Oldenburg extends their lead on day 2 of the WBFSH Studbooks Jumping Global Champions Trophy in Valkenswaard

The sun was shining on day 2 of the WBFSH Studbooks Jumping Global Champions Trophy at the Longines Tops International Arena. Competition kicked off with the CSIYH2* Young Horses 8 years old 1.45m Against the Clock class. 

In a thrilling finish to the day’s opening class, Marcel Schneider representing the Springpferdzuchtverband Oldenburg-International with Chucky PS (Chacoon Blue x Cornet Obolensky) claimed victory by almost three seconds. The gelding soared across the course, stopping the clock at an impressive 62.55 seconds. 

“My horse is unbelievable. He jumped super,” said Schneider. “He’s eight years old and I have had him since he was four. I built him up very slowly and now I get super success with him.” Schnider said he is looking forward to tomorrow’s 8 year old Final, saying “we are now in the final, I think I will ride the final for the team, and hopefully we go clear.” 

After two days of competition, Springpferdzuchtverband Oldenburg-International retains their lead with a commanding 469 points going into tomorrow’s Final. Irish Sport Horse sits in second with 432 points but Selle Français is hot on their heels, just 2 points behind with 430 points, having jumped up into third place in the 8 year old division following today’s strong showing. 

Sofian Misraoui entered the arena aboard Geniale Lulu (Ideal de la Loge x Quidam de Revel) for the Selle Français studbook. The mare raced across the expansive grass arena, posting the first clear of the class early on. They stopped the clock at 67.91 seconds, setting a high bar for the riders to come. Fellow Selle Français representative Arthur Le Vot rode into the arena with Giulio du ter (Windows vh Costersveld x Rosire). They flawlessly navigated the course and were met by cheers as they crossed the finish line, tentatively taking the lead. The gelding ultimately secured second place with a time of 65.43 seconds. 

Next to go was Carlotta Schepers for the Westphalian Studbook. She rode smooth and clear aboard Cherry Blossom 5 (Comme Il Faut x Graf Top), tentatively claiming second place with the mare. The Irish Sport Horse Studbook entered the arena, represented by Michael Pender and HHS Cyprus (Cornet Obolensky x Acorado). A double clear round earned the stallion a top ten finish. Jan Vermeiren and Qmusic-K van 't Kattenheye (Le Blue Diamond van 't Ruyters x Cornet Obolensky) started on course for the Belgian Warmblood Horse studbook. The mare came home on a clean sheet to tentatively take second place. 

Representing the Anglo European Studbook, Denis Lynch and Four Seasons (For Pleasure x Cassini II) made it look easy. A cool, confident round ultimately earned the stallion third place, stopping the clock at 65.68 seconds. Harrie Smolders rode into the arena with Devino vd Weretherbach Z (De Flor 111 Z x Calvin Z) for the Studbook Zangerseheide vzw. The pair expertly navigated the course, securing a top ten finish. 

Corentin Derouet started on course with Gwenndu de Kergane (Capoutchi de Kergane x Grand Chef Bleus) for the Selle Français studbook. The Selle Français team went wild as the pair came home clean, claiming fifth place and the third top ten finish for Selle Français in this class. Hendrik Dowe and Askala NRW (A la Carte NRW x Contendro I) galloped into the arena for the Westphalian Studbook. The mare delivered a smooth, clear round to take a top ten finish. 

All eyes now turn to day 3 where we will see the top 8 year olds go head to head in the Final along with the 9 year old Stallions Final. You won’t want to miss a moment as we witness the sport’s top studbooks compete for victory at LTIA. 

