Sanne Thijssen and Cupcake Z jump to win in Oliva

Under the Spanish sun of Oliva last week, they were ready for the second week of Mediterranean Equestrian Tour, the first part of the Autumn Tour 2024. This week too, several Z-horses managed to come out strong and produced striking results.

The most eye-catching combination was Dutch rider Sanne Thijssen with her 11-year-old mare Cupcake Z, a daughter of Chacco Blue and Caretano, bred by Sandra van den Broek-Wilmes. Thijssen and Cupcake Z took the win in the 1.45m Longines Ranking class on Friday. In this class against the clock, they finished in a sharp time of 65.09 seconds, putting them over three-quarters of a second ahead of their competition. The good form was again confirmed yesterday during the spirited CSI3* Grand Prix, where Thijssen and Cupcake Z finished in ^7th place. However, a mistake in the basic round kept them from a place in the jump-off.

Besides the Grand Prix, another 1.45m Longines Ranking class was on the programme on Sunday. In this class, Spanish rider Mariano Martinez Bastida managed to secure a podium place with his 11-year-old stallion Quark de Preuilly Z, a son of Quaprice Bois Margot and Dobel's Cento bred by Fermiere de Preuilly. In both the first and second phases, the duo stayed clear and their strong performance was rewarded with^2nd place in the standings.

Dutch rider Lars Kersen also managed to jump into the spotlight twice with the 11-year-old gelding Boebka vh Marienshof Z, the breeding product of Stal Marienshof who combined the blood of Balou du Rouet with that of Clinton. Cherry and Boebka vh Marienshof Z started their competition with an eighth place in the 1.40m class on Thursday and in the 1.45m Longines Ranking Test on Friday they managed to finish in eighth place.

Last but not least, there was also a top ranking for Polish rider Jan Chrzanowski and the 10-year-old gelding Chico de Hus Z, a son of our stallion HH Conrad Z and Pilot de Hus who was also bred by Haras de Hus. In the 1.45m main class on Thursday, Chrzanowski and Chico de Hus Z nicely kept all the bars in the scoops and this earned them a nice 4th place.