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The 2025 Global Champions Playoffs at Prague's O2 Arena marked the conclusion of the most lucrative season in showjumping history. With over €11.4 million in total prize money—including €6.5 million for the GCL Super Cup Final alone—the event brought together the world's elite for a knockout tournament that proved as dramatic as it was financially significant.

The 2025 GCL season had been a fierce battle of consistency, with Valkenswaard United claiming the Season Championship title in Riyadh with 326 points, narrowly ahead of Cannes Stars powered by Iron Dames (315 points). On the individual side, 27-year-old Gilles Thomas 🇧🇪 secured the LGCT Season Championship prior to the Playoffs, becoming the youngest champion in the tour's history through victories in Paris and New York.

The Playoffs format is unforgiving: three-stage knockout competition (Quarter-Final, Semi-Final, Final) with three riders per team and no drop scores. A single error can eliminate a powerhouse team—a reality that would define the weekend.

Thursday's Quarter-Final saw twelve teams fighting for eight Semi-Final spots over a demanding 1.60m course designed by Uliano Vezzani. The €1.35 million prize pool ensured intense competition, but the defining moment came through controversy rather than sport.

The Istanbul Warriors—fielding Henrik von Eckermann 🇸🇪 (Steely Dan), Abdel Saïd 🇧🇪 (Bonne Amie), and Simon Delestre 🇫🇷 (Cayman Jolly Jumper)—posted a cumulative 8 faults, sufficient to advance. However, post-round review revealed that Delestre's helmet chin strap had come undone at obstacle 9. He completed the final four fences with the helmet unstrapped, resulting in his disqualification under FEI safety regulations.

Because the GCL format requires all three scores to count, Delestre's individual disqualification eliminated the entire Istanbul Warriors team. The New York Empire, finishing 9th, were promoted into the Semi-Finals—a reprieve they would capitalize on spectacularly.

Quarter-Final Qualifier: Full Results

Eliminated in Quarter-Final: Monaco Comets, Mexico Amigos, Stockholm Hearts, Istanbul Warriors

Friday's Semi-Finals introduced the top four seeded teams—Valkenswaard United, Cannes Stars, Shanghai Swans, and Riesenbeck International—to the competition. The "Prague Curse," a phenomenon of high-profile failures at the O2 Arena, was in devastating effect.

Shanghai Swans Eliminated: Olympic team gold medalist Ben Maher 🇬🇧 was carrying 4 faults on Dallas Vegas Batilly when, on the turn back to the Czech flag planks, the horse stopped and Maher fell over the jump. With the team on 16 faults at the time—a score that would have been good enough to qualify—the fall meant immediate elimination with no drop score to absorb the disaster.

Cannes Stars Out: The all-female powered team that had pushed Valkenswaard United all season met the same fate when Katrin Eckermann 🇩🇪 fell at the Longines Triple Bar. The horse took off from a long stride and Eckermann was unseated, falling off the side after landing—eliminating the second-best team of the 2025 season before they could contest the Final.

St Tropez Pirates Collapse: After finishing 3rd with a team score of just 4 faults in the Quarter-Final, Gregory Cottard's 🇫🇷 four rails (16 faults) on Cocaine Du Val and Duarte Seabra's 🇵🇹 12 faults on Dourados 2 sunk the Pirates' chances of qualifying for the Final. Thibault Philippaerts 🇧🇪 on Lyandro MDB had only 4 faults and was the team's best performer despite having his martingale break down the final line. The Pirates finished 9th with 32 total faults, missing qualification by 12 faults.

Through the chaos, Riesenbeck International powered by HorseGym demonstrated championship pedigree. Christian Kukuk 🇩🇪 (Checker 47, 4 faults), Maximilian Weishaupt 🇩🇪 (Zuccero HV, clear), and Philipp Weishaupt 🇩🇪 (Oreo D.R., 4 faults) posted the day's best score of 8 faults, securing the advantageous last-to-go position for Sunday's Final.

Semi-Final Qualifiers to Final: Full Results

Eliminated in Semi-Final: Doha Falcons, Madrid In Motion, St Tropez Pirates, Scandinavian Vikings, Shanghai Swans, Cannes Stars

Sunday's Final offered the largest single-day prize purse in equestrian sport: €6.5 million. Each team jumped two rounds over 1.60m, with Vezzani's "Orloj" oxer—inspired by Prague's medieval Astronomical Clock—becoming the bogey fence of the day.

