WELLINGTON, Fla.--Irish Olympian Shane Sweetnam on Coriaan van Klapscheut Z had his second international victory on the gelding, winning the $116,100, CSI4* WEF Challenge Cup Round 10 on Thursday, March 12.
Shane Sweetnam on Corlaan van Klapscheut (Photo by Sportfot)Nine made the jump-off from a 49 horse field, and Sweetnam, going sixth of the nine, finished clean in 34.53 seconds to win.
German Olympic champion Christian Kukuk on Viki Van Gogh, clean in 35.15 seconds, was second, and Canada’s Mario Deslauriers on Inside of My Heart, was third, also clean but three seconds slower in 38.12.
“He’s a quick horse, Christian probably did fewer numbers in that line, but Coriaan was faster over the ground,” said Sweetnam, who has ridden the gelding since the middle of 2024. “We started with a nice rhythm and had a good turn to the double. Then I did the leave-out, though; the last jump was a bit of a flyer. Once he zoned in on it, I knew we’d be okay.”
“He got some really good results last year as well, but he was still learning," said Sweetnam. "This year, I found that he’s a lot more mature.”
“Where he learns is in the ring," said Sweetnam. "He’s got a very good ring IQ, so anytime he goes in, he understands when he’s jumped clear. The more rounds I do, the better he gets.”
Sweetnam will ride Coriaan van Klapscheut Z in the $215,000, CSI4* Grand Prix during Saturday Night Lights on March 15 before focusing on summer competition.
