24 March '25
Silver for Iron Man in the CSIO5* Grand Prix of Ocala
© Cian O'Connor
The Longines League of Nations was ready for its second stage of the season last weekend and for that, like last year, they headed to the magnificent accommodation of the World Equestrian Centre in Ocala, USA. The Nations Cup on Saturday afternoon and evening there was of course the absolute highlight of the weekend, but a five-star Nations Cup naturally also includes a CSIO5* Grand Prix. This already took place on Thursday evening and in it we saw a Z-horse shine on the podium.
A total of 37 combinations ventured their chance in the 1.60m CSIO5* Grand Prix of Ocala, for which Irish track builder Alan Wade and his team had laid out a challenging course. In doing so, nine combinations managed to clear the basic round to secure a ticket for the jump-off. One of those 9 barragists were top Irish rider Cian O'Connor and the 12-year-old grey gelding Iron Man, a son of Charisma Z and Mr. Blue who was born C-Iron Z in the Netherlands at Stoeterij Duysel's Hof. In the jump-off, O'Connor and Iron Man managed to repeat that flawless performance from the basic round and with a finishing time of 40.81 seconds, they secured2nd place, 20 hundredths of a second behind Olympic champion Christian Kukuk.
Besides Cian O'Connor and Iron Man Z, American rider Laura Kraut also managed to qualify for the jump-off with her 11-year-old top mare Bisquetta, the daughter of Bisquet Balou van de Mispelaere and Takashi van Berkenbroeck who was given the birth name Bisquetta Squalls Estate Z by breeder Claire McCarthy-Winters. Kraut and Bisquetta saw one bar roll out of the scoops in that decisive jump-off and this performance eventually earned them 7th place in the rankings.
On Friday, the main class of the day was a 1.50m class with 'winning round' and in it too we saw some Z-horses at the top of the rankings. Dutch rider Mathijs van Asten and the 10-year-old chestnut stallion Vedet DK Z, a breeding product of De Krochten Stables in the Netherlands who combined the blood of Vagabond de la Pomme with that of Zangersheide icon Carthago Z, were in the top 5. In both the first round and the winning round, van Asten and Vedet DK Z had a neat clear round and their finishing time of 42.25 seconds was good for 5th place.
This meant that van Asten and Vedet DK Z finished just one place better than American rider Mimi Gochman and the 12-year-old stallion Cosmos BH, a son of Chellano Alpha Z and Artos, who was born at Zangersheide Stud Farm. Gochman and Cosmos BH also had two flawless rounds, but they needed 42.70 seconds to complete their winning round.
CSI2* competition
In addition to the CSIO5* competition, the past few days in Ocala also saw jumping at two-star level, in which some Z-horses came on strong. On Saturday morning, for example, the 1.45m class saw a victory for British rider Jessica Mendoza with the 9-year-old mare Ascadina PP Z, a daughter of Asca Z and Ginus who was bred in the Netherlands by Stal Poppelaars. During the second and especially decisive round, Mendoza and Ascadina PP Z sped to the finish line in 33.66 seconds, more than half a second ahead of the rest of the field of competitors.
On Sunday during the final day in Ocala, it was then looking forward to the CSI2* Grand Prix, in which a Z-horse also managed to make the podium. Indeed, the silver went to Canadian rider Kara Chad and her 9-year-old mare Corinna Z, a daughter of Cornet Obolensky and Kannan from the Ridge Farms Stone breeding farm. In a jump-off for which seven combinations managed to qualify, Chad and Corinna Z again kept all the bars in the scoops and this performance earned them2nd place in the rankings.