Round 1 separated contenders from pretenders immediately. The Rome Gladiators executed near-perfection with just 4 total faults, taking a commanding lead. Basel Cosmopolitans posted 8 faults, while Prague Lions and Riesenbeck International each tallied 12 faults. But the shock of the round came from New York Empire who struggled to 16 faults, while Season Champions Valkenswaard United collapsed spectacularly to 20 faults, leaving them 5th and 6th respectively after Round 1. Marcus Ehning 🇩🇪 (Coolio 42) had 8 faults, Hans-Dieter Dreher 🇩🇪 (Elysium) added 8 more, and even Gilles Thomas 🇧🇪 (Ermitage Kalone) contributed 4 faults.

Round 2 became a war of attrition that completely reshuffled the leaderboard. The most dramatic collapse came from Riesenbeck International. Olympic individual gold medalist Christian Kukuk 🇩🇪 aboard his Olympic gold medal-winning horse Checker 47 had a rail at the very first fence, then pulled up, circled, and continued—incurring 16 jumping penalties plus 4 time penalties for a catastrophic 20-fault round that dropped them to last place.

Prague Lions added 20 faults in Round 2, as did Basel Cosmopolitans, effectively ending their podium hopes. But the fight for medals intensified between the bottom two teams from Round 1.

New York Empire mounted an incredible comeback. Bertram Allen 🇮🇪 (Pacino Amiro) jumped clear, Scott Brash 🇬🇧 (Hello Jefferson) also went clear, and only Denis Lynch 🇮🇪 (Cordial) had faults—picking up 12 (three rails). Their Round 2 total of 12 faults brought them to 28 overall, catapulting them from last place into medal contention.

Valkenswaard United answered with their own heroic rally. Marcus Ehning 🇩🇪 managed 4 faults, Hans-Dieter Dreher 🇩🇪 contributed 4 more, and crucially, Gilles Thomas 🇧🇪 (Ermitage Kalone) delivered a spectacular clear round. Their 8 faults in Round 2 brought them to 28 total—matching New York exactly. The tiebreaker came down to combined time: Valkenswaard United was faster (199.33s vs. New York's slower aggregate), securing silver and relegating New York to bronze.

The Rome Gladiators entered the final rotation knowing their cushion was shrinking but remained composed. Emanuele Gaudiano 🇮🇹 (Esteban De Hus) added 4 faults, Yuri Mansur 🇧🇷 (QH Alfons Santo Antonio) contributed 4 more, but then Peder Fredricson 🇸🇪 (Alcapone Des Carmille)—the legendary Swedish anchor—delivered ice-cold perfection: a clear round in 72.67 seconds to seal the victory.

Rome finished on 12 total faults while second and third place both sat on 28 faults—a dominant 16-fault (4-rail) margin of victory.

Yuri Mansur reflected on the team's preparation: "I was believing since the beginning. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail and we really made it work."

GCL Super Cup Final Podium: Full Results

🥇 1st Place: Rome Gladiators powered by Cavalleria Toscana 🇮🇹

🥈 2nd Place: Valkenswaard United 🇳🇱

🥉 3rd Place: New York Empire powered by Lugano Diamonds 🇺🇸

Saturday night's LGCT Super Grand Prix featured the 16 Grand Prix winners from the season competing for €1.25 million over a two-round format at 1.65m. Unlike traditional Grand Prix competitions, all riders who completed Round 1 would continue to Round 2, with the overall winner determined by the lowest total faults across both rounds—and in case of equal faults, by time. There would be no jump-off. This format transformed Round 2 into essentially a jump-off at 1.65m over a full course, with time becoming the critical factor.

Round 1 proved surprisingly forgiving compared to what would come. From 15 starters, an impressive 11 combinations posted clear rounds, meaning rails were extremely costly—pushing riders into the bottom four. Only three riders incurred jumping faults: Gilles Thomas 🇧🇪 (Qalista DN, 4 faults), Gregory Cottard 🇫🇷 (4 faults), and Nicola Philippaerts 🇧🇪 (Katanga v/h Dingeshof, 4 faults). The only other faults came from Philipp Weishaupt 🇩🇪, who misjudged the three-stride line and crashed through the blue liverpool oxer. He attempted to regather and continue but had the next vertical down as well, then retired, eliminating himself from Round 2. Fourteen riders advanced.

Round 2 completely changed the dynamic. Course designer Uliano Vezzani raised the difficulty substantially, and with time now counting toward the final result, riders faced an impossible calculus: protect the clear round or push for speed? The pressure proved overwhelming. The top seven riders would all finish on 4 faults, separated by fractions of a second.

