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The 2025 Longines Global Champions Tour season concluded beneath the glittering skyline of Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District with €10.5 million in combined prize money and a finale defined by hundredths of seconds. The Global Champions League title was decided by 0.27 seconds, while the weekend's undercard produced a 0.01-second thriller that exemplified the extreme level of competition.

The primary narrative was the heart-stopping conclusion to the Global Champions League. Valkenswaard United, holding a 6-point lead over defending champions Cannes Stars powered by Iron Dames, brought their most experienced squad: newly crowned 2025 LGCT Champion Gilles Thomas, Hans-Dieter Dreher, and John Whitaker. Cannes Stars countered with their German powerhouse trio of Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann, Sophie Hinners, and Katrin Eckermann.

Both teams delivered precision performances in the high-pressure final. With the teams tied at 4 faults each, the entire €8.5 million championship came down to the combined time of the final round's riders. Valkenswaard United's combined time was 0.27 seconds faster, securing their historic third GCL Championship title.

The battle for 4th place—the final fast-track ticket to the GCL Super Cup Semi-Final in Prague—produced its own drama. Riesenbeck International powered by Horse Gym made a daring gamble, traveling with only two riders: Christian Kukuk and Emanuele Camilli. The pair delivered a 3rd place finish in Riyadh, clinching 4th overall with 262 points. Their gain was the heartbreak of the Prague Lions powered by Czech Equestrian Team, who suffered a shock elimination after an unexpected stop from Fernando Martinez Sommer, finishing 5th overall on 261 points—missing the fast-track ticket by a single point.

GCL Riyadh Podium:

Full Results

GCL Final 2025 Championship Standings:

View full GCL standings

Saturday's €510,000 CSI5* 1.60m Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Riyadh served as the final opportunity for riders to win a "Golden Ticket" to the €1.25 million LGCT Super Grand Prix in Prague. Italian course designer Uliano Vezzani's challenging track produced a thrilling 11-horse jump-off for the packed stadium.

Denis Lynch (IRL) and the 16-year-old stallion Cordial set a tough benchmark at 43.66 seconds. 2025 LGCT Champion Gilles Thomas (BEL) and Ermitage Kalone followed in 43.99 seconds. However, Jana Wargers (GER) and Dorette OLD turned the class on its head as the final combination in the arena. Wargers took audacious risks in "one last line" where she "decided to go for it all the way," stopping the clock at 41.71 seconds—a 1.95-second winning margin that was a statement of dominance.

For Wargers, the victory was career-defining. "I have no words, my horse she was unbelievable today and I was so proud to win this Grand Prix," said a thrilled Wargers. The win secured her spot as one of only two women qualified for the 2025 LGCT Super Grand Prix alongside 19-year-old Anastasia Nielsen. She gave key insight into her veteran partner's management: "Even if she's 16 years old she's fresh like hell."

€510,000 LGCT Grand Prix of Riyadh Podium:

View full Grand Prix results

The Grand Prix results finalized the 2025 LGCT Championship podium. Gilles Thomas, having secured the title in Rome, finished with 287 points. Harrie Smolders' 5th place finish secured 2nd overall with 246 points, while Andreas Schou held 3rd with 221 points. Denis Lynch's spectacular 2nd place catapulted him to 4th overall with 219 points—just two points shy of the podium.

Friday's €110,000 CSI5* 1.50m Jump-Off Challenge produced perhaps the most magnetic moment of the competition. Scott Brash (GBR) and Hello Jefferson battled 2024 Olympic Champion Christian Kukuk (GER) on Chageorge in a heavyweight duel. Brash, knowing the Olympic champion would follow, said "I really had to put it all on the line." He stopped the clock at 41.50 seconds. Kukuk delivered a blistering round that was almost identical, finishing in 41.51 seconds. The 0.01-second victory for Brash showcased the pure brilliance on display at the KAFD venue.

€110,000 CSI5 1.50m KAFD Challenge Podium:

View full results

Notable was the 4th place finish of home rider Khaled Almobty (KSA), finishing just 1.3 seconds behind Brash and ahead of top German riders—a clear validation of the rising standard of equestrian sport in Saudi Arabia.

Brash dominated the Riyadh undercard, having also won the €60,000 Saudi Equestrian Prize CSI5* speed class on opening day with Hello Folie.