CSI2* Small Tour 2 Phase 1.15m

The CSI2* Small Tour two phase competition (1.15m) was dominated by the ladies. The class was won by Britain's Annabel Shields with B.E. Flygold. The seven-year-old gelding lived up to his name, flying over the finish line in 26.16 seconds. The 32-year-old rider has had this horse under saddle since October last year and it seems to be an excellent match. Dutch rider Aniek Diks came second with Moviestar Ad. The rider from Vorstenbosch realised a time of 27.68 seconds with the seven-year-old KWPN mare with whom she has already won several competitions in Valkenswaard. Third place went to Germany's Philine Gröpper and Paula's Isabella. She stopped the clock in 28.49 seconds with the eight-year-old Holstein mare (Dinken x Lord).

CSI2* Medium Tour 1.25m

It was a Dutch victory in the CSI2* Medium Tour 1.25m. Out of 52 competitors, Piet Raijmakers Jr was ultimately the fastest in the two phase competition. He stopped the clock at 23.62 seconds with the 12-year-old KWPN gelding Van Schijndel's Hanibal (by Van Schijndel's Rascin). Raijmakers is always a rider to be reckoned with. The rider from Asten has won numerous classes with this horse including three at the Longines Tops International Arena this year. Second place also stayed in the Netherlands. Julian de Boer rode the second phase in 25.40 seconds with the BWP mare Radar Love KMS (Heavy Metal x VDL Zirocco Blue). Britain's Annabel Shields, who won the Small Tour earlier in the morning, was now third. With Canchouette PS (Hann, Cantolar x Champion For Pleasure), the clock stopped at 25.73 seconds.

5 Year Old 1.25m Not Against the Clock

The competition for five-year-olds was a real showcase for emerging talent. There was super good riding and of the 54 young horses, 29 went clear in this 1.25m not against the clock class. All these combinations finished in first place. Not much changed in the intermediate rankings. Five studbooks now share first place with 408 points each. Of these, four studbooks are the same as yesterday after the first competition: Oldenburg International (OS), Irish Sport Horse Studbook, KWPN and Selle Français. Yesterday's number five, Anglo European Studbook dropped to place eight and Danish Warmblood climbed to the top five.

7 Year Old 1.35m 2 Phase

After winning the Big Tour, Ruben Arroyave (COL) also managed to win the two phases class for the seven-year-olds. He did so with the OS mare Diarona PS (Diaron OLD x Charity). The grey of which Arroyva is also the owner stopped the clock at 26.85 seconds in the second phase. The Westphalian mare Florucci JH claimed second place with Germany's Greta Reinacher. Breeder/owner is Johanna Hölker-Schoster. The mare is a descendant of the stallion Franco out of an Arpeggio mare. The duo crossed the finish line in 27.63 seconds. Third place went to the Zangersheide stallion Lotto Indebus Z (Lamm de Fetan x Erco van't Roosakker) ridden by Belgian Gilles Van Hamme. His realised a time of 27.75 seconds. 

With this victory, Diarona PS collected top points (90) for the Oldenburg International studbook, which thus leads the standings of studbooks in the seven-year-old division with 227 points in total. Second place is for the Selle Français with 225 points followed by the Westfälisches Pferdestammbuch with 210 points.

9 Year Old Stallion 1.45m Against the Clock

The 9 Year Old Stallion 1.45m class, which is open exclusively to stallions, was convincingly won by the elegant Key West (KWPN, Otangelo x Phin-Phin). Britain’s Ronnie Jones effortlessly steered the nine-year-old approved stallion through the course in a super fast time of 62.99 seconds. The stallion was bred by R. Bril and is owned by Ruth Dowie. He thus relegated Irishman Sven Joseph Hadley to second place. Hadley rode the BWP stallion Phenomene Bleu VDM (breeder Familie Bruggeman, owner Hadley Sport Horses ltd), a descendant of the well-known and popular stallion Diamant de Semilly, in this class. The Irishman stopped the clock at 66.08 seconds. The SF stallion Diego de Blondel (Vigo Cece x Dollar dela Pierre) claimed third place with Stéphane Dufour (FRA). The 11-year-old was bred by Michel Ruel and is owned by Marie Elodie Dufour.