Riders went in reverse order of their Round 1 standings. Gregory Cottard 🇫🇷 led off and immediately signaled the increased difficulty, adding two more rails to his first-round 4 faults for 12 total. Gilles Thomas 🇧🇪, the Season Champion, entered next but disaster struck at the Longines triple combination—he had the vertical at part B down, then pulled out from the oxer at part C and retired, ending his weekend on a disappointing note.

Nicola Philippaerts 🇧🇪 provided the first drama with a spectacular clear round after his first-round 4 faults—what would prove to be the only clear round in Round 2—vaulting from 12th place to 5th overall and proving a clear second round was possible, if extremely difficult. But then Marco Kutscher 🇩🇪 demonstrated the cruelty of the format: jumping clear from the first round, he attempted to protect his score without pushing for time—but had the last rail down. Had he jumped that final fence clear, he would have won the Super Grand Prix. Instead, he became the slowest 4-fault score and finished 7th. That single rail cost him €256,250.

Jerome Guery 🇧🇪 added 16 penalties for 10th overall, while Thibault Philippaerts 🇧🇪 also suffered 16 faults in Round 2 after a clear in Round 1, ending 11th.

Then came the ride that would define the class. Abdel Saïd 🇧🇪 on Bonne Amie was lightning fast, capitalizing on the mare's massive stride. His strategy was clearly focused on speed—but it cost him a rail, leaving him on 4 faults. With eight riders still to go, all sitting on 0 faults from Round 1, victory seemed unlikely. But Saïd had set a time that would prove nearly impossible to match: 62.43 seconds. Anyone who faltered would need to be exceptionally fast to overtake him.

The parade of heartbreak began. Harrie Smolders 🇳🇱 (Monaco) had 4 faults but was slower. Anastasia Nielsen 🇩🇰 retired when her horse didn't come out of the corner before the second fence. Christian Kukuk 🇩🇪, the Olympic individual gold medalist, had 8 faults. Gerrit Nieberg 🇩🇪 delivered 4 faults in a fast time—but was still 0.58 seconds slower than Saïd, settling for 4th and showing just how razor-thin the margins were. Emanuele Camilli 🇫🇷 had a disastrous round with 22 faults (8 jumping, 14 time faults due to a run-out).

Scott Brash 🇬🇧 entered as the second-to-last rider. He clipped the back rail of the massive green double combination but rode with characteristic British determination, stopping the clock just 0.38 seconds behind Saïd to secure provisional bronze.

Then came the final act: Simon Delestre 🇫🇷, riding last after his heartbreaking disqualification in the team competition. A clear round would win him the Super Grand Prix and €300,000. But should he play it safe for the clear, or go for speed? Delestre made his choice: speed. With only one rider jumping clear so far in Round 2, he knew the percentages favored aggression.

His 4 faults came in the middle of the Longines Triple Combination. Now it was purely a foot race. Delestre drove for the finish line, the crowd roaring, the clock ticking. He crossed the timers at 62.45 seconds—just 0.02 seconds slower than Saïd. Two-hundredths of a second. The width of a horseshoe. Second place.

Abdel Saïd, who 48 hours earlier had watched his Istanbul Warriors team eliminated by a helmet strap malfunction, had claimed the biggest individual victory of his career.

LGCT Super Grand Prix: Full Results

🥇 1st: Abdel Saïd 🇧🇪 (Bonne Amie) - 4 faults, 62.43s - €300,892.86

🥈 2nd: Simon Delestre 🇫🇷 (Cayman Jolly Jumper) - 4 faults, 62.45s - €250,892.86

🥉 3rd: Scott Brash 🇬🇧 (Hello Chadora Lady) - 4 faults, 62.81s - €200,892.86

4th: Gerrit Nieberg 🇩🇪 (Ping Pong van de Lentamel) - 4 faults, 63.01s - €125,892.86

5th: Nicola Philippaerts 🇧🇪 (Katanga v/h Dingeshof) - 4 faults, 65.74s - €85,892.86

6th: Harrie Smolders 🇳🇱 (Monaco) - 4 faults, 66.40s - €50,892.86

7th: Marco Kutscher 🇩🇪 (Catelly) - 4 faults, 67.22s - €44,642.86

Earlier in the week, the GCL Season Awards recognized excellence across the year:

The Playoffs also honored the grooms behind the champions, with special ceremonies recognizing their vital contributions to the sport's success.

The Split Rock Jumping Tour's CSI5*-W at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, served as the fourth leg of the 2025/2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup North American League. The iconic venue—host of the 1984 Olympic equestrian events and slated for the same role in 2028—transformed its racetrack infield into a challenging 1.60m arena that tested the NAL's finest riders.

