Impress-K van 't Kattenheye Z confirms again with strong performance in Riyadh

Last weekend, Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh was the scene of the Global Champions Playoffs, the grand denouement of the Longines Global Champions Tour. After five successful editions in Prague, the prestigious event took place in the Middle East for the first time this year. The programme featured two absolute highlights: the Global Champions League Super Cup and the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix. For riders and fans alike, it was an event to look forward to, with the world's best combinations entering the arena in a battle for ultimate glory.

One of the combinations to start at the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix on Friday night was Belgian rider Thibeau Spits with his black pearl Impress-K van 't Kattenheye Z, a 9-year-old son of Indoktro-K van 't Kattenheye and Vagabond de la Pomme from the breeding farm of Tony and Mieke Raman. Spits and Impress-K qualified at the LGCT Grand Prix in Riesenbeck earlier this season in July and in Riyadh they proved once again that they are a combination with a promising future.

The duo started particularly strongly at this season finale and only saw a section of the Longines wall go down in the first round. Otherwise, they did not make a single mistake and after a clear and above all unparalleled second round, they secured a great ^8th place! The successful duo's good performance also meant that Impress-K van 't Kattenheye Z is now the new number 1 in our Zangersheide rankings.

Another notable name in Riyadh was that of the 13-year-old mare Cancun Torel Z, the daughter of Cosinhus and Grannus, bred in France by François Xavier Guyard. Cancun Torel Z has been paired with the speedy Luxembourger Victor Bettendorf since August and the duo also seems to be completely in tune with each other by now. Bettendorf and Cancun Torel Z competed three times last weekend, taking a victory, a^2nd place and a ^6th place. On Saturday, a jumping fault in the jump-off even kept them from a second victory.