Kalimera Van De Nethe Z triumphs in the CSI3* Grand Prix of Thermal

It was another busy weekend on US soil, with three international competitions on the agenda as in previous weeks. The Desert International Horse Park at Thermal in California saw jumping at three-star level, with the Z-horses once again making themselves heard with three wins and some particularly strong performances.

With a win in the CSI3* Grand Prix on Saturday, the lead in this was American rider Keri Potter and the 10-year-old mare Kalimera Van De Nethe Z, a daughter of Kasanova de la Pomme and Quasimodo Z bred by De Nethe NV. Potter and Kalimera Van De Nethe Z already shone on Thursday with a maiden^2nd place in the 1.50m class and were one of eight combinations to clear basic jump-offs by US trackman Alan Wade during the CSI3* Grand Prix. In that jump-off, they managed to put in another flawless performance and with a finishing time of 35.82 seconds, they had a lead of over a full second over the rest of the field of competitors.

Keri Potter: "I am pretty sure this is absolutely the finest horse I have ridden in my career when it comes to caution and agility. We have really become a combination over the last few months and feel like we are really starting to know each other. Towards the end of the course, she gets a bit hectic at times and then the rideability disappears a bit. I knew that if this happened today it would be a bit difficult, as the most challenging part of the course was at the end. But we managed to take the course to a good end. The fact that she is then also so fast on the ground gave us victory today."

However, Potter and Kalimera Van De Nethe Z were not the only ones to ensure a blue/yellow victory at the Desert International Horse Park. In the 1.45m class on Sunday, it was Canadian rider Ali Ramsey who claimed victory with the 12-year-old gelding Conrado 12, a son of Cardento VDL and Diarado who was born as Conrado Z at breeder Duka Invest D.O.O. Ramsey and Conrado 12, who also finished ^6th in the 1.50m class on Thursday, were clear in the first round and were among the seven combinations to advance to the jump-off. In the jump-off, they also managed to stay clear and were more than a full second ahead of the competition after stopping the clock in 35.46 seconds.

The 1.45m main class on Friday also saw victory for American rider Matt Archer and the 11-year-old grey stallion Zibaloubet Z, a son of VDL Zirocco Blue N.O.P. and Baloubet du Rouet bred in Germany by Karin Lippold. In a class against the clock, Archer and Zibaloubet Z sped to the finish in 62.06 seconds, giving them a lead of exactly one and a half seconds over the other competitors. Moreover, for Archer and Zibaloubet Z this was also as that second ranking of the weekend after they also finished ^4th in the 1.40m opening class on Wednesday during the opening day.