By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
CROZET, France, Aug. 31, 2025–Justin Verboomen on the nine-year-old Zonik Plus won European Championships Freestyle on a personal best score Sunday adding to the history the partnership created in becoming the first from Belgium to capture individual gold two days earlier.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark and Mount St. John Freestyle took silver with Germany’s Isabell Werth on Wendy de Fontaine the bronze in one of the most exciting in the 60 years of the Europeans.
Justin who found the Hanoverian stallion at age of 2 1/2 scored 89.964% for the victory in the Freestyle that was staged in a brilliant sunny day at the magnificent Jiva Hill Stables in the region where the snow-covered peak of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe, was visible.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour on Mount St. John Freestyle, the mare she took over from Charlotte Dujardin and won silver at last year’s Paris Olympics, took Freestyle silver Sunday on 89.821%, just 0.143% behind the leader.
Isabell Werth, the most successful equestrian in history and the winner of a couple of dozen European medals, rode her Olympic team gold medal mount Wendy de Fontaine to a score of 88.046% to earn bronze.
Justin has often been overcome by emotion at the success he has had on Zonik since beginning Big Tour nine months ago and his first ever senior championship.
“I really can’t believe it, and honestly, I wasn’t expecting this gold medal at all today,” he said, “especially after the mistake we made in the laterals. I’m very happy tonight! I asked my producer to create a rather calm, slightly dark musical theme to showcase Zonik Plus, and I think it worked really well.”
Cathrine and the 16-year-old mare aptly named Freestyle placed first in the Paris Olympics Grand Prix Special that led her Danish team to silver.
The only international performance for the duo before this week’s championship was in February to add to their list of six straight victories since Paris.
Cathrine said: “I was really happy with my freestyle. I made a small mistake at the end of the first flying changes in two-time, but I managed to redo them, so I didn’t completely fail. I actually didn’t watch Justin’s freestyle because I was too nervous.
“Of course, I’m a little disappointed today compared to yesterday, as it was very tight, even among the judges. But that’s how it goes.
“I’m really proud to see a new ‘small nation’ emerging here. I know Justin showed incredible riding. And I’m almost certain we’ll have some great duels in the future.”
For Isabell and the 11-year-old Danish mare Wendy that led Germany to team gold at the Paris Games, the third placed musical performance came after notching team gold here as well as individual bronze.
After team gold and bronze in the Special, Isabell said, “today, she (Wendy) was really fantastic. There were a few small mistakes in the canter work, but honestly, we all made mistakes. So it was a very tight duel, a very competitive event. In the end, I think any of us could have been third, second, or first—it didn’t matter. It was an exciting competition for all of us, and for the spectators too, and we are really happy to be here.”
She added, “We look forward to the next championship (the World Championships in Aachen, Germany next year). It will be really exciting, and I hope Justin will feel our breath on his neck—as well as the judges. So we can’t wait.”
Results:
European Championships Grand Prix Freestyle
| Rk. | Num | Rider / Horse | K | E | H | C | M | B | F | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 708  | Justin VERBOOMEN Justin VERBOOMEN ZONIK PLUS HANN/Stallion/Black/2016/by ZONIK N.O.P. x HEIDEBLUME by HOHENSTEIN 4 | 88.925 (2.) | 92.750 (1.) | 89.025 (2.) | 90.575 (1.) | 90.125 (2.) | 87.700 (3.) | 90.650 (2.) | €15,000 | |
| 2. | 713  | Cathrine LAUDRUP-DUFOUR LAUDRUP-DUFOUR & ZINGLERSEN ApS, Mount St John Equestrian LLP MOUNT ST JOHN FREESTYLE HANN/Mare/Bay/2009/by FIDERMARK x DONNA GRACIA by DONNERHALL 11 | 89.025 (1.) | 89.125 (2.) | 90.475 (1.) | 89.950 (2.) | 90.150 (1.) | 88.500 (1.) | 91.525 (1.) | €11,000 | |
