Zangersheide Studbook Claims 7 Year Old Title at FEI World Breeding Jumping Championships for Young Horses

Thierry Goffinet (BEL) and Think Twice lll Z (Photo: Dirk Caremans)

The 2016 edition of the FEI World Breeding Jumping Championships for Young Horses staged at the Zangersheide Stud in Belgium more than lived up to expectations, with massive entries of high-quality horses and edge-of-the-seat excitement in the competitions in all three categories. Rounding up a great weekend of sport, it was the Zangersheide Studbook’s Think Twice lll Z that claimed the 7-year-old honours with Belgium’s Thierry Goffinet in the saddle.

In the 7-Year-Old division there were 63 clear rounds from 189 starters in the first qualifier but just 42 in the second competition in which five horses were eliminated and 10 were retired. In today’s finale just five made it through to the jump-off and the three medallists all went double -clear - Belgium’s Thierry Goffinet claiming the gold with the mare Think Twice lll Z which is by the stallion Toulon out of the mother of Portuguese rider Luciana Diniz’s wonderful horse Winningmood.

“Think Twice is a super horse, we won the Belgian Championships in Lummen this year and finished in the Criterium for 7-Year-Olds so this is a very consistent jumping horse. She can be fast, we knew that, but I didn’t go crazy in the jump-off. I only pushed to the last fence and that was enough to take the win!” Goffinet explained.

Silver went to another mare, the BWP grey Jeleena de Muze (Tornedo FCS/Chin Chin) ridden by Stephex Stables’ star rider Lorenzo de Luca. “I’m only riding this horse since the Knokke show in July and we were first to go. We have not competed in many shows together so I didn’t know the horse so well” said the Italian rider who was still well-pleased with his result.

Bronze went to the bay KWPN gelding Everest (Carambole/Indoctro) with Dutchman Luc Steeghs in the saddle. “The horse is owned by a Lebanese family and I am training him for the children to ride. He was bought as a 4-year-old at the Hendrix auction” the rider explained. Talking about the courses taken on by horses and riders all week, Steeghs continued, “medals could have been won by a lot of different horses here - little mistakes, one day going clear and the next day having one down could make all the difference, but the standard has to be high because this, after all, is a World Championship for young horses so it has to be testing!”

Results
GOLD - Think Twice lll Z (Thierry Goffinet) BEL 0/0 40.06
SILVER - Jeleena de Muze (Lorenzo de Luca) ITA 0/0 40.73
BRONZE - Everest (Luc Steeghs) NED 0/0 42.12.

Full results here