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Koen Vereecke and Kasanova de la Pomme take the victory in the FEI Zangersheide Sires of the World Grand Prix

Friday, 24 September 2021
FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championships for Young Horses 2021

Photo @ Nanna Nieminen/WoSJ The winning team in the FEI Zangersheide Sires of the World Grand Prix. Photo @ Nanna Nieminen for World of Showjumping.

 

Text © World of Showjumping

 


 

This weekend, Domein Zangersheide in Lanaken, Belgium, hosts the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses. On Friday, it was time for the traditional FEI Zangersheide Sires of the World Grand Prix, where 54 approved stallions battled it out for the sought-after title – and what a competition it turned out to be. 

The course set at 1.50m counted 14 obstacles and 17 efforts. The Belgian course designer Eugène Mathy had put together a tough test, with a triple combination at the beginning of the course, built right next to the VIP area, an open water at fence number ten and a final Zangersheide upright causing headache for the riders. A total of 14 pairs cleared the first round though, and joined the deciding jump-off over a shortened course.

Gudrun Patteet (BEL) on Sea Coast Valdelamadre Clooney (Centeur Z x Quantum) was the first to go clear in the first round, and was joined by Sebastian Adams (GER) on Kolibris Villanova Dree Boeken (King Kolibri x Vulkano), Gilles Thomas (BEL) on Feromas van Beek Z (Fantomas de Muze x Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve), Robinson Maupiler (FRA) on Moncler van Overis (Kannan x Darco), Bas Moerings (NED) on Ipsthar (Denzel Vt Meulenhof x Farmer), Richard Vogel (GER) on Carlchen S (Comme Il Faut 5 x Gelha’s VDL Emilion) and Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) on Gijs (Kashmir van Schuttershof x Numero Uno). Also Christophe Grangier (FRA) on Catch Boom Bang (Cornet’s Prinz x Argentinus), Hannes Ahlmann (GER) on Nerrado (Nekton x Acorado), Philip Rüping (GER) on Casallco (Casall x Contender), Frederic Bouvard (FRA) on Hugh Grant de Muze (Shindler de Muze x Jalisco B), Koen Vereecke (BEL) on Kasanova de la Pomme (Bamako de Muze x Malito de Reve), Gerben Morsink (NED) on Navarone Z (Nabab de Reve x Amor), as well as Christian Ahlmann (GER) on Dominator 2000 Z (Diamant de Semilly x Cassini I) and Gilles Thomas (BEL) on Uncas S (Udarco x Primo des Bruyeres) cleared the first-round track.

Photo @ Nanna Nieminen/WOSJ On the podium: Koen Vereecke, Christian Ahlmann and Gilles Thomas. Photo @ Nanna Nieminen for World of Showjumping.

While the event at Zangersheide is run under strict Covid-19 protocols, the audience present enjoyed themselves, living with the horses and riders every step of the way in the jump-off and cheering their favourites on loudly. And to the joy of the Belgian crowds, Koen Vereecke on Kasanova de la Pomme stopped the clock on 34.14 to take the lead. When Germany’s Christian Ahlmann – the penultimate rider – entered the ring on the huge-striding Dominator 2000 Z, you could hear a pin drop. This was quickly replaced by roaring applause though, as Ahlmann and the popular stallion crossed the finish line in 34.15 – just behind Vereecke. As if the class could not get more exciting, Belgium’s very own young gun Gilles Thomas – the last man in the jump-off – broke the beams in 34.16 to put him on the podium as third, pushing Hannes Ahlmann to fourth and Gudrun Patteet to fifth. 

Koen Vereecke was over the moon with the win and with his horse. “I think that from fence one to two I lost time – my horse was playing, but that is what he does, it is his manner, he is a player. On the last line I also could have done five, luckily for me Christian did not do that either,” the happy winner laughed. 

“I never saw timing like this before, it is like Formula 1,” Christian Ahlmann smiled to the press afterwards. “I was confident for today, I had a good feeling and in general, after a small break, Dominator feels good and is getting better and better. And that is the most important thing for me: That we seem to be on a very good way with him. Of course, I wanted to win, I rode a good round, and everything worked like I planned. At the end, I could have done one stride less to the last fence and I think that was where it would have been possible to be quicker.” 

 

 

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