Another fine performance in Vejer de la Frontera

The second week of the Andalucia Sunshine Tour 2025 took place in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain, last weekend. Once again, quite a few Z-horses appeared at the start, which again managed to produce some great performances throughout the weekend. As icing on the cake, we were also able to enjoy some blue and yellow victories.

Belgian Champion Gilles Thomas and the 10-year-old grey gelding Chuck Marienshof Z, a son of Colestus and Emerald van 't Ruytershof who was born and raised at the home of Johny De Coninck and Sandra Ecker of the Marienshof Stables, were responsible for one of those victories. Thomas and Chuck Marienshof Z have only been a combination for a few months, but proved last weekend that they are getting to know each other better and better by claiming victory in the 1.50m Big Tour on Thursday afternoon. In a class against the clock, the duo rushed to the finishing line in 64.31 seconds, giving them a lead of over half a second over the rest of the field of competitors.

However, this victory on Thursday was not the only feat for the Belgian Champion, as he also managed to write a class on his record in Vejer de la Frontera on Saturday. Indeed, in the 1.50m Medium Tour he was the overall winner with the 9-year-old mare Lavanoche Van T&L Z, a daughter of Lavallino Ter Klomp and Bentley van de Heffinck bred by Guy Vandeven. In both the^1st and^2nd phases, Thomas and Lavanoche Van T&L Z left all obstacles untouched and with a convincing finishing time of 33.44 seconds, they had a comfortable lead of almost 2.5 seconds over the competition.

This section also saw another podium place for Thomas' compatriot Andres Vereecke with the 13-year-old grey mare Call Me de Muze Z, a daughter of Clarissimo Z and Ramiro Z bred by Joris De Brabander and Léon Melchior. They, too, kept all the rails neatly in the reels twice and a finishing time of 36.78 seconds earned them ^3rd place in the standings, just like during the opening week.

On Sunday during the final day, Brazilian rider João Victor Castro Aguiar Gomes De Lima also took ^3rd place with the 11-year-old gelding Kenzo Quality Z, a breeding product of Quality Stud's Koen Terryn who combined the blood of Kannan with that of Con Air. In the 1.45m Grand Prix of the Medium Tour, Castro Aguiar Gomes De Lima and Kenzo Quality Z kept clear in both the basic round and the jump-off, thus also earning them a place on the podium.

In the 1.45m Big Tour on Friday, French rider Alexis Goulet managed to claim victory with the 10-year-old grey mare Celine RBF Z, a daughter of Cape Coral RBF and Corofino from the breeding farm of M. Coenen in the Netherlands. With a clear^2nd phase in 29.03 seconds, Goulet and Celine RBF Z were over a quarter of a second ahead of the competition. And they were also in the upper echelons of the standings on the other days with a ^5th place during the 1.40m Medium Tour on Thursday and a ^6th place during the 1.45m Big Tour on Sunday.

On Saturday, Goulet also managed to secure a victory with the 10-year-old mare Fiore Z, a daughter of For Pleasure and Spartacus TN bred in the Netherlands by BV E.a.c. Goulet and Fiore Z, who also managed to finish in ^3rd place during the 1.40m-high Medium Tour the day before, raced to the finish line in 60.33 seconds, outclassing the competition.

Victory in the 1.40m Medium Tour on Thursday then went to Italian rider Andrea Messersi with the 14-year-old stallion Virocondo Z, a son of Vi-Vite and Lys de Darmen from the breeding farm of Jos Ceulemans and Britt Vanluijten. With a clear round in 61.91 seconds, Messersi and Virocondo managed to outclass the competition by more than a full second.

Also on Thursday, the Belgian rider Roy van Beek managed to win a class with the 10-year-old mare Celebrity - H, a daughter of Comme Il Faut and VDL Groep No Limit who was born as Celebrity From Second Life Z to breeders Thierry hendrikx and Sandra Naviaux of Second Life Stables. In the 1.35m Big Tour, Van Beek and Celebrity - H raced to a convincing finishing time of 58.68 seconds, making them the only combination that managed to keep the time under 60 seconds.

Finally, with two top-5 finishes, it was also another successful weekend for German rider Kendra Claricia Brinkop with the 9-year-old mare Eau de Vie Jeleena Dr Z, a daughter of Elvis Ter Putte and Tornedo FCS bred by Dylan De Rycke. Brinkop and Eau de Vie Jeleena Dr Z jumped a first in the spotlight on Friday with a ^4th place during the 1.45m-high Big Tour, while on Sunday during again the 1.45m-high Big Tour they did just a little better with a nice ^3rd place.