Lanaken, Belgium – September 24, 2023 – Exactly 4 years after becoming world champion for 6-year-olds with the mare Chao Lee, the German top lady rider Katrin Eckermann (GER) has added another world title to her list of achievements this afternoon! During the big final for the 6-year-old horses, Eckermann jumped to the victory after a particularly exciting jump-off with the Westphalian gelding Cascajall, with whom she had also won the first qualifier on Thursday!

A total of 40 combinations had managed to qualify for this ultimate final for 6-year-old horses earlier this week. Of those 40 combinations, 10 once again managed to perform flawlessly in the basic round and so secured a place in the jump-off. One of them was lady rider Katrin Eckermann with her Westphalian gelding Cascajall, a son of Casallco and Comme Il Faut who was bred in Germany by Alfons Baumann and who comes from the same damline as the stallion Polydox. Eckermann and Cascajall entered the ring again as the penultimate combination and outclassed the competition with a convincing finishing time of 34.06 seconds.

Katrin Eckermann: “Both Cascajall and Viva Vly (the other horse that Eckermann rode in the final) came to my stable in June. Before that, it was my father who did all the preparatory work. After that it all went quickly, but both horses have a lot of quality. Due to the busy schedule of international shows, I only had a few days to prepare for this world championship last week. I would therefore also like to expressly thank my entire team at home.”

With their performance, Eckermann and Cascajall moved the Irish lady rider Leah Stack (IRL) and here Irish-bred mare Laurina to 2nd place in the rankings. Laurina was bred by Noel Cawley and is a daughter of Stakkato Gold out of the mare Rincarina (Cruising), who jumped at 1.55m level under the saddle of Greg Patrick Broderick. Stack and Laurina had taken the lead as the 6th combination at the start with a clear round in 35.75 seconds, but had to settle for silver after the round of Eckermann and Cascajall’s.

The bronze medal among the 6-year-old horses went to the Dutch rider Jelmer Hoekstra (NED) and the Zangersheide gelding Maddox vh Haringvliet Z, a son of Monte Bellini and Ogano Sitte who was bred by the family of Jerlmer Hoekstra. Hoekstra and Maddox vh Haringvliet Z also managed to keep it clear in the jump-off and crossed the finish line in 35.79 seconds.

The other places in the top 5 of the rankings were taken by the German rider Alexander Uekermann with the KWP gelding IB Easy (Emerald van ‘t Ruytershof x Dallas – B: E. Kuijer) and by the Irish lady rider Niamh McEvoy with the Irish mare BP Tiny Dancer (Plot Blue x Concorde – B: GBBS Int LTD).

Full Results – FEI/WBFSH World Breeding Jumping Championship final for Horses of 6 Years of Age Final

1) Katrin Eckermann (GER) & Cascajall – 0 / 0 – 34.06

2) Leah Stack (IRL) & Laurina – 0 / 0 – 35.75

3) Jelmer Hoekstra (NED) & Maddox vh Haringliiet Z – 0 / 0 – 35.79

Source: Press Release from Zangersheide

Photos: © Zangersheide / Sportfot

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