Marriët Smit-Hoekstra continues her winning streak at Jumping Indoor Maastricht. For the second day in a row, she claimed victory in a four-star 1.40m class, this time in the Ashform Farm Prize. In the two-phase competition, she guided her nine-year-old stallion For Chacco TN to victory with visible confidence.
The Dutch rider delivered a perfectly executed round where everything came together. Gilles Thomas followed closely behind with his eight-year-old stallion Happy Landais, while Germany’s Lars Schröder took third place aboard Casalla Tendra PS. The top five was completed by two young talents: Shogun STS ridden by Denis Lynch, and Noa Cacharel V with Frank Schuttert in the saddle.
The Best
Afterwards, Smit-Hoekstra beamed with satisfaction: “This was really a great round. After yesterday, I adjusted my plan. I didn’t get into the rhythm very well in the big class, so I decided to start For Chacco TN in this one instead. That turned out perfectly,” she explained. “In the second phase, I could take every first distance and make tight turns. The line to the final fence flowed beautifully. For Chacco is very careful and at his best when he can really go for it. He completely understands the game. He truly earned this win — and he knows it. This is the attention he loves: being the best.”
With her second victory of the weekend, Smit-Hoekstra is already looking ahead to the next challenges: “It’s amazing to win, but I’m mainly here to gain experience in the higher-level classes. My dream is to perform well there too. I still have two more chances this weekend with my other horses — this afternoon in the 1.45m and 1.50m. Hopefully I can qualify for the Grand Prix.”
Photos by Digishots