Course designer Anderson Lima 🇲🇽 created what riders described as a hybrid "indoor-outdoor" experience. The long, narrow arena configuration combined with aggressive time allowances and technical related distances created an atmosphere that McLain Ward noted "felt more like a European-style indoor ring." Despite uncharacteristic Southern California rain, the footing held up remarkably, drawing praise from riders and officials.

Saturday's World Cup qualifier featured Lima's masterpiece: a 1.60m track with a 76-second time allowed that proved to be the ultimate sorting mechanism. The aggressive time limit forced riders to maintain high pace throughout, increasing the risk of faults at delicate verticals and wide oxers. From a starting field of elite combinations, only seven managed to navigate clear and within time: Richard Vogel 🇩🇪, McLain Ward 🇺🇸, Nina Mallevaey 🇫🇷, Laura Kraut 🇺🇸, Aaron Vale 🇺🇸, Kent Farrington 🇺🇸, and Kyle Timm 🇨🇦.

Richard Vogel 🇩🇪, first clear in the order of go (15th), set the jump-off pace aboard the 9-year-old Gangster Montdesir (Kannan x Cornet Obolensky). Known for his aggressive riding, Vogel laid down a scorching 34.39 seconds in the horse's World Cup debut, asking serious questions of the remaining riders.

McLain Ward 🇺🇸 entered with High Star Hero knowing exactly what was required. The 12-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding (Zazu x Darco) had been "knocking on the door" all season, and this was his moment. Ward identified a stride omission between the first two fences that others hadn't attempted. "My horse has a bigger stride, so I was able to get the eight strides," Ward explained. Following the stride omission, he executed a hairpin turn back to the vertical, utilizing the horse's adjustability to cross the finish in 33.99 seconds—shaving 0.40 seconds off Vogel's time.

For Ward, the victory ended a frustrating season of near-misses. "We've had a little bit of a drought on five-star wins," Ward admitted. His autumn campaign had been marred by "four-fault-itis" at Traverse City and a single time fault at Washington that kept him from jump-offs. When his primary mount Imperial HBF sustained an injury before the season, High Star Hero was forced to step up from the B-string to the A-string. "Sometimes we rally, and this horse has stepped up," Ward said. "I'm really thrilled for him to get a win for our whole team."

Nina Mallevaey 🇫🇷 aboard Dynastie de Beaufour (Diamant de Semilly x Cassini II) delivered a sophisticated double clear in 34.73 seconds, securing a prestigious podium finish that proved her capability at the top level. Laura Kraut 🇺🇸 aboard Bisquetta jumped clear in 36.02 seconds for fourth, while Aaron Vale 🇺🇸 (Carissimo 25) and World #1 Kent Farrington 🇺🇸 (Toulayna) both had rails in fast jump-offs. Kyle Timm 🇨🇦 retired Casino Calvin in the jump-off after a miscommunication.

$400,000 World Cup Grand Prix Podium: Full Results

🥇 1st: McLain Ward 🇺🇸 (High Star Hero) - 33.99s - $132,000 | WC Points: 20

🥈 2nd: Richard Vogel 🇩🇪 (Gangster Montdesir) - 34.39s - $80,000 | WC Points: 17

🥉 3rd: Nina Mallevaey 🇫🇷 (Dynastie de Beaufour) - 34.73s - $60,000 | WC Points: 15

The Santa Anita result reshuffled the NAL leaderboard at the season's halfway point (Leg 4 of 7). Ireland's Conor Swail 🇮🇪 maintained his overall lead with 41 points following a consistent top-12 finish. Ward's 20-point victory vaulted him from outside the top tier directly into second place with 36 points, while Kent Farrington 🇺🇸 holds 34 points and Laura Kraut 🇺🇸 sits fourth with 33 points.

Current NAL Top 5:

With only three legs remaining (Thermal in January, Puebla and Ocala in February), the door is closing for riders on the bubble. The top qualifiers are now well-positioned for the 2026 Finals in Fort Worth, Texas. As Ward noted, reflecting on venue significance: riders are already adjusting their strings with LA28 in mind, using events like Santa Anita to gain critical experience in the atmosphere that will define Olympic competition in three years.

CSI4 Equi Seine - Rouen, France 🇫🇷 (November 20-23)

French riders dominated on home soil at the Parc des Expositions, with Mathieu Billot 🇫🇷 and Cosacara Z claiming the €35,000 Grand Prix de la Région Normandie. Billot's winning strategy focused on turn speed rather than pure gallop, stopping the clock at 40.86 seconds to secure victory by half a second over compatriot Nicolas Layec 🇫🇷 (Fee de Caryan, 41.36s). Great Britain's Robert Murphy 🇬🇧 broke the French lockout with third aboard Hulde G (42.88s). The most electric performance came from Dutch speed specialist Sanne Thijssen 🇳🇱, who recorded a blistering 39.20 seconds on Cupcake Z—1.66 seconds faster than Billot—but a rail relegated her to fifth. The result underscored the depth of France's domestic system, with French riders filling six of the top ten positions across the 1.55m two-round competition.

