The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ qualifier at the RAI Amsterdam on Sunday turned into a masterclass in speed from France's Julien Epaillard. With 40 combinations tackling Louis Konickx's first-round track in the pressure cooker of the sold-out RAI, 12 advanced to the jump-off. What followed was Epaillard doing what he does best - going faster than physics should allow.

Riding his homebred 13-year-old Donatello d'Auge (Jarnac x Hello Pierville), Epaillard attacked from fence one. Where rivals took traditional lines, he carved tighter turns. Where others checked before the final oxer, he kept his foot down. The result: 39.87 seconds, the only sub-40 time of the day and nearly two full seconds faster than Switzerland's Alain Jufer in second.

"It was risky, but today it worked," Epaillard said. "My horse is amazing. He always gives everything."

The victory vaulted Epaillard to the top of the Western European League standings with 66 points, guaranteeing his spot at the World Cup Finals in Fort Worth. For Jufer, his second-place finish on the 15-year-old Dante MM secured his first-ever World Cup Final qualification.

Belgium's Niels Bruynseels delivered the emotional performance of the day, piloting the 17-year-old Delux van T&L to third place. The veteran gelding had returned from a significant injury layoff, and the podium finish brought visible emotion from Bruynseels. "It was a long time training... Thanks to everybody that worked for it," he said.

Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Amsterdam Podium: Full Results

If Sunday was about precision, Saturday night was pure atmosphere. The €115,000 Anemone Horse Trucks Grand Prix brought out the best of the Dutch crowd, and Frank Schuttert 🇳🇱 delivered exactly what they wanted - a wire-to-wire victory aboard the 13-year-old mare Isis.

Schuttert had won this class 13 years ago aboard Winchester, launching his career. Coming back with Isis - a mare he describes as "sometimes maybe a bit too eager" and one who "knows it's time to perform" when the stands are full - he executed the perfect plan. Eleven combinations qualified for the jump-off, with New Zealand's Luke Dee setting a blazing 38.78 seconds on Gangster WW.

Last to go, Schuttert committed to a daring seven-stride distance to the final fence, trusting Isis's scope completely. They crossed the beam in 37.82 seconds. The arena erupted.

"If I ride the same lines as my competitors, Isis is often still faster," Schuttert explained. "When the stands are full, she knows it's time to perform."

Anemone Horse Trucks Grand Prix Podium: Full Results

Friday's 1.50m class produced one of the week's most remarkable results: Robert Whitaker 🇬🇧 winning aboard the 20-year-old stallion Gentlemen vh Veldhof. Most showjumpers are retired by 17 or 18. That Gentlemen is winning CSI5* classes at 20 is a testament to the Whitaker family's horsemanship.

The weekend also brought closure for one of Amsterdam's favorites. Marc Houtzager 🇳🇱 officially retired Sterrehof's Dante, the 16-year-old mare who had won the World Cup qualifier at the RAI in both 2020 and 2025. "She always wanted to fight for me," Houtzager said through visible emotion. "Winning the World Cup in your own country, in this arena, is something you carry with you for the rest of your life."

The third week of the Desert Circuit at Thermal elevated to CSI5* status, bringing a $340,000 Grand Prix and the sport's best to California's Grand Prix Stadium. Course designers Colm Quinn and Alan Wade set a track that produced just eight clear rounds from the elite field - the perfect number for a competitive jump-off.

Mathijs Van Asten 🇳🇱 drew penultimate in the jump-off order, with World No. 1 Kent Farrington anchoring the field. That positioning defined his strategy entirely.

"I know I have to take some risks because when Kent Farrington is behind you... he's very hard to beat," Van Asten explained.

The risk came at the turn from the double combination to the corner vertical. Van Asten left out a full stride - doing one less than everyone else in the field - requiring his KWPN stallion Hotspot (Hors La Loi II x Nabab de Rêve) to launch from a long distance at a 1.60m fence. The 10-year-old's scope covered the gap. They crossed the line clear in 36.64 seconds.

Farrington, forced to chase that time on Toulayna, pushed hard but caught a rail, dropping to fifth despite a fast time. The gamble paid off for Van Asten, claiming his first CSI5 Grand Prix at Thermal this season.

Callie Schott 🇺🇸 rode a clean, efficient jump-off on the Holsteiner mare Uricas v/d Kattenvennen for second in 38.71s, while Ireland's Conor Swail rounded out the podium aboard Casturano in 39.04s.

