The international competitions in Snagov, Romania, once again yielded a string of strong results for horses from proven VDL bloodlines last weekend. VDL stallions made a significant mark across various classes, from young horses to Grand Prix level.
In the CSIYH1* Young Riders Grand Prix over 1.45m, victory went to Jupiter, a son of Quasimodo van de Molendreef. Ridden by Bulgarian rider Eliza Cholakova, the KWPN horse secured the win in 42.77 seconds after a clear jump-off. Jupiter was bred by H. Dijkstra from the Netherlands. The pair had previously also claimed victory in the 1.40m class.
In the five-year-old horses’ Youngster Tour, another VDL stallion topped the rankings. For Iris 2, a son of For Friendship, jumped to victory under Claudiu Floristeanu. The gelding, bred by Sportpferde H. Heckmann GmbH, remained clear and recorded a convincing time of 74.13 seconds.
VDL bloodlines were also strongly represented in the CSIYH1* Gold Tour Grand Prix over 1.45m. Light-Kohinoor, a daughter of Cohinoor, secured an impressive fourth place with Austrian rider Sally Carina Zwiener. The pair remained clear in the basic course. Earlier, the Cohinoor son, bred by M. Hijlkema & H. Dirksen, had also claimed victory on Friday in the 1.45m class.
In addition, Kilimanjaro, a son of Zapatero, finished sixth with Luca Ruxandariu. The Zapatero son was bred by Vervoorn-Knaap. Meanwhile, ATC’s Bilbao G by Bubalu, ridden by Damian Cojocariu, finished seventh. Karl Griese is the breeder of the Bubalu son.
In the Juniors class, victory went to Maerle, a son of Glasgow vh Merelsnest, ridden by Luca Alexandru Popa. L.A.M. Droste is the breeder of Maerle.
With victories and podium places in a wide range of classes, the VDL stallions have once again confirmed their international calibre, both among young talents and at Grand Prix level.
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