🥇 1st: Mathieu Billot 🇫🇷 - Cosacara Z - 40.86s - €35,000

🥈 2nd: Nicolas Layec 🇫🇷 - Fee de Caryan - 41.36s - €28,000

🥉 3rd: Robert Murphy 🇬🇧 - Hulde G - 42.88s - €21,000

CSI3 Jump Saudi - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 (November 19-22)

Abdulrahman Alrajhi 🇸🇦 claimed the Grand Prix aboard Heartbeat W (Baloubet du Rouet x Heartbreaker), delivering the only double clear of the top placings in 42.58 seconds. While slower than the fastest four-faulters, Alrajhi's error-free performance secured victory and continued his strong season of consistent results on the Global Champions Tour. Abdullah Alsharbatly 🇸🇦 provided the contrast with explosive speed on Diriyah (Baloubet du Rouet x Diamant de Semilly), stopping the clock at 34.99 seconds—a staggering 7.59 seconds faster than the winner—but incurring a costly rail for second place. Yemen's Mohammed Binafif 🇾🇪 finished third aboard Canik Van Bost Z (4 faults, 37.53s), showcasing competitive depth beyond the heavily funded Saudi squads in the regional circuit.

🥇 1st: Abdulrahman Alrajhi 🇸🇦 - Heartbeat W - 0/0 - 42.58s

🥈 2nd: Abdullah Alsharbatly 🇸🇦 - Diriyah - 0/4 - 34.99s

🥉 3rd: Mohammed Binafif 🇾🇪 - Canik Van Bost Z - 0/4 - 37.53s

CSI3 Fujairah, United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 (November 20-23)

Syrian rider Shady Ghrayeb 🇸🇾 secured a significant victory for his nation aboard Cabernet De Mars (Baloubet du Rouet) in a brutal Grand Prix that produced only two double-clear rounds from 13 starters. Ghrayeb's jump-off time of 44.22 seconds prioritized accuracy over speed, a strategy that proved correct as faults accumulated throughout the field. Uzbekistan's Abdurakhmon Feruzovich Abdullaev 🇺🇿 delivered the only other double clear on Caballone (Catoki) in 48.11 seconds for second place, nearly four seconds slower but tactically sound given the high attrition rate. Iran's Ali Aziznia 🇮🇷 was fastest of the four-faulters aboard Aonia Domain (Mylord Carthago) to claim third. The result highlighted the diversity of Group VII's Middle Eastern circuit, with competitive entries from Syria, Uzbekistan, and Iran alongside the Gulf states.

🥇 1st: Shady Ghrayeb 🇸🇾 - Cabernet De Mars - 0/0 - 44.22s - €14,200

🥈 2nd: Abdurakhmon Feruzovich Abdullaev 🇺🇿 - Caballone - 0/0 - 48.11s - €11,360

🥉 3rd: Ali Aziznia 🇮🇷 - Aonia Domain - 4 (R1) - €8,520

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI4* Sweden International Horse Show - Stockholm, Sweden 🇸🇪

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI4* Wellington - Florida, USA 🇺🇸

⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI3* Riyadh - Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦

This week delivered everything showjumping can offer: historic prize money, dramatic eliminations, tactical brilliance, and razor-thin victories measured in hundredths of a second. The €11.4 million Prague Playoffs provided the sport's biggest financial stage, while Santa Anita's $400,000 World Cup showcased the depth of North American talent. From Rome's tactical masterclass to Ward's drought-breaking performance to Saïd's 0.02-second victory, the action was exceptional.

However, the week also exposed tensions within the sport. The Istanbul Warriors' helmet disqualification—which eliminated World #1 Henrik von Eckermann and eventually-victorious Abdel Saïd from team competition despite not affecting performance—sparked debate about rule application and sportsmanship. The incident, amplified through social media by a competing team's communications officer, raised questions about the sport's values as financial stakes continue to rise.

For deeper analysis on the controversy and its implications for showjumping's future, read Bram van Hulle's thoughtful piece: "Opinion: Prague Play-Offs, unsportsmanship and a hunger for nostalgia (with hope, thanks to Abdel Said)"

Despite the off-arena drama, the sport itself delivered world-class competition that reminded us why we love this game.

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