Mistique won the first qualifier for the 7-year-old horses in Lanaken. Photo © Zangersheide/Sportfot.
Edited press release from Zangersheide
On Thursday, the 2024 FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses got underway in Lanaken, Belgium, with the first qualifiers in the three age groups.
Out of the 255 horse-and-rider combinations at start for the 6-year-old horses, 79 pairs jumped clear over the 1.35m course with the KWPN-mare Nindita (Harley VDL x VDL Glasgow vh Merelsnest, bred by S. Strikwerda and A. de Jong) and Jasmin Seppälä (FIN) taking the win in a time of 25.44 seconds. Simon Prouvé (BEL) and the BWP-gelding Sem-Tex (Ermitage Kalone J&F x Sun Light van de Zuuthoeve, bred by Marcel Sysmans) placed second with a time of 25.76 seconds, only 0.01 seconds faster than the number three, the BWP-stallion Sniper Des Lilas Blancs (Hamilton du Chapitre x Calvaro Z, bred by Simon-Pierre Herbiet) and Kenda Claricia Brinkop (GER). Oki Doki (Ogano Sitte x Cornet Obolensky, bred by Wilhelm Gösling) and Enno Klaphake (GER) finished fourth in 25.82, followed by Chatholou Bravo PS (Chacoon Blue x Conthargos, bred by Gestut Lewitz) ridden by Federico Jacobone (ITA) in fifth.
In the first qualifier for the 7-year-old horses, 191 horse-and-rider combinations took to the Ratina Z arena at Zangersheide on the first day of the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship 2024. Over a course set at 1.40m, Guido Franchi (ITA) steered the KWPN-stallion Mistique (Aganix du Seigneur x Cardento, bred by Stoeterij Duyselshof) to the win ahead of Bertram Allen (IRL) and the BWP-mare Raffaella (Kaiser van het Lambroeck x Eros Platiere, bred by Marie Bernaerts) in second.
Nindita won the first qualifier for the 6-year-old horses in Lanaken. Photo © Zangersheide/Sportfot.
The Irish are a force to be reckoned with in Lanaken: Allen claimed the third place with the Selle Francais-stallion Huricane de Chamloue (Windows vh Costersveld x Diamant de Semilly, bred by Jean-Marie Charlot), while his fellow countrymen finished fourth and fifth. Jason Foley (IRL) and the KWPN-stallion Mendoza VDL (Harley VDL x Cardento 933, bred by VDL Stud) took the fourth place ahead of Michael Pender (IRL) and the ISH mare HHS Mercedes (Can Ya Makan x Couletto, bred by Bravo Hughes Ltd) in fifth.
In the first qualifier for the 5-year-old horses – jumped over a 1.25m course – 108 horse-and-rider combinations from the 232 pairs at start jumped clear.
The second qualifiers in all three age groups take place on Friday, ahead of the finals on Sunday which are open to the 30 best placed horses from the two qualifiers. In the 5-year-old category, all double clears qualify for the final.
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