Three days of show jumping offered plenty of opportunities to shine for Blue Atlantic Horses at the world-class Longines Tops International Arena Summer Festival 2 in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands.
Steyburn, Crispo, Casey 33, and Victoria rode away with a number of top placings during their second week at the venue’s July circuit under Qatari rider Faleh Suwead Al Ajami. The highlight of the week: Victoria’s impressive podium finish in the premier class of the week, Sunday’s 1.45m CSI2* Grand Prix.
After a handful of consistently strong finishes in 1.35m classes during Summer Festival 1 at Longines Tops International Arena, Steyburn proved she was just getting started during Summer Festival 2. The 2008 Swedish Warmblood mare earned yet another impressive result during the CSI1* 1.35m two-phase on Friday, July 14. Stopping the clock at 30.07 seconds with zero faults on the scoreboard, Al Ajami and Steyburn finished fourth in a sizeable field of more than 60 international combinations. The pair has an impressive 82% top ten finish average over 11 rounds at the height in 2023, according to Jumpr App stats.
Saturday, July 15 saw a clear round for Casey 33, the 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Carrico, in the CSI1* 1.35m. With a time of 71.85 seconds, Casey and Al Ajami earned 13th place in a field of 57 horses. Partnered together since spring of this year, the pair previously jumped a series of clear rounds in June at the CSI1* Kronenberg, also in the Netherlands, and has a 62% clear round average across all heights to date (Jumpr App).
It was nothing but clear rounds all week for Al Ajami and Cripso, by Contendro I. The 14-year- old Holstein gelding jumped double clear in Friday’s CSI2* 1.35m Two Phase to finish 10th. Come Sunday, it was rinse and repeat in the CSI2* 1.40m. More than 50 competitors took to the field for the jump-off class, with 15 jumping clear to qualify for the shortened course. There, Crispo and Al Ajami they put the pedal down to stop the clock clear in 43.9 seconds, good enough for 10th place.
Blue Atlantic’s most exciting result of Summer Festival 2 was undoubtedly Victoria’s second place finish in the feature class of the week at Longines Tops International Arena: the CSI2* Grand Prix. There, the Westphalian mare by Vleut made easy work of a challenging 1.45m track. Dashing through the jump-off timers fault-free in 43.44 seconds, the pair finished just behind
Belgian rider Catherine van Roosbroeck and Miles on 41.5s. Irish rider Jack Ryan and Catch-Me van Berkenbroeck’s time of 45.63s was good enough for third. Victoria and Al Ajami were also clear in a competitive CSI2* 1.40m two-phase class on July 7 during Summer Festival 1. The pair has a 57% clear round average across all heights (Jumpr App)
