Quark de Preuilly Z and Davinci Vd Bosrand Z win at Oliva

It was another busy weekend on Spanish soil, as both the fifth week of the Moura Tours in Valencia and the second week of the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour in Oliva saw two international three-star competitions on the programme this week as well. In Oliva, home rider Mariano Martinez Bastida managed to secure another victory with the 11-year-old stallion Quark de Preuilly Z, the son of Quaprice du Bois Margot and Cento who was bred in France by Soc. Fermier de Preuilly and with whom Martinez Bastida also won a 1.45m class in Valencia last month. In the 1.45m Longines Ranking class on Friday afternoon, Martinez Bastida and Qark de Preuilly Z raced to a convincing finishing time of 66.41 seconds, giving them a lead of over two full seconds over the competition!

Also on Friday, British rider Jake Ward also managed to claim a victory with the 14-year-old stallion Davinci Vd Bosrand Z, a breeding product of André Lissens who combined the blood of the French sire Diamant de Semilly with that of the legendary Carthago Z. In the Gold 1.35m class, they also had a clear round in 63.90 seconds, over two full seconds ahead of the competition. His compatriot Thomas Whitaker and the 8-year-old grey mare Elle de Liebrie Z (Elvis Ter Putte x Kashmir Van Schuttershof - B: Lieven Bruyneel) claimed ^3rd place in this class after a finishing time of 66.55 seconds.

Another notable combination in Oliva was Norwegian rider Therese Sohol Henriksen with the 12-year-old grey stallion Santos Z, a son of Spartacus TN and Cassini I from the breeding farm of Stal Het Oosterbrook in the Netherlands. Henriksen and Santos Z already jumped to ^5th place in the 1.45m Longines Ranking Test on Friday and on Sunday they confirmed that good form with a nice ^4th place in the CSI3* Grand Prix.

There were also two top placings for American rider Emily Dehoff and the 10-year-old chestnut gelding Viper Z, a son of Vigo d'Arsouilles and Grannus who was bred by German rider Guido Sperveslage and had his big breakthrough under the saddle of top Swiss rider Martin Fuchs. Dehoff and Viper Z started their week in Oliva with a ^3rd place in the 1.40m class on Thursday and closed with a creditable^2nd place in the 1.45m Longines Ranking class on Sunday morning.

Finally, we saw a second Z-horse on the podium during this Longines Ranking Test on Sunday thanks to Swiss rider Léa de Coulon and the 10-year-old gelding Easy Boy d'Aubey Z, a son of Emerald van 't Ruytershof and Rubels who was born in France to Alexandre Zambaux. De Coulon and Easy Boy d'Aubey Z managed to take ^3rd place after a flawless round.