Victory is No Fluke for Verboomen and Zonik Plus, Winners of 2024 CDI-W Mechelen Grand Prix

- Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)  

-- Photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS!

Victory for Belgian shooting stars Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus proved to be no fluke as they claimed highest honour in the Grand Prix at the World Cup qualifier in Mechelen (BEL) on Saturday 28 December 2024.  

Verboomen and his 8-year old Portuguese bred Hanoverian Zonik Plus (by Zonik x Hohenstein) rode their second international at big tour level this month and were the ones to watch in Mechelen.

No Fluke

At the start of December they arrived in Kronenberg as totally unknown pair which resulted in the judges being conservative with their Grand Prix score (71.739%). They corrected it to what they truly saw in the Special, for which the duo posted 74.042%. This score was only a fraction less than the Belgian GPS record score of 74.149%, ridding in the summer by Flore De Winne at the 2024 Olympics.

Verboomen's excellent results at the CDI Kronenberg Indoor prompted Belgian selectors to invite him to the Christmas show in Mechelen.  The draw for the Grand Prix for World Cup qualifiers is unfortunately based on an unfair reverse order of the FEI World Ranking (scientifically proven to create an unlevel field of play as scores go up towards the end of the class). This meant that for a second time in a row, Verboomen was first to go. They produced a very convincing round and showed the world they are no flash in the pan.

Rise to the Challenge

The indoor arena in the Nekkerhallen exhibition center in Mechelen is a real challenge for some horses. It is narrow, busy and noisy. The electric atmosphere proved to be a hurdle for several horses in the class of 15 and tongue issues arose with several top combinations which pushed their score down a bit and opened the door for the Belgian duo to win on home turf.

As first to go, Justin Verboomen also had a slightly more tense horse in his hands, but he kept a very quiet, light contact. The trot work is light footed, but at times too floaty, passages to be a true natural collected trot and there was a lack of bending in the corners, particularly on the right lead. Still the pair rode smooth half passes, good extensions and the passage has much airtime and the transitions in and out of the piaffe are effortless. In the extended walk there were two hooves overtrack but the horse needed to relax a bit more. The second piaffe-passage showed great activity and willingness, but in piaffe the hocks were a bit up instead of under, but it still looked easy-going. The two's were straight,  the zig zig neatly ridden. In the ones the horse needs to stay a bit straighter in the body. The pirouettes were small with the left one being the better one. The final centreline was featherlight and fluent. The horse tends to halt with the hindlegs a bit out and the final halt was not truly immobile. All small details that can be worked on and if they improve the 75% marker will be cracked easily. 

For now judges Susanne Baarup, Olivier Smeets, Isobel Wessels, Carlos Lopes, and Jacques van Daele rewarded the pair with 74.348%, a high score at the start of the class which was not beaten by the other 14 combinations. The low score was 72.826%, the high score was 75.870%. 

Verboomen trains with Belgian based German Claudia Kircheiss.

8 Years of Age

Zonik Plus is only 8 years old. In the sport right now many like to see the age limit for Grand Prix lifted to 9 (so as of 1 January in the year the horse turn 9).

Justin premiered Zonik at Grand Prix at the far end of the year that Zonik was 8, while other big international riders ride a full Grand Prix test as soon as February when their horse is literally still 7 (turning 8 in the spring). Examples of early Grand Prix starters are Jovian, Queenparks Wendy, Hexagons Ich Weiss, Hexagons Luxurious, and Maxima Bella. They were all competing at GP level at the start of the year before they turned 8.

Denmark recently lifted the age limit to 9 and is giving a clear sign to the FEI that this might be the future of the sport. This age rule is meant to temper the impatience of horse trainers, riders and dealers to quickly produce young horses to Grand Prix level at the cost of the horse's growth and health.

Belgian Record Score

Justin's 74.348% Grand Prix result in Mechelen turned out to be a new Belgian record Grand Prix score.

