By Jo de Roo
Photography: © Jo de Roo
“Welcome to Showjumping Mechelen, Memorial Eric Wauters, the most important event on the annual calendar of our Nekkerhal. Top athletes, talented breeders and the most promising riders come together here for a world-class event,” said Bart Somers, mayor of Mechelen.
During showjumping Mechelen, an entire day is dedicated to the relationship between sport and breeding, including the final of free jumping for two-year-old horses, showjumping classes for six- and seven-year-old stallions, and the famous Open Sires of the World Prix Léon Melchior showjumping class.
Camille du Maillet Z’s brilliance
A total of 37 two-year-olds were selected for the free jumping final in Mechelen, with their qualities being assessed by Vincent Lambrecht and Carlos Pinto. Camille du Maillet, registered by Studbook Zangersheide, a daughter of Chacco-Blue out of Berline du Maillet Z, achieved a monster score of 91/100, marginally ahead of the Studbook Zangersheide registered Aperol Jl Z.
Showjumping international Jos Lansink bred Aperol by crossing Aganix du Seigneur with Naëlle Z, a full sister to a series of international successful showjumpers, including the Olympic Glock’s London/ex Carembar de Muze, individual and team silver at the 2012 London Olympic Games; Wabelle de Muze; Dabelle; and Casimir de la Pomme. Their dam is the former Grand Prix dam Ta Belle van Sombeke, who achieved many highlights in partnership with Jos Lansink. Aperol Jl Z received 90.5/100 from the jury, resultin in second place in the final ranking.
Emma de Zélande Z (Emerald van’t Ruytershof - R&B de Regor x Cornet Obolensky/ex Windows van het Costersveld), bred by Christiaan van de Plasse, ranked a close third with 90/100. Emma’s granddam is the famous Centa de Muze (BWP dam line 34). Through her daughter Ohaj de Regor – who performs at 1m50 level – Centa is also the granddam of Weiss Gold de Regor (Emerald van’t Ruytershof), number four in the final ranking. Weiss Gold was bred by family Veldeman.
We interviewed Laurent Thirion and his wife, who are the breeders and owners of Camille du Maillet Z. “Berline du Maillet Z brought us a lot of joy in 2024. Her daughter Belletière du Maillet became champion at the Belgian championship for four-year-old showjumpers in Gesves and a few months later Camille du Maillet Z, also a daughter of Berline, won the free jumping contest for two-year-olds in Mechelen. So, 2024 has become the year of Berline”, says Delphine Mambour, who runs Elevage du Maillet together with her husband Laurent Thirion... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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