Top Invest 313 Z and Magic Van 't Hulgenrode Z win in London

After a week's break for the famous CHI in Geneva, World Cup points were awarded again last weekend at The London International Horse Show. Belgian rider Wilm Vermeir also travelled to the British capital and managed to add a 1.50m class to his record of achievements with both the stallion Top Invest 313 Z and the mare Magic van 't Hulgenrode Z.

The opening day on Wednesday got off to an excellent start for Vermeir, who jumped to victory in the 1.50m opening class with his home-bred stallion Top Invest 313 Z, a 9-year-old son of Thunder van de Zuuthoeve combined with Concorde. Vermeir and Top Invest 313 Z already came out strong earlier this month with a ^6th and an ^8th place at the Salzburg 4-star competition, so they confirmed their good form in London. During both the^1st and^2nd stages they kept it neatly clear and with a finishing time of 22.11 seconds they had a small lead of 4 hundredths of a second over the competition.

But Vermeir thus also managed to win a 1.50m class in London with the 12-year-old grey mare Magic Van 't Hulgenrode Z, a daughter of Midas vh Endhouse and Vigo d'Arsouilles bred by Marcel De Ridder, with whom Vermeir also managed to finish ^4th in the 1.55m main class on Wednesday. During the speed class on Saturday afternoon, Vermeir and Magic Van 't Hulgenrode Z raced to a convincing finishing time of 56.88 seconds, putting them over 1.5 seconds ahead of the competition.

Friday in London was all about the Longines Grand Prix, in which a top ranking was reserved for Irish rider Daniel Coyle and his 14-year-old top mare Legacy, the daughter of Chippendale Z and Bon Ami who was born Chavantele Z to breeder Romain Rotty. Coyle and Legacy stayed clear in the first round and were among the six combinations to advance to the jump-off. In it, they also seemed to be on their way to victory, as they managed to put the fastest time on the scoreboard in 36.57 seconds. Unfortunately, in their haste a fault also rolled out of the scoops, so they had to settle for ^4th place at the end.

Earlier on Friday, a 1.50m class was also on the programme for the CSI5* competition, in which Italian rider Lorenzo de Luca scored a podium place with the 11-year-old mare Promise Z, a daughter of Gestion Priamus Z and Graf Grannus out of Jonna Sunblad &CSE AB's breeding. After a clear first round, de Luca and Promise Z also had it flawless in the second round and this performance earned them a nice ^3rd place. A day later the duo also confirmed this performance by securing another ^8th place during another 1.50m class.

During the 1.50m class on Thursday afternoon, Austrian rider Max Kühner managed to jump into the limelight with the 9-year-old stallion EIC Anton Sbk Z, a breeding product of Louis Bijloos who combined the blood of Arko III with that of Quintero Z. In a class against the clock, Kühner and EIC Anton Sbk Z crossed the finish line in 64.72 seconds, taking ^4th place.

Swiss rider Géraldine Straumann also managed to jump into the prizes twice with the 10-year-old mare Melusina BvL Z, a daughter of Mylord Carthago and Air Jordan Z bred in the Netherlands by H.L.M. van Lier. On Wednesday they started their show with a ^7th place during the 1.50m class and on Saturday they secured another ^8th place during another 1.50m.

Finally, London also traditionally had a Puissance and a Six Bar Competition on the programme and in both classes victory coloured blue and yellow. During the Puissance on Wednesday evening, it was British rider Rachel Proudley who managed to keep victory at home with the 10-year-old gelding Easy Boy de Laubry Z, a son of Elvis Ter Putte and Ogano Sitte from the breeding farm of the Haelterman family of Haras de Laubry. Three more combinations competed during the fourth round, and in it Proudley and Easy Boy de Laubry Z were the only combination to manage to jump clear over the 2.12m wall.

The Six Bar competition took place on Saturday afternoon and in it it was British rider Gemma Stevens who came out on top with the 11-year-old stallion Envoy Merelsnest Z, a son of Elvis Ter Putte and Voltaire bred by Horses Bvb. During the fifth and decisive round, Stevens and Envoy Merelsnest Z were the only ones to clear the final style jump of 1.95m.