| 3. | 734  | Isabell WERTH CHATEAU DE FONTAINE, Madeleine WINTER-SCHULZE WENDY DE FONTAINE DWB/Mare/Black/2014/by SEZUAN 2 x SKOVENS VANILLA by BLUE HORS SOPRANO | 87.050 (3.) | 86.675 (4.) | 86.800 (3.) | 88.750 (3.) | 90.100 (3.) | 87.875 (2.) | 89.075 (4.) | €8,000 | |
| 4. | 730  | Becky MOODY Becky MOODY, Jo COOPER JAGERBOMB KWPN/Gelding/Bay/2014/by DANTE WELTINO OLD x UDYSEE by JAZZ | 85.525 (4.) | 88.975 (3.) | 84.100 (4.) | 86.575 (4.) | 87.275 (4.) | 85.950 (4.) | 90.475 (3.) | €4,500 | |
| 5. | 733 | Frederic WANDRES Hof Kasselmann BLUETOOTH OLD OLDBG/Gelding/Other/2010/by BORDEAUX 28 x LORENA by GB RICCIONE | 82.200 (5.) | 80.275 (10.) | 80.900 (5.) | 80.325 (8.) | 84.025 (6.) | 80.550 (7.) | 84.125 (5.) | €3,000 | |
| 6. | 759  | Patrik KITTEL Sommarkvarn AB TOUCHDOWN SWB/Gelding/Bay/2012/by QUATERBACK x LA MOUR by SACK | 80.675 (8.) | 80.375 (9.) | 80.500 (7.) | 80.850 (7.) | 82.325 (7.) | 81.875 (5.) | 81.375 (7.) | €1,500 | |
| 7. | 729 | Carl HESTER Fiona BIGWOOD, Mette DAHL, Carl HESTER FAME KWPN/Stallion/Bay/2010/by BORDEAUX 28 x BONAVENTURA by RHODIUM | 81.300 (6.) | 80.800 (6.) | 79.200 (8.) | 82.025 (6.) | 80.975 (9.) | 79.300 (10.) | 83.600 (6.) | €1,000 | |
| 8. | 746  | Isabel FREESE Oivind BACHE, Lone BOEGH-HENRIKSEN, Paul SCHOCKEMÖHLE TOTAL HOPE OLD OLDBG/Stallion/Black/2012/by TOTILAS x WEIHEGOLD OLD by BLUE HORS DON SCHUFRO | 80.450 (9.) | 76.925 (12.) | 80.650 (6.) | 83.075 (5.) | 81.375 (8.) | 81.725 (6.) | 79.950 (12.) | €1,000 | |
| 9. | 762 | Maria VON ESSEN Alexanders Hovslageri & Häst AB INVOICE OLDBG/Gelding/Black/2012/by JAZZ x ROXANNE by OLYMPIC FERRO | 81.050 (7.) | 80.750 (7.) | 78.225 (10.) | 80.075 (9.) | 80.650 (10.) | 79.250 (11.) | 81.350 (8.) | ||
| 10. | 727 | Charlotte FRY Charlotte FRY, VAN OLST HORSES GLAMOURDALE KWPN/Stallion/Black/2011/by LORD LEATHERDALE x THUJA by NEGRO | 75.825 (15.) | 83.700 (5.) | 74.675 (16.) | 79.000 (11.) | 84.825 (5.) | 80.450 (8.) | 78.575 (15.) | ||
| 11. | 731 | Katharina HEMMER Nancy GOODING, Hubertus SCHMIDT DENOIX PCH OLDBG/Gelding/Chestnut/2012/by DESTANO x PRINCESS by PIK NOIR | 79.400 (11.) | 80.400 (8.) | 77.150 (13.) | 78.175 (12.) | 76.725 (16.) | 80.300 (9.) | 80.025 (11.) | ||
| 12. | 714 | Nadja Aaboe SLOTH Nadja Aaboe SLOTH FAVOUR GERSDORF DWB/Gelding/Black/2013/by FOUNDATION 2 x VIRKELYST BENIDA by LEANDRO | 79.475 (10.) | 76.675 (13.) | 77.425 (12.) | 75.075 (15.) | 79.525 (11.) | 77.850 (12.) | 78.775 (14.) | ||
| 13. | 743  | Dinja VAN LIERE Joop VAN UYTERT HERMES KWPN/Stallion/Bay/2012/by EASY GAME x BUKKIE by FLEMMINGH | 78.800 (12.) | 75.700 (15.) | 78.300 (9.) | 79.475 (10.) | 75.300 (17.) | 77.200 (13.) | 79.700 (13.) | ||
| 14. | 707 | Larissa PAULUIS Caroline LEPAGE, Emmanuel LEPAGE, Jean PAULUIS, Marie Christine PAULUIS FLAMBEAU KWPN/Gelding/Bay/2010/by AMPERE x LAKARLA by ZEOLIET | 76.500 (14.) | 77.250 (11.) | 78.125 (11.) | 78.150 (13.) | 77.175 (14.) | 76.250 (14.) | 80.925 (10.) | ||
| 15. | 750  | Sandra SYSOJEVA Sandra SYSOJEVA, Dominika KRASKO BIALEK, Piet LENSKENS MAXIMA BELLA OLDBG/Mare/Black/2016/by MILLENNIUM x CIAO BELLA HRH by CHRIST 3 | 77.100 (13.) | 76.150 (14.) | 76.425 (14.) | 76.575 (14.) | 78.175 (12.) | 75.300 (16.) | 81.075 (9.) | ||
| 16. | 752  | João Pedro MOREIRA Roberto Pedrosa HARAS DO DROSA, Joao MOREIRA DROSA FUERST KENNEDY OLD OLDBG/Stallion/Black/2015/by FUERSTEN-LOOK x FIODORA by DON KENNEDY | 75.225 (16.) | 73.625 (17.) | 75.650 (15.) | 72.625 (18.) | 77.300 (13.) | 75.725 (15.) | 78.500 (16.) | ||
| 17. | 761 | Tinne VILHELMSON SILFVÉN Lövsta Stuteri AB HYATT KWPN/Mare/Chestnut/2012/by APACHE x DORETTA FUGA by SANDREO | 74.550 (17.) | 73.000 (18.) | 73.700 (17.) | 74.375 (16.) | 76.975 (15.) | 74.350 (18.) | 75.975 (17.) | ||
| 18. | 741  | Nicolas WAGNER EHLINGER Soc.Hippique et d’Elevage S.A., Nicolas WAGNER EHLINGER QUATER BACK JUNIOR FRH HANN/Gelding/Chestnut/2009/by QUATERBACK x BONITA by BONHEUR | 71.575 (18.) | 74.275 (16.) | 73.200 (18.) | 74.125 (17.) | 72.875 (18.) | 75.025 (17.) | 75.800 (18.) |