To this date and to our information, the previous record was 74.100% achieved by Fanny Verliefden on Annarico almost ten years ago, at the 2016 CDI-W 's Hertogenbosch. Unfortunately Den Bosch proved to be the mare's last as she injured herself and disappeared from the show scene. Larissa Pauluis and Flambeau's highest Grand Prix score is 73.913, Flynn's is 73.196%

Speaking of Flambeau, he finished second in the Mechelen Grand Prix with 73.783%. Olympian Larissa Pauluis and the Lepage family's 14-year old KWPN gelding (by Ampere x Zeoliet) really seem to have found their stride and confidence in each other's abilities. The pair is now fully coached by Eddy Swennen, before they also got training from Norbert van Laak.

The pair rode very good trot extensions with plenty of elasticity, although in the second one the horse was slightly on three tracks (hind to the right). The first passage needed the hindlegs come under the body a bit more, but in piaffe Flambeau can really sit from behind. If only the rhythm gets a bit more consolidated than the scores will soar. The extended walk was okay, there was a small hesitation in the second piaffe. The two tempi changes were a highlight as well as the powerful, uphill extended canter. The zig zag was very nice, easy going, the ones were big although he swung to the right and the pirouettes were well executed. The third extension was wonderful, just like the final centreline.

Schneider Third

Since the retirement of her top horse Showtime as well as Faustus, German Olympian Dorothee Schneider has no longer been a frequent face on the scene. Her rising Grand Prix star First Romance needed a long break due to injury, so it has been Dayman, a Chinese owner 12-year old Westfalian by Daily Deal x Flovino, which took her back across borders this year, having competed hum in Lierp, Mannheim, Wiesbaden, Samorin, Donaueschingen, Lyon and Salzburg

In Mechelen the bay stallion struggled with contact issues and had the tongue out in several movements on the left side, despite Schneider's soft and consistent contact. The bay was rather stiff in the half passes, the extended trot was okay, and the canter at times became four-beat. The highlight was probably the very engaged and properly collected passage. Also in piaffe the horse has the correct sit although he crept a bit forward.  The extended walk was a highlight with a very clear V-moment in the rhythm. The rider had to give visible aids in the two tempi's that were not so straight, the zig zag was well executed, the pirouettes were a bit flat. Overall the test was soft footed and carefully ridden, but Dayman was fidgety in the mouth throughout. 

They posted 72.870% for third place. Four judges had them at 72%, one judge at 74.022%

Deja Vu for Hermes

A week after competing Hartsuijker in London, Dutch number one Dinja van Liere took her top horse Hermes to Mechelen.

Two years ago the pair competed in Mechelen for the first time and the now 12-year old stallion (by Easy Game x Flemmingh) did not like the arena nor the decorations and gave her a very difficult ride. Yesterday it was no different. He already refused and spun round while travelling the arena and even during the test there were heaps of tension, big eyes looking at everything, and the tongue coming out, especially flopping out on the final centreline. Howeverever it must be said that Van Liere did a tremendous job piloting this stallion who gave her a difficult time. Throughout the test she gave him the rein to let him stretch the neck and to make him feel comfortable. 

In the trot half passes to the left he gaped but covered much ground. The passage was fabulous, always under, truly collected and the piaffes were very smooth, on the spot and with sit, but one noticed they were executed in tension. The horse kept looking in the extended walk but still achieved good overtrack. The two's were tense but no mistakes were made even though he gets croup high particularly in the changes to the right. There was a big mistake in the zig zag in which he tilted and changed early. The ones were straight, the right pirouette was tense, the left one better. On the final centreline there was a very good rhythm, but the tongue came far out after X.

Today the pair scored still a 72.348% for fourth place. The low score was 70.978%, the high score was still miraculously 74.130% and one other judge even saw 73.587% in that tense test. 

In 2022 Dinja fully recovered in the freestyle to win the 2022 World Cup qualifier and it will be interesting to see if she can repeat that feat in Mechelen again and settle the horse in that atmosphere. 

Photos © Astrid Appels  - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED (NO SCREEN SHOTS!)

Eurodressage photographed all dressage riders competing at the 2024 CDI-W Mechelen. If you are want to use our photos for social media or prints, email us first.