Second victory for Pagani of the Paddocks in Stal Hendrix competition

19 June 2024

In the final selection round of the Stal Hendrix competition, held today in Merselo, it was once again a KWPN approved stallion that made the best impression. Following three wins by Pinacolada van Seldsum, the Catoki son Pagani of the Paddocks took the lead for the second time during this competition. Pieter Keunen jumped to the victory in the five-year-olds category with the Verdi offspring Only Karla J, while Nadine Janssen secured the win in the six-year-olds category with Nikita (s.Grand Slam VDL).

The final of the Stal Hendrix competition will be held on Friday, the 28th of June, at Peelbergen Equestrian Centre. Today’s event in Merselo determined which 30 horses per age category are eligible to compete in the final.

Superb stallions
In the four-year-old category, two KWPN approved stallions topped the rankings. With a score of 8.5 for jumping and 9 for rideability, Pagani of the Paddocks (Catoki x Corofino I, breeder Anthony Mornie) achieved the highest total score under Pietro Lazzaro. The horses were judged by Mans Buurmans and Stan Creemers. “This stallion is very rideable and has a superb canter. He shows a lot of balance while jumping, jumps with a good use of his body, and does everything with remarkable ease. It seems he will only have to pay more effort when the fences get a bit higher,” explains Stan Creemers. The highest points for jumping (9) went to the KWPN approved stallion Portlaw Keizersberg (Aganix du Seigneur x Kreator xx, breeder/owner Jos van Deurzen) under Jinse Van der Haegen, who received a 7.5 for rideability. “This stallion also has a lot of quality and potential. He jumps with a lot of scope, a good use of the body and hind end technique. He was a bit green in the rideability today, which slightly affected the score, but he is definitely a horse with a bright future!” Jenny Johansson was placed on the podium for the second time in this competition with the Dominator Z mare Dido Z (ds.Carthago, breeder/owner Stoeterij Zangersheide). The light-footed and athletic mare scored an 8.5 and 7.8.

Strong positions
For the four-year-olds, the results from three selection rounds count towards the final, while for the five- and six-year-olds, it’s four rounds. Leading the four-year-olds is three-time winner Pinacolada van Seldsum (s.Dominator Z, breeders Minne and Esther Hovenga) under Joy Lammers. Pagani of the Paddocks is in second place, and Dido Z is third. In the five-year-olds, Piet Raijmakers Jr. leads with Offield van Schijndel (s.Diamant de Semilly, breeder Van Schijndel), with whom he finished on the podium for the fourth time today. After two third places and a win, the competitive duo took a second place in Merselo. The competition was won today by Pieter Keunen with the quick and careful Verdi daughter Only Karla J (ds.Nonstop, breeder J.H.M. Joxhorst). The same rider also achieved a good result with the Comthago VDL offspring Oakley (ds.Montreal VDL, breeder J. Kramer) by finishing third, securing a spot in the final. In the standings for the five-year-olds, Piet Raijmakers Jr. is in second place with Officer RS (s.Diarado), followed by Ivo Steeghs with Odette M (s.Berlin). Kristian Houwen had already secured the lead among the six-year-olds with N’Abalia SMH (s.Edinburgh, breeders Minne and Esther Hovenga), and that’s why they didn’t have to compete today.

Six-year-olds
Nadine Janssen won this final selection round in the six-year-olds category with the Grand Slam VDL daughter Nikita (ds.Boss, breeder/owner Maatschap Janssen-Rutten), ensuring their place in the final. Baer Hendrix closely followed with the Luigi d’Eclipse daughter Stella M (ds.Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve, breeder Stoeterij Molenhof). They were the runner-up in this class, followed by Anni Huovinen with Denver (Douglas x Indorado) on the third place. Heading into the final, Teddy van de Rijt is placed second in the standings with New Hope (s.Cornet Obolensky), having placed on the podium three times, and Emile Tacken is third with Upsala AG Z (s.Untouched). This sets the stage for an exciting showdown in the concluding event of the Stal Hendrix competition next Friday.

Photo Pagani of the Paddocks – Digishots