Touardo Blue Z and Sea Coast Chica V.V. Z shine in the CSI3* Grand Prix of Compiègne

The international competitions on French soil were particularly successful for our blue/yellow colours of Zangersheide last weekend. Indeed, in addition to the good performances at the Gassin Polo Club of St. Tropez, several Z-horses also came on strong in Compiègne, culminating in a podium place in the CSI3* Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon.

That honour fell to Belgian rider Nathan Budd and his 11-year-old top stallion Touardo Blue Z, a son of Toulon and Arko III who was bred by Hugues Delattre and with whom Budd also achieved fine performances at the Andalucia Sunshine Tour in recent months. Budd and Touardo Blue Z stayed clear in the 1.55m basic round and were thus among the eighteen combinations who managed to advance to the jump-off. There they managed to repeat that flawless performance from the first round and with a finishing time of 38.14 seconds they eventually secured bronze.

But Budd's compatriot Gudrun Patteet and her 10-year-old mare Sea Coast Chica V.V. Z also had a top ranking in this CSI3* Grand Prix. Patteet and Sea Coast Chica V.V. Z, a daughter of Comme Il Faut and Chacco Blue out of the breeding of Evelyne and Colin Van Vreckom, also produced a clear barrage round and their finishing time of 38.28 seconds was good for a nice ^4th place in the standings.

On Saturday afternoon in Compiègne, the Small Grand Prix at 1.45m level was on the cards, and here too the Z-horses were successful. Among them was a podium place for French rider Gregory Cottard with the 11-year-old grey mare Cybele de Wy Z, a breeding product of Frantz Ducci who combined the blood of Cristal La Silla with that of Val T'horens van de Padenborre. In a jump-off for which sixteen combinations managed to qualify, Cottard and Cybele de Wy Z raced to the finishing line in 41.75 seconds, which finally put them in a great^2nd place in the standings.

Furthermore, his compatriot Titouan Schumacher also managed to qualify for the jump-off in this Small Grand Prix with the also 11-year-old gelding Azote Brimbelles Z, a son of Amadeus Z and Toulon who, as his name suggests, was bred by Haras des Brimbelles. Schumacher and Azote des Brimbelles Z managed to go even faster than Cottard and Cybele de Wy Z in 41.65 seconds, but a mistake on the way eventually kept them off the podium and made them settle for ^5th place.

Another notable combination in Compiègne was French rider Felix Jarry and the 9-year-old stallion Komet Des K Z, a son of Kannan and Sandro Boy from the breeding of Manon Pousin Scea Production Nature. They ensured a top ranking on Friday by finishing ^3rd in the 1.50m Grand Prix qualifier and at the CSI3* Grand Prix they confirmed that performance by jumping to ^8th place. They too were then unbeaten in both the basic round and the jump-off.

Finally, Dutch rider Siebe Leemans also managed a top 5 ranking with the 10-year-old chestnut stallion Gem Vd Rilloo Z, a son of Gemini and Concorde out of J.H. Van Loon Eugeen's breeding. During the 1.45m speed class on Thursday afternoon, they kept all the bars neatly in the reels, with a ^5th place as final result.