Nine-Year-Old Stallions 1.40m

The highly-anticipated second edition of the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) Studbooks Jumping Global Champions Trophy kicked off Thursday, Sept 26 in Valkenswaard in the expansive grass arena at the Longines Tops International Arena.

Day one came to a conclusion with the introduction of a brand new team class, the Nine-Year-Old Stallions set as a 1.40m 2 Phase class for the first qualifier. This class saw 20 combinations battle it out for top honours across two phases. The KWPN claimed a victory on day one with Ronnie Jones and Key West [Otangelo x Phin-Phin]. They flew across the grass, stopping the clock at a lightning-fast 27.68 seconds, helping secure KWPN a solid start.

“Key West felt really good. He jumped here last year for the KWPN team as an eight-year-old. He loved that grass ring and felt really nice. We love coming here and he is really happy too,” explained Jones, who is feeling positive about his lineup for this weekend as a part of the KWPN team. “We’ve got him, Ruth [Dowie] has another five-year-old stallion here, and I’ve got my mare Kaleche who came from the same breeder as Key West in the two-star.”

Their strong showing on day one means the KWPN now leads the division with an impressive 239 points. The Selle Français studbook sits close behind with 224 points. Rounding out the top three after day one is the Anglo European Studbook with 214 points in the Nine-Year-Old Stallions division.

Eight-Year-Old 1.40m

The opening competition for eight-year-olds for the WBFSH Studbooks Jumping Global Champions Trophy counted 47 horses representing 10 different studbooks. It was won by Irish combination Jack Ryan and DSH Lucky Junior on this first day at Longines Tops International Arena. The descendant of BBS McGregor, registered with the Irish Sport Horse, was the very fastest in the second phase of his round, stopping the clock at 26.8 seconds. The elegant grey was bred and is owned by Seamus Drea. A representative of Springpferdezuchtverband Oldenburg-International e.V. (OS) finished in second place – Chucky PS ridden by German Marcel Schneider. Chucky is a son of Chacoon Blue out of a Cornet Obolensky dam. The gelding was bred at Paul Schockemöhle’s Gestüt Lewitz and rider Scheider himself is now the owner. Third place went to a KWPN breeding product, Lalique, ridden by Olympic bronze medallist Maikel van der Vleuten. The bay mare sired by Berlin is owned by Gabriela Roger Ibars.

All placings in this first competition for eight-year-olds were added up, putting Oldenburg-International (OS) in the lead with a total of 239 points. The Irish Sport Horse Studbook is currently in second place with 228 points followed by the KWPN with 224 points.

Five-Year-Old 1.20m

The five-year-olds rode a class with obstacles up to 1.20m and they did not have to ride against time; a clear round was enough for first place. Thirty-three out of 57 combinations managed to do so and they all finished in first place. In the standings, six studbooks, Oldenburg-International (OS), Irish Sport Horse Studbook, KWPN, Selle Français, Anglo European Studbook and the Danish Warmblood now share first place with 270 points each.

Six-Year-Old 1.30m

The class for six-year-olds, a two-phase competition, was also won by an ISH-registered horse. Maximum Numero Too HSH was ridden to victory by Irishman Sven Joseph Hadley in 24.22 seconds. The gelding is a descendant of Aganix du Seigneur out of a mare by Numero Uno. the breeder is Eamon McArdle and the owner is Hadley Sport Horses Ltd. The Selle Français mare Illiz de Plabenn came second with French rider Gwenole Le Guen. Illiz de Plabenn’s sire is the stallion Rock’n Roll Semilly and her dam is a descendant of Robin II Z. The Selle Français studbook also took third place with Irreelle de Talma. The bay mare is a breeding product of the stallion By Ceira d’Ick out of a Quaprice Bois Margot mare.

In the standings, the Selle Français studbook leads with 243 points thanks to Illiz de Plabenn, Irreelle de Talma, Iliade de Beaufour, Indy de Talma, Isfandiyar Semilly and Isis de B’Neville. The Irish Sport Horse studbook is in second place with 239 points followed by the KWPN with 221 points.

Results here.

Livestream here.

~ with files from Global Champions