At Jumping Mechelen, Christian Ahlmann and Ansingh de Lis Z (Aganix du Seigneur) clinched victory in the six-year-old stallion competition, impressing with a faultless and speedy round. The seven-year-old stallion jump-off was intense, with Wim Vinckx and Constantino van 't Ravennest (Cornet Obolensky) securing a thrilling last-minute win. Afterwards, the ground in Mechelen shook after Thibault Philippaerts and Obama de La Liniere's jump-off! The former 'Talent of the Year' spectacularly won the CSI5*-W Open Sires of the World Zangersheide competition, leaving the competition in the dust.
An challenging 1.45m base course separated the wheat from the chaff in the Sires of the World competition in Mechelen. Daniel Deusser had both Otello de Guldenboom and his father, Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z (Otangelo), in this competition. With the nine-year-old offspring of the chestnut gelding, he was the first to start in the jump-off. The German had no intention of leaving anything to chance and guided Otello de Guldenboom to a flawless jump-off in a time of 37.08s. Thibault Philippaerts entered second on Obama de La Liniere (Marius Claudius). The nine-year-old BWP stallion was piloted by Philippaerts to the finish in a whopping 3.21s less than Deusser's time! The target time to beat: 33.87s.
"I've always dreamed of this," said Philippaerts after his victory. "In the jump-off, I was lucky that everything turned out well, and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. To win such a big competition in front of the fantastic Mechelen audience is a dream come true!"
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Matthew Sampson, who performed well last week in the World Cup competition in London, sought the spotlight again in Mechelen. Riding Daniel, a fifteen-year-old KWPN by Heartbreaker, they kept the audience on the edge of their seats! However, the duo couldn't match Philippaerts' speed and settled for a provisional second place with a time of 35.27s.
Jens Vandenberk and Faldiano, an eighteen-year-old Heartbreaker son, also tried their luck in the jump-off. In the final line, the duo went all out, but it was not meant to be - a time of 34.74s placed them in second, Sampson dropped to third. Could Christian Ahlmann repeat his earlier victory with Dourkhan Hero Z (Don't Touch Tiji Hero Z)? The German had the youngest stallion under saddle at eight years old. A precise round left them flawlessly crossing the finish line.
Lastly, two local riders, potentially fan favorites, took to the arena. Thibeau Spits focused on Foncetti v. Heffinck (For Pleasure). The duo aimed for a faultless ride, but the pole of the last style jump decided otherwise. Gilles Thomas, as the last competitor, could shake up the final standings. The Belgian Champion, along with his 'Horse of the Year,' Ermitage Kalone, could still clinch the victory. A too sharp turn led them to a fault, securing the win for Philippaerts.
Christian Ahlmann aboard of Ansingh de Lis Z and Wim Vinckx with Constantino van 't Ravennest on top in young stallion competition
In the six-year-old category, Ahlmann set an early faultless pace on Dacantos' Boy Z, but it was Robin van Thillo and Leonardo Van De Kapel (Mithras de Regor) who briefly took the lead with a faster time. However, Ahlmann, riding Ansingh de Lis Z (Aganix du Seigneur), outperformed them all with a spectacular round, claiming the top spot with a time of 33.53 seconds.
The seven-year-old stallion jump-off featured a fierce competition. Karel Cox set the initial pace on Double Fun Marienshof Z (Sea Coast Don't Touch Tiji Hero Z), but Thibeau Spits came close to victory until an unfortunate fault aboard of Conrad Quality Z (Connor). Wim Vinckx, the last to go, seized the opportunity with Constantino van 't Ravennest, securing the win with a time of 39.58 seconds.