Running parallel to the 5* competition, the CSI2* division featured 82 riders from over 15 nations competing in six rounds. The CSI2* 1.20m Two-Phase Special saw a complete podium sweep for Saudi Arabia: Fahad Aljuaid (Fatina) taking 1st, Abdulaziz Aldayel (Pennie 3) in 2nd, and Nasser Albagami (Newyork Grandia Z) in 3rd. Combined with Almobty's 4th place in the 5* 1.50m class, this demonstrates a clear and successful talent pipeline being developed by the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation.

The course design team illustrated a deeper national strategy: knowledge transfer. Master designers Uliano Vezzani, Paolo Rossato, and Marco Latini worked alongside a large Saudi contingent including Ahmed Alghamdi, Samir Aljuaid, Oudah Alqahtany, and Khaled Nahdi—a mentorship model suggesting Saudi Arabia is embedding the expertise to create and manage elite sport independently.

The 31st edition of Longines Equita Lyon delivered an emotional and historic result: a complete French domination of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup podium. Local rider and Paris 2024 Olympic team bronze medallist Olivier Perreau fulfilled a career-long dream by guiding his 12-year-old homebred mare GL Events Dorai d'Aiguilly to victory, flanked by compatriots Julien Epaillard in second and 24-year-old rising star Antoine Ermann in third.

As the only event in the world to host four FEI World Cup legs (Jumping, Dressage, Driving, and Vaulting), the Lyon Eurexpo was transformed into a complete celebration of the horse, drawing the sport's elite.

World-renowned French course designer Grégory Bodo presented a strong fourteen-fence track with 17 jumping efforts, including eight fences at 1.60m or higher. The course's critical test was a mid-course combination that accounted for the majority of faults—falling 15 times. This combination caused faults in two opposing ways: horses either lacked the power to clear the back bar of the oxer at part C, or flattened over the earlier elements in their efforts to meet the final element with enough impulsion. The design rewarded only those riders who could maintain both balance and power.

Eight combinations produced clear rounds to advance to the jump-off, with four representing the host nation. The jump-off became a tactical duel between Perreau and his notoriously fast teammate Julien Epaillard, with Perreau's winning round besting Epaillard by a mere eight-hundredths of a second.

The 39-year-old Perreau was visibly emotional, calling it his "most beautiful victory" and a "dream" come true. "I am so happy to win here. The mare is from my own breeding. Breeding is our main profession so this is just incredible." Perreau's family are breeders by profession, and he has produced the mare himself since she was four years old, famously skipping the young horse finals "to keep her in good form for her peak career at ages 10 to 16."

Julien Epaillard (48), riding the 10-year-old Selle Français Fringan de Vesquerie in his first-ever World Cup, was "delighted" with second place. "He doesn't have much experience... the plan worked perfectly. He's showing great potential!"

Antoine Ermann had his career-defining moment on his homebred gelding Floyd des Pres. He called it "a childhood dream... to jump clear in the World Cup," adding, "It doesn't quite feel real."

Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Lyon Podium:

View full World Cup results

Watch the split of Olivier & Julian below ⬇️

Notably, 9th and 10th-place finishers Edouard Schmitz (SUI) and reigning European Champion Richard Vogel (GER) with United Touch S jumped clear but were penalized for exceeding the challenging 76-second time allowed—testament to the course's extreme technical difficulty.

Friday's Prix Groupama (1.50m): Willem Greve (NED) and Candy Luck Z denied the first French sweep of the weekend with a blistering win in 61.69 seconds, just ahead of Lalie Saclier (FRA) at 62.08s and Olivier Robert (FRA) at 62.66s.

Saturday's Longines Grand Prix (1.60m): Richard Vogel (GER) won on the 9-year-old Gangster Montdesir in its first-ever 1.60m Grand Prix—a stunning display of talent from a debutant at this level, with a winning time of 38.78 seconds. The performance highlighted Vogel's incredible stable depth, strategically "saving" his European Championship horse United Touch S for Sunday's World Cup. Ben Maher (GBR) finished second with Enjeu de Grisien, and Gerrit Nieberg (GER) took third.

Saturday's Equita Masters (1.60m): Petronella Andersson (SWE) and Odina van Klapscheut were the only combination to jump clear in both rounds of this demanding two-round competition, a victory of pure precision. Julien Epaillard (FRA) on Donatello d'Auge and Gregory Wathelet (BEL) on Special Cera du Maillet Z rounded out the podium, both finishing on 4 faults.

