Silver for Kannem J.A. Z in the CSI2* GP of Valkenswaard

The Netherlands was able to enjoy the second week of Summer Festival 2024 last weekend, where, like two weeks before, there was jumping at both four-star and two-star level. In the concluding CSI2* GP on Sunday afternoon, there was a podium place there for British rider Robert Murphy and the 9-year-old stallion Kannem J.A. Z, a son of Kannan and Lux Z bred by Jean-André Souvereyns, with whom Murphy also made a strong showing in the semi-finals of the Longines League of Nations in Deauville last month. At the grass arena of Jan Tops, Murphy and Kannem J.A. Z were one of nine combinations to secure a place in the jump-off, in which they were the first to start. Once again, the duo managed to keep all the fences neatly in the scoops and with a fast round in 43.44 seconds, they ended up just 4 hundredths of a second short of victory.

Also in the top five of the standings during this CSI2* GP we saw Italian rider Gianni Govoni with the 10-year-old chestnut mare Kir Royal Delta Mossel Z, also a Kannan offspring and this in combination with Vigo d'Arsouilles. Govoni and Wim van de Plasse's breeding product ran into 4 penalty points in that jump-off, which was finally good for ^5th place in the standings.

Earlier in the afternoon on Sunday, the CSI4* GP took place and in it Dutch rider Niels Tacken managed to put down another strong performance with the 11-year-old gelding Cordis Totalis Z, the son of our chestnut stallion Comilfo Plus Z and T'Is Voltaire from the Ubachs and Beaujean stud farm. Tacken and Cordis Totalis Z, also good for ^6th place on Friday during the 1.50m qualifier for this GP, did it without any faults in both the basic round and the jump-off and this performance earned them ^7th place in the standings this time.

In the CSI4* 1.45m class on Friday, Colombian Roberto Teran Tafur then managed to jump into the limelight again with the 9-year-old grey gelding Iron Maiden, the son of Clarimo ASK and Kashmir Van Schuttershof who was born to breeder Titus Vereecke as Cadans van de Ijzervallei Z. In both the^1st and^2nd phases, Teran Tafur and Iron Maiden could not be caught at a fault and their finishing time of 36.95 seconds was good for ^3rd place in the standings. For American rider Laura Kraut, there was another ^5th place in this class with the 9-year-old gelding Trés Bien Z (Toulon x Nabab de Rêve - B: S.T. Dingen).

Finally, there was also success in Valkenswaard for the blood of Dominator 2000 Z thanks to Finnish rider Anni Hjerpe and the 8-year-old gelding D.chacco's Dominator Z, a son of Dominator 2000 Z and Chacco Blue bred in Germany by Paul Golsteijn. Hjerpe and D.chacco's Dominator Z immediately started their competition well on Friday with a ^5th place during the 1.35m class and a day later they managed to finish ^6th during another 1.35m class.