Bright futures revealed in Stal Hendrix competition

28 May 2025

The third leg of the Stal Hendrix competition, held today in Asten, marked the first victory and third podium finish for Rio de Janeiro GP, a son of Pegase van ’t Ruytershof, under Jenny Johansson. With this result, he now leads the provisional standings. Among the five-year-olds, Uricana Grace Z (s.Uricas van de Kattevennen) scored another convincing win with Britt Driessen, while Off the Road (s.Comme Il Faut) claimed her second victory among the six-year-olds, ridden by Nicole Caris.

The Stal Hendrix competition has long been a showcase for the best young showjumpers and once again attracts strong participation and interest this season. Today’s event in Asten was the third of five qualifying rounds. For the final, the best three results count for four-year-olds, and the best four results for five- and six-year-olds.

Great rideability
Under Jenny Johansson, Rio de Janeiro GP (Pegase van ‘t Ruytershof x Ukato, bred by Gerrit-Jan van de Pol) received the highest marks from judges Piet Raijmakers Sr. and Eric van der Vleuten: a 9 for jumping and an 8.2 for rideability. “We’ve seen a very good group of horses today. Most are already well-schooled. Some riders presented multiple horses with impressive quality. The winner, Rio de Janeiro GP, is an extremely talented jumper and was excellently presented by Jenny,” said Piet Raijmakers. Boy Peels claimed second place with Rosy May VP (Comthago VDL x I’m Special de Muze), a mare he bred and co-owns with Marcel Verhallen. With two scores of 8.5, she impressed the judges. “A beautifully built mare with a light-footed canter and strong jumping ability.” Kristian Houwen finished third with Rock Me ZsaZsa (Lambada Shake AG x Cornet Obolensky), a KWPN-approved stallion bred by Gerrit and Karin Huisman-Holst and owned by Jan van Meever, scoring 8.6 and 8.2. “This horse also shows great promise. While the peak of the jump is still slightly after the fence, his potential is undeniable.” Houwen had previously won the first two qualifiers with the KWPN-approved stallion Rising Aranix, who posted a slightly lower score today but still holds second place overall, behind Rio de Janeiro GP.

Back on top
Britt Driessen continued to impress with her talented five-year-olds, taking another win today with Uricana Grace Z (Uricas van de Kattevennen x Conan Z), bred by her father John Driessen. She also claimed second place with Duel Mood Z (s.Duel de HSP), another homebred horse. At the first competition in Koningsbosch, Britt had already dominated, placing second and third with the same horses. Today, the third place went to Piet Raijmakers Jr. with Popeye van de Paardebloem, an offspring of Couleur Latour. Britt Driessen now leads the five-year-old rankings with a solid margin. Among the six-year-olds, Off the Road (Comme Il Faut x Kannan), bred by Stal Peters and ridden by Nicole Caris, secured her second win of the series. She stayed ahead of two offspring of Diamant de Semilly: Offield van Schijndel (ds.Baloubet du Rouet), ridden by Piet Raijmakers Jr. and bred by Van Schijndel Promotion, and Davina (ds.Cornet Obolensky), ridden by Emile Tacken and bred by W. Lenssen. Off the Road had previously won in Kessel and now shares the top spot in the six-year-old standings with Davina. The next qualifier of the Stal Hendrix competition is scheduled for Saturday the 7th of June in Sevenum.

Photo: Elena de Keizer fotografie