Lyon was the crucial second leg of the 13-leg 2025/2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Western European League season. Sanne Thijssen (NED), who won the season opener in Oslo, retains her overall lead with 22 points. However, the French podium sweep completely reshuffled the top of the leaderboard:

WEL Standings After Lyon (Leg 2 of 13):

View full WEL standings

Perreau's victory has fundamentally realigned his campaign. He admitted, "The World Cup series wasn't actually my goal... but now I plan to do a few more shows until the end of the year and see where we are—what is the best plan for next season."

The WEL series now moves to Verona, Italy, for leg three.

Lyon's unique status as the only event hosting four FEI World Cup legs creates an unparalleled atmosphere of all-around equestrian excellence. The 2025 edition featured:

The 2025 CSI5* La Silla GNP concluded at the iconic Club Hipico La Silla in Monterrey with a historic 1-2-3-4 sweep for the host nation in the $340,000 CSI5* GNP Grand Prix. The undisputed star of the week was Arturo Parada Vallejo, who piloted Mon Faut-Tren to a remarkable "perfect week," claiming both the Grand Prix title and Friday's primary 1.50m qualifying competition.

Sunday's $340,000 CSI5* 1.60m Grand Prix (Group AA Longines Ranking) featured course design by French Level 4 designer Cedric Longis. The track proved to be a masterful piece of design, achieving the difficult balance of challenging a world-class field without diminishing the sport. Only five combinations managed to solve the complex questions posed within the time allowed to advance to the jump-off. What made this result particularly notable was the composition: four of the five clear rounds belonged to veteran riders from the host nation.

The narrative of the jump-off was dictated by strategy and risk. Kristaps Neretnieks (LAT) and Valour established the "ghost time" with a high-risk round, blazing through in 39.06 seconds—but at the cost of one rail for four faults. This proved that a sub-40-second time was possible but bordered on reckless.

Arturo Parada Vallejo and Mon Faut-Tren entered next. Having already won a major class on Friday, the pair was in peak form. Vallejo executed a masterful round, precisely calibrating the required risk. He navigated the course with aggressive, tight turns while still giving his horse time at the verticals, stopping the clock clear at 39.46 seconds—just 0.4 seconds slower than Neretnieks's faulted round.

The battle for the remaining podium spots became a duel between compatriots. Nicolas Pizarro and Pia Contra delivered a smooth clear in 40.35 seconds for provisional second. Federico Fernandez and Romeo produced a flawless round just 0.07 seconds behind at 40.42 seconds. Finally, Jose Antonio Chedraui Eguia and Con-Cor opted for a deliberate, clean round in 43.82 seconds to secure the historic Mexican sweep.

$340,000 CSI5 GNP Grand Prix Podium:

View full Grand Prix results

To win both the main 1.50m qualifier and the 1.60m Grand Prix in a single CSI5* event on the same horse is a remarkable feat of stamina, soundness, and strategic planning. On Friday, October 31, Parada Vallejo and Mon Faut-Tren (KWPN by Comme Il Faut x VDL Cardento) won the $83,333 CSI5* 1.50m class in a jump-off of six, clocking a winning time of 43.89 seconds.

The horse was asked to perform at its peak twice in 48 hours and delivered flawlessly both times, cementing their status as the undisputed champions of La Silla 2025.

Beyond the field of play, the CSI5* La Silla GNP reaffirmed its status as a premier destination event. Running in parallel to the competition was the Studbook La Silla Auction, specifically the "La Silla November Edition" (Nov 1-2), featuring a collection of top-bred young jumping prospects, primarily 2020-born horses from the famed La Silla (SLS) studbook. This integration is a deliberate and effective strategy, drawing international clients to Monterrey for the five-star competition and presenting them with the opportunity to purchase the next generation of La Silla-bred champions.

The third and final week of the 2025 Andalucía October Tour concluded with Sunday's €65,000 1.55m Grand Prix. A challenging course met a field of 50 starters, with 14 combinations (28%) advancing to the jump-off. Brazilian Olympian Pedro Veniss and his 14-year-old partner Nimrod de Muze Imperio Egipcio (Nabab de Reve x Tinka's Boy) laid down a winning time of 38.34 seconds. Ireland's Niamh McEvoy and Olympic 'gl' 'fvd' came agonizingly close, finishing just 0.26 seconds behind in 38.60 seconds. France's Melissa Garbail and Dandy de l'Eyre secured third, just 0.03 seconds slower at 38.63 seconds.

