Scarlina de Tiji Z dominates in Gorla Minore!

Besides the various showjumping tours on Spanish soil, two competitions international also took place in Italy last weekend, including at the Equieffe Equestrian Centre of Gorla Minore. The absolute headliner there was Swiss rider Pius Schwizer and the 10-year-old mare Scarlina de Tiji Z, a daughter of Hunter's Scendro and Kannan from the breeding farm of Tim Van Tricht and Jill Smits of T&J BVBA. Schwizer and Scarlina de Tiji Z also made themselves heard the week before with a win and a ^2nd place, but last weekend they really impressed by writing no less than 3 classes on their record!

Scarlina de Tiji Z was at the wheel of Belgian racer Niels Bruynseels as a youngster, before she was replaced by Olivier De Coulon in early 2022 and joined Dutch racer Bryan Balsiger at the wheel. Since the end of last year, however, Pius Schwizer has taken over the reins of the bay mare and last weekend proved once again that they are now perfectly matched. After winning both the 1.45m class on Thursday and Friday, Schwizer and Scarlina de Tiji Z were also the best in the CSI2* GP on Sunday. In a jump-off that required 8 combinations to win, the successful duo finished in 38.06 seconds, putting them well ahead of the competition!

On Tuesday, Marcus Westergren, the second placed rider, took to the track for a blue/yellow win managed to take care of his 10-year-old chestnut stallion Airco de l'Esprit Z, a breeding product of Nico Esprit who combined the blood of our stallion Air Jordan Alpha Z with that of Quantum. In the 1.40m class, Westergren and Airco de l'Esprit Z were one of the six combinations that managed to qualify for the jump-off, in which they also kept all the bars neatly in the scoops. In doing so, they finished in 37.12 seconds, giving them a lead of over half a second over the competition.

Another striking combination in Gorla Minore was the young Belgian rider Roy Van Beek with the 9-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. Van Beek and Celebrity - H started their competition on Thursday with a victory in the 1.35m class and a day later they managed to finish in ^3rd place in another 1.35m class.

In addition to Pius Schwizer and Scarlina de Tiji Z's victory, German rider Alexander Schill and the 9-year-old stallion Exclusive 15, a son of Emerald van 't Ruytershof and Cassini I who was given the birth name Extra EH Z by breeder Eurohorse BVBA, were also on the podium during the 1.45m class on Thursday. Schill and Exclusive 15 kept the silks neatly clear during both the ^1st and ^2nd phases and this was good for ^2nd place in the standings.