of the individual standings thanks to US rider Laura Kraut and the 10-year-old mare Bisquetta, a daughter of Bisquet Balou van de Mispelaere and Takashi van Berkenbroeck who was born to breeder Claire McCarthy-Winters as Bisquetta Squalls Estate Z. Kraut and Bisquetta kept all the bars neatly in the scoops and this performance also earned them ^3rd place in the standings.

The second round of the Longines Global Champions Tour naturally received the most attention over the past few days, but in addition to that, there was also jumping at two-star level in Miami. In the CSI2* GP, which also took place on Saturday, victory went to American rider Heather Caristo-Williams with the 13-year-old gelding Marciano MVF, a son of Stakkato and Libero H who was born Swing de Landetta Z at Stoeterij Landetta stud farm in the Netherlands. Caristo Williams and Marciano MVF were one of only four combinations to win a ticket for the jump-off in this 1.45m class, in which they were also the only ones to go clear again.