$340,000 BRAINJUICE Active CSI5 Grand Prix Podium: Full Results

While Van Asten claimed the headline, the real story of consistency belonged to Karl Cook 🇺🇸, who won three separate classes across the CSI5* and CSI2* divisions.

He opened the week with victory in the $32,000 Speed Stake aboard Candy, an 11-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare claiming her first FEI win. On Thursday, he dueled with Kent Farrington in the $117,000 Welcome, with Farrington edging him on Orafina (33.88s to Cook's 34.84s on Caracole de la Roque).

Saturday brought redemption in the CSI2 Grand Prix, where Cook rode the 16-year-old Kalinka van't Zorgvliet - a mare recovering from a fractured hip in spring 2024 - to victory. Going last in the jump-off, he needed to beat 36.90 seconds. He opted for conservative eight strides to the last fence but made up time with Kalinka's superior turn speed, finishing in 36.32s.

"With her, we take it day by day, but she has got such an amazing heart," Cook said.

$63,000 C3RV CSI2 Grand Prix Podium: Full Results

Scott Brash 🇬🇧 did something that shouldn't be statistically possible: he won both the CSI3* and CSI5 Grand Prix at Doha Tour 3, repeating the exact same feat from Tour 2 the previous week. Two consecutive weekends, four Grand Prix victories, four different horses. This is what depth of string looks like at the highest level.

The €325,000 feature class at Al Shaqab's Longines Arena saw 37 elite combinations tackle Peter Schumacher's 1.60m track. Only nine went clear, setting up a jump-off that would determine the early trajectory of the Longines World Rankings.

Brash brought out Hello Mango, an 11-year-old grey mare he describes as "super-scopey" and "careful" but one who "gets a little sharp sometimes." This was her first international CSI5 Grand Prix, and the pressure of a nine-horse jump-off against Olympic veterans could have overwhelmed a less experienced horse.

Austria's Gerfried Puck set the early pace on the massive Equitron Naxcel V, posting 44.92 seconds with powerful, scope-based riding. Saudi Arabia's Abdulrahman Alrajhi came within a whisker on Ventago, clocking 44.04s. Then Brash entered.

His strategy centered on tightness rather than gallop, using Mango's rideability to turn inside the previous tracks. "I didn't think it was a perfect jump-off round... but she just showed how good she really is," Brash said. Time: 44.47 seconds, shaving nearly half a second off Puck's mark.

CSI5 Grand Prix of Doha Podium: Full Results

Earlier on Saturday, Brash switched to Hello Folie for the CSI3 Grand Prix. If Mango is about scope and care, Folie is pure speed. The chestnut mare, a silver medalist at the 2025 European Championships, has natural ground speed that doesn't require chasing.

Brash simply followed her rhythm, letting her run. They finished in 40.81 seconds, nearly half a second faster than Belgium's Abdel Saïd on Wathnan Zasou Vom Claashof (41.23s). American speed specialist Kristen Vanderveen rounded out the podium on Bull Run's Jireh in 41.54s.

CSI3 Grand Prix Podium: Full Results

The double-double propelled Brash to a commanding 49-point lead in the overall Doha Tour standings, positioning him as the dominant force heading into the final weeks.

The $215,000 NetJets Grand Prix saw Lillie Keenan and her 16-year-old veteran Fasther claim victory under Saturday Night Lights. Keenan's jump-off strategy centered on risk management and trust built over seven years with the Dutch Warmblood gelding, stopping the clock at 40.56s. Shane Sweetnam 🇮🇪 finished second on the homebred Rural Juror SCF (40.87s), while Australia's Thaisa Erwin took third on Hialita B (41.28s) fresh off her Paris Olympic appearance.

$215,000 NetJets Grand Prix Podium: Full Results

Canadian Olympian Erynn Ballard 🇨🇦 continued her remarkable streak - winning at least one international class every week since November 2025 - by taking the $62,500 Hermès Classic aboard Chatadel PS.

Australian Lauren Balcomb won the $120,000 Wheels Up Grand Prix aboard the 15-year-old Verdini D'houtveld Z, going first in both the first round and jump-off and posting 44.91s wire-to-wire. Charlotte Jacobs 🇺🇸 finished second (46.00s), with Canada's Sean Jobin third.

