18 February '24
Zascha Nygaard Lill wins the CSI4* Grand Prix!
© Sportfot
After five exciting days full of atmosphere and above all passion, the second edition of 'The Zangersheide International' came to an end this afternoon. During this period, Sentower Park in Opglabbeek was the bustling center where riders, breeders and spectators came together for a unique mix of sport and breeding. On this concluding day, this afternoon's CSI4* Grand Prix was of course central and in it the numerous spectators who had turned up were once again treated to a breathtaking denouement.
After the various qualifiers earlier this week, 48 combinations had managed to qualify for this CSI4* GP. Of those 48, 7 managed to stay clear in the basic round run by the British coursedesigner Rafael Suarez and his team, securing a ticket for the jump-off. One of those 7 was the Danish lady rider Zascha Nygaard Lill with her 11-year-old grey mare Primavera, a daughter of Mylord Carthago and Cornet Obolensky. Nygaard Lill and Primavera, who were also good for a 3rd place during the 1.50m class on Thursday, appeared as the 3rd combination in the ring and managed to claim victory with a clear round in 34.55 seconds.
2nd place during this last class of the weekend went to the French rider Valentin Besnard with the also 11-year-old mare Diamantina Beaufour (Diamant de Semilly x Cassini I). Besnard and Diamantina Beaufour entered the ring 2 combinations later and also made an excellent effort with an eye on victory. However, they managed to cross the finish line in 35.52 seconds, which was still almost a full second short of knocking Nygaard Lill and Primavera off the throne. The Dutch rider Willem Greve secured the 3rd place in the rankings with the 13-year-old stallion Grandorado TN N.O.P. (Eldorado van de Zeshoek x Carolus II). As the last combination to start, he managed to put a time of 35.91 seconds on the leadingboard and this performance also earned him a podium place.
Belgian supremacy in the CSI1* GP
The CSI4* GP may have been the absolute highlight during this final day of 'The Zangersheide International', but earlier in the day there was also a second Grand Prix on the program with the CSI1* GP. This was completely dominated by the Belgian combinations with Seppe Wouters and the 8-year-old stallion Qoffiekoek de Muze, a son of Mosito van het Hellehof and For Pleasure, in the lead. In a jump-off for which 12 combinations wera able to qualify, Wouters and Qoffiekoek de Muze finished in 36.54 seconds and with this performance they crowned themselves the winners of this 1.35m class.
With this performance, Wouters and Qoffiekoek de Muze led an integral Belgian podium with Patrick Jonkmans and the 15-year-old gelding I Bay van het Langwater (Wiensender x Beaujolais) in 2nd place. Jonkmans and I Bay van het Langwater also managed a flawless performance in the jump-off, but with a time of 38.89 seconds they had to clearly acknowledge their superiority to Wouters and Qoffiekoek de Muze. The 3rd place was for Gert-Jan Hubrechts with the 10-year-old gelding Coco van de Helle (Cesano II x Lennon). Hubrechts and Coco van de Helle crossed the finish line in 39.92 seconds, giving them another spot on the podium.
New victory for Giesteira Almeida
The final day of this second edition of The Zangersheide International started this morning with a 1.45m class and in this class there was a new victory for the Portuguese rider Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida and his 12-year-old chestnut mare Pegasus Cekanane (Kannan x Quaprice Bois Margot). Giesteira Almeida and Pegasus Cekanane, who already won a class yesterday, rushed to the finish in a time of 28.58 seconds, adding another victory to their list of honors.
2nd place during this first class of the day went to the Belgian lady rider Elke Appeltans with her 10-year-old gelding Ermitage d'Argouges (Armitages Boy x Rosire). Appeltans and Ermitage d'Argouges managed to stay nicely clear in both the 1st and the 2nd phases and with a finishing time of 29.78 seconds they managed to come closest to Giesteira Almeida and Pegasus Cekannane. Finally, the Dutch rider Pim Mulder also managed to jump to a spot on the podium. He was sitting in the saddle of the 11-year-old gelding Dunaghmore (Ustinov x Cruising), with whom he managed to set a time of 30.25 seconds.