The end of January, Martin Fuchs and the Verdi-son Chaplin were the winners of the CSI5* Zürich Grand Prix. This weekend they showed that that was no coincidence and won the Mexico City Global Champions Tour Grand Prix.

The Swiss rider bought Chaplin (Verdi out of Jaltha B elite sport-spr prest by Concorde, breeder G. Knoop from Slootdorp) last year from Leon Thijssen. Ridden by Jelmer Hoekstra he had already booked some striking results. Fuchs bought him without trying him out, so much trust he had in the qualities of the Verdi-son. Last night he showed again that Chaplin is capable of great things. In their first outdoor 5* Grand Prix, he was invincible. “Chaplin gave his all and I am very happy with this win. He is very quick by nature, so I decided to go for it and take risks in the jump-off, also because the competition was pretty strong!”, the 25-year-old rider said. He received 175.000 euro with this win and takes a strong lead in the new rankings of the Longines Global Champions Tour.

Dutch influences

Niels Bruynseels was a very good second with the Malito de Rêve-daughter Gancia de Muze. Her dam is the KWPN-mare Barones keur sport-spr by Nimmerdor. Out of her full-sister comes the international jumper and breeding sire Lancelot (s.Voltaire). Six out of the 25 competitors reached the jump-off, of which four stayed double clear. Maikel van der Vleuten managed to set a top-result by getting in third with the Indoctro-daughter VDL Groep Arera C sport-spr (out of Vera C ster by Voltaire, breeder J.J.A.C. Coppelmans from Nuenen), who jumped really good. "I am very happy with my third place. Arera C has again done really well. She maybe doesn’t have the technique one would wish for, but I ride her since she was a six-year-old and she tries everything within her possibilities to stay away from the poles”, Van der Vleuten responded. He won 48.000 euro with this round. The KWPN Taloubet Z (Galoubet A out of Krista elite sport-spr pref prest by Polydor, bred by Cees Klaver from Schoorl) ridden by Christian Ahlmann had one pole down and finished in ninth, three spots higher than Carlos Enrique Lopez with the Upgrade-daughter Cuplandra sport-spr (out of Tokelandra ster by Metall, breeder Helena Hoeve from Den Ham).

Verdi

Verdi’s influence was striking in Mexico. Not only won his son Chaplin the GCT Grand Prix, a day earlier they also got second in the Grand Prix of Mexico City. In that same class, sixth place went to Jack Towel with New York (stb.name Bon Ami-O, Verdi out of  Windspiel s.Watzmann, bred by P.A.J. Olthof from Langeveen).