$120,000 Wheels Up Grand Prix Podium: Full Results

Ireland's Shane Breen claimed the Longines FEI World Cup™ qualifier with the only double clear aboard BP Arctic Blue, a 10-year-old by A Pikachu de Muze. The two-round format saw only Breen go fault-free across both rounds, with Italy's Guido Grimaldi finishing second on the 15-year-old Gentleman despite faults in both rounds. Great Britain's Alexander McLean took third on Calixte Heartbreaker Z with a clear first round but 4 faults in the second. UAE's Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi won the CSI4* 1.45m class on Emeraude de Zabala, defeating Christian Ahlmann 🇩🇪.

World Cup Grand Prix Podium: Full Results

Germany's Emelie Pieper took the Grand Prix victory aboard Come To Me 7, navigating a competitive jump-off. Belgium's Roy van Beek finished second on Cavoiro-H OLD, while Spain's Julio Arias Cueva rounded out the podium despite a rail on Filou du Manoir. The Pre-Sunshine Tour continues to attract top European talent utilizing Spain's outdoor arenas for winter preparation.

CSI3 Grand Prix Podium: Full Results

Luxembourg's Victor Bettendorf won the 1.50m Grand Prix aboard Encore Toi du Linon at the Spring MET I tour with a jump-off time of 38.86s. The presence of 5* talent like Lorenzo de Luca and Jérôme Guery confirms Oliva's status as a high-performance training ground where elite riders develop their up-and-coming Grand Prix horses.

CSI3 1.50m Grand Prix Podium: Full Results

Yong Zhang delivered a crushing performance, claiming both first and second place in the Grand Prix. His dominance with European warmbloods Kayak (Triomphe de Muze x Grandino) and Gycara (Ticallux Verte) highlights the import-driven model currently powering China's top-level showjumping.

CSI3 Grand Prix Podium: Full Results

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI5*-W Desert Circuit 4 - Thermal, California 🇺🇸 (Jan 28-Feb 1)
The marquee $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Thermal qualifier brings World No. 1 Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut, Conor Swail, and Karl Cook back to the Grand Prix Stadium. After Van Asten's victory last week and Farrington's rail in the jump-off, this rematch has serious implications for North American League World Cup qualification. With maximum ranking points on the line, expect the top strings to come out.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI5*/CSI3* Doha Tour 4 - Al Shaqab, Qatar 🇶🇦 (Jan 28-31)
The Doha Equestrian Tour continues with another CSI5* week before the LGCT opener. Scott Brash sits 49 points clear in the overall tour standings after his double-double performance. Can anyone challenge his dominance, or will he extend his lead heading into the Global Champions Tour season opener?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI5* Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (Jan 30-Feb 1)
The Asian Masters returns to Hong Kong for the first time this season. The compact but technical venue at AsiaWorld-Expo typically attracts the region's best alongside European visitors looking to maximize ranking points during the winter circuit. Course design and field strength TBD.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI4* WEF Week 4 - Wellington, Florida 🇺🇸 (Jan 27-Feb 1)
Mars Equestrian sponsors the week, featuring the $215,000 Mars Equestrian Grand Prix. The "Mars" weeks historically bring elevated hospitality and creative course design.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI4*/CSI2* WEC Winter Spectacular V - Ocala, Florida 🇺🇸 (Jan 27-Feb 1)
WEC steps up to CSI4* level, directly competing with Wellington's 4* week for the same pool of riders.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSIO4* Sharjah, United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 (Jan 28-Feb 1)
The Emirates hosts a Nations Cup week, bringing team competition to the Middle East swing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI3* Lodz, Poland 🇵🇱 (Jan 28-Feb 1)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI3* Valencia, Spain 🇪🇸 (Jan 27-Feb 1)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI3* Oliva Nova, Spain 🇪🇸 (Jan 27-Feb 1)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI3* San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 🇲🇽 (Jan 28-Feb 1)

Three simultaneous CSI5* events spanning three continents, two World Cup qualifiers distributing critical points, and individual performances that will define the early-season rankings. Julien Epaillard going sub-40 when no one else could break 41 at Amsterdam was pure brilliance. Scott Brash winning four Grand Prix in two weeks with four different horses demonstrated what depth of string actually means. Mathijs Van Asten's calculated gamble to beat Kent Farrington showed that sometimes the penultimate position is exactly where you want to be.

The quality was exceptional - the clear rates at all three 5* Grand Prix were textbook (20-24%), the jump-offs were competitive without being overcrowded, and the storylines ranged from young horses stepping up (Hello Mango's first 5* GP win) to veterans proving longevity (Gentlemen vh Veldhof at 20 years old). The only thing preventing a higher score is that we're still in January - save room for the outdoor season peaks.

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