03 December '24
Hummer Z and Loulou M.p.s. Z on the Grand Prix podium in Wellington
© Sportfot
On European soil last weekend we enjoyed the Sweden International Horse Show in Stockholm, but also on the other side of the Atlantic a genuine four-star competition was on the programme with the Holiday & Horses Show in Wellington International. It was another successful weekend for the blue/yellow colours of Zangersheide, as no fewer than two Z-horses managed to jump to a place on the podium during the CSI4* Grand Prix on Sunday.
One of these horses was the 10-year-old gelding Hummer Z, a son of Harley VDL and Hemmingway who was bred in the Netherlands by P.H.A.E. Bocken and who had his international breakthrough under the saddle of American rider Beezie Madden. Since the beginning of this year, however, Hummer Z has been a combination with Israeli rider Daniel Bluman and the duo seems to be completely in tune with each other by now. After winning the 1.55m class on Friday, Bluman and Hummer Z were one of the eight combinations that managed to qualify for the jump-off in the CSI4* Grand Prix. In it, they produced another flawless performance and with a time of 37.17 seconds they secured 2nd place in the standings.
But American rider Lacey Gilberton also managed to jump to a podium place in the Grand Prix with the 9-year-old mare Loulou M.p.s. Z, a daughter of Böckmann's Lord Pezi Junior and Semper Fi 4 bred in Germany by Marc Pierzina. They also managed a flawless performance in the jump-off, but needed 38.67 seconds to complete their round. This was also the second ranking of the weekend for Gilberton and Loulou M.p.s. Z, as they were good for 7th place in the 1.55m class on Friday.
Just off the podium in the Grand Prix we saw Gilberton's compatriot Charlotte Jacobs and the also 9-year-old gelding Playboy JT Z (Presley Boy x Plot Blue), where the letters JT refer to breeder Johan Thijs of Horsestud Thij BVBA. Twice they too kept all the bars neatly in the scoops, but with a time of 39.63 seconds they came a close second short of a place on the podium.
On Saturday, the main class in Wellington was a 1.50m class against the clock and in it we saw a Z-horse at the top of the leaderboard. That honour fell to American rider Jimmy Torano and the 10-year-old gelding Kochio Z, a son of Kannan and Diamant de Semilly from the breeding farm of Jolien Van Turnhout. Torano and Kochio managed to stop the clock in 64.06 seconds after a clear round, putting them more than a full second ahead of the competition.
During the 1.55m class on Friday, we saw a second blue/yellow combination on the podium in addition to Daniel Bluman and Hummer Z's victory. Indeed, 3rd place was reserved for American rider Alessandra Volpi and the 9-year-old mare Candy Luck Z, a breeding product of Dirk Geerinckx who combined the blood of Comme Il Faut with that of Canturo. They too could not be faulted in either the first round or the jump-off.
On Thursday, American rider Caroline Mawhinney managed another top 5 ranking with the 11-year-old gelding Carsey Z (Carthino Z x Guidam - F: G.H. & H. Morsink). During the 1.45m class, the duo kept it clear twice, with a nice 4th place as final result.
Finally, Argentinian rider Tomas Yofre also managed to jump into the prizes twice with the 10-year-old chestnut stallion Thuur Z, a son of Tyson and Flipper d'Elle who was bred in the Netherlands by J. Thijsen. Yofre and Thuur Z started their show in Wellington with a 6th place in the 1.40m class on Thursday to finish with an 8th place in the CSI4* Grand Prix on Sunday.