CSI4 1.55m Andalucía Grand Prix Podium:

View full results

Other tour highlights: Colombia's Santiago Diaz Ortega won Saturday's 1.45m Karlswood Trophy with Tuuls in 31.78s. France's Marie Demonte dominated Thursday's 1.50m Celeste Trophy with Give Me One Reason DK, winning with almost a second to spare.

The X-Bionic Sphere in Samorin hosted a crucial qualifier for the FEI Jumping World Cup Central European League - Southern Sub-League. Switzerland's Jason Smith won Saturday's €58,000 1.50m World Cup Grand Prix riding Picobello van 't Roosakker (Kassander van 't Roosakker x Canabis Z). However, the main story for the league standings involved the runner-up: under FEI rules, riders earn points for their National Federation's league. Smith's victory goes to the Western European League standings. The maximum CEL Southern Sub-League points were awarded to the highest-placed regional rider, Peter Szuhai of Hungary, whose second-place finish on Corbluecenta (Balou du Reventon x Chacco-Blue) was the most significant result for World Cup Final qualification.

CSI3-W 1.50m World Cup Grand Prix Podium:

View full results

Belgian specialist Constant van Paesschen claimed Sunday's 1.50m Grand Prix, piloting the 10-year-old Zangersheide mare Kannavara Z (Kannan x Contender). Denmark's Rikke Belinda Barker and Tabalou PS finished second, with France's Julien Anquetin and Beau de Laubry Z in third.

CSI3 1.50m Grand Prix Podium:

View full results

A key industry trend of "event stacking" was on display at the X-Bionic Sphere in Samorin, where the Flanders Embryo Auction held a live event on Saturday, November 1, running in conjunction with the CSI3*-W. The auction featured elite, modern bloodlines sought by top investors, including embryos by Heartbreaker, Emerald, Ermitage Kalone, Comme Il Faut, and Kashmir Van Schuttershof.

The decision to host a premier embryo auction at a CSI3*-W, rather than a 5-star event, is a significant indicator of market confidence. It suggests that organizers view the Central European market and the established professional clientele at Samorin as a high-value, liquid market for six-figure embryos, expanding beyond the traditional 5-star sales venues.

Formal reminders were issued at multiple venues regarding FEI biosecurity protocols. Organizers at both CSI Samorin and the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour in Oliva published notices reminding riders of their responsibility under FEI regulation (effective October 2021) to record their horses' temperatures twice daily using the FEI HorseApp. The notices included a warning that the "FEI reserves the right to fine riders who do not comply with this rule," signaling active monitoring and enforcement.

The indoor season intensifies with two separate World Cup tracks in operation.

The 5-star action moves to Italy for the third stop of the prestigious Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Western European League. Following the emotional French sweep in Lyon, the world's best will converge on Verona to continue the quest for Fort Worth qualification. With Sanne Thijssen holding a narrow 2-point lead over Olivier Perreau, and multiple riders tied for 3rd, every point counts. Expect the full international contingent including Richard Vogel, Ben Maher, and the resurgent French squad.

The Netherlands hosts a major indoor CSI4* at Maastricht, a traditional powerhouse venue for Dutch riders. This event has historically drawn strong fields and offers significant Longines Ranking points.

The Mexico Fall Tour continues at the iconic Club Hipico La Silla with another week of CSI4* competition. Following this week's historic 1-2-3-4 Mexican sweep and the emergence of Cian O'Connor's 8-year-old Pegasus, expect continued high-level international competition.

This week delivered exceptional sport across three world-class 5-star venues on three continents, with championship-defining moments and emotional breakthrough victories.

The quality of sport was outstanding. Uliano Vezzani's course design in Riyadh created the perfect platform for the GCL drama, Grégory Bodo's technical masterclass in Lyon tested the world's best, and Cedric Longis produced a balanced challenge in Monterrey. The entertainment value was off the charts: a 0.27-second championship decider, a 0.01-second thriller, an emotional French podium sweep at home, and a historic 1-2-3-4 Mexican triumph. The field strength was elite at all three venues, featuring the reigning LGCT Champion, Olympic medalists, European Champions, and emerging stars.

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