Son of Jenson van 't Meulenhof Z triumphs in CSI4* Grand Prix of St. Lô

Last weekend, the magnificent Pôle Hippique accommodation was all about Jumping international - Saint Lô, where riders and amazons competed at both two- and four-star levels. The climax of the event was reached on Sunday, when the two Grand Prix took place and the audience was treated to spectacular sport.

The absolute showpiece of that Sunday afternoon was undoubtedly the CSI4* Grand Prix, which ran over two rounds and in which the best 12 combinations from the first round qualified for the decisive second round and did so while retaining penalty points. The leading role during this closing round of the weekend was played by Belgian rider Rik Hemeryck and the 10-year-old gelding Inoui du Seigneur, a son of the Zangersheide stallions Jenson van 't Meulenhof Z and Aganix du Seigneur Z bred by Marc Vanlangendonck of La Ferme du Seigneur.

Hemeryck and Inoui du Seigneur ran into 1 penalty point for exceeding the time allowed in the first round, but as only 4 combinations managed to stay clear during that first round, they very easily joined those top 12 in the standings. During the second round, quite a few combinations went wrong and in the end no one managed to ensure a flawless score in both rounds. Hemeryck and Inoui du Seigneur were one of the 3 combinations who managed to stay clear during that decisive round and with a total score of 1 penalty point over the two rounds they could call themselves the proud winners of this prestigious CSI4* Grand Prix of St. Lô!

Rik Hemeryck: "I never thought there would be so many mistakes on the second lap. It worked in my favour and I was just fast enough in the second lap. It was a good Grand Prix, with good competition. Every year great riders come here to Saint-Lô. I am very happy to have won this event, especially as I finished second behind Jeroen Dubbeldam on my last visit in 2017. Inouï was taken over three years ago by my owner, Herica Ravel, whom I thank immensely for his support."

Rik Hemeryck and Inoui du Seigneur may have attracted the most attention during the CSI4* competition with their Grand Prix victory, but a few other horses also managed to ensure blue/yellow success. For example, it was also a successful weekend for Luxembourg rider Victor Bettendorf with the 8-yr-old chestnut mare Kenya Heureka Z, a daughter of our chestnut stallion Kassander van 't Roosakker Z and Zandor Z bred by Luc Henry and J.J. Remijnse. During the opening day on Thursday, Bettendorf and Kenia Heurka Z immediately secured ^5th place in the 1.40m class, and one day later they then managed to secure^2nd place in the standings in another 1.40m class.

In that 1.40m opening class on Thursday,^2nd place was then again for French rider Gregory Cottard and the 10-year-old grey mare Cybele De Wy Z, a daughter of Cristal La Silla and Val T'horens van de Padenborre bred by Frantz Ducci. They were about half a second short of victory with a clear round in 58.81 seconds.

Also on Thursday, Cottard's compatriot Penelope Leprévost managed to jump into the spotlight with the also 10-year-old chestnut mare Barbie de la Roque Z, a daughter of For Hero de Hus and Heartbreaker out of the breeding of Alexandrine Hecart of Haras De La Roque. In the 1.50m main class, Leprévost and Barbie de la Roque Z kept all the bars neatly in the reels and this performance earned them ^3rd place in the standings.

However, in addition to the CSI4* competition, St Lô was also jumping at two-star level and the CSI2* Grand Prix on Sunday saw a podium place for Italian rider Lorenzo de Luca and the 11-year-old mare Noblesse Vd Mespel Z, a breeding product of Bart Veldeman who combined the blood of Nabab de Rêve with that of Escudo I. In a jump-off for which 16 combinations managed to qualify, de Luca and Noblesse Vd Mespel Z speeded to the finish in 35.55 seconds after another flawless round, falling exactly 30 hundredths of a second short of writing this Grand Prix on their record.

Finally, ^4th place in this CSI2* Grand Prix was taken by Belgian rider Andres Vereecke and the 8-year-old mare Baya de Riverland Z (Bresil de Riverland x Kashmir Van Schuttershof - F: SCEA Riverland). They too once again provided a clear round, but then again needed 36.77 seconds to complete the round successfully.