ROYAL WINDSOR 2025 CULMINATES IN SPECTACULAR STYLE
The 2025 Royal Windsor Horse Show concluded following four exceptional days of top-class equestrian sport. The highlight of the week, the CSI5* Rolex Grand Prix, saw an outstanding performance from Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet who stormed to victory to claim the prestigious title for the second time.
Earlier during the final day , Luxembourg’s Victor Bettendorf secured victory in the CSI5* Manama Rose Show Stakes and, after three thrilling phases, it was Australia’s Boyd Exell – the World No.1 – who emerged victorious in the CAIO4* Carriage Driving World Cup™ Qualifier, his 15th title at this show.
The final day also celebrated the rising stars of British equestrianism. Olivia Sponer triumphed in The Defender Under 25 Jumping Competition, England took top honours in the DAKS Pony Club Mounted Games Final, and Isabella Walker won the Show Pony Championship in the renowned Castle Arena in classic style.
A LICENSE TO WIN:
The CSI5* concluded in a thrilling fight to the finish with the Rolex Grand Prix. Featuring 32 of the world’s best horse and rider combinations, Bernardo Costa Cabral’s up-to-height 1.60m course proved challenging, with many top riders, including double Olympic silver medalist Peder Fredricson, last year’s winner Martin Fuchs and crowd favourite John Whitaker, incurring faults in the first round.
In total, nine combinations went forward to the jump-off against the clock, each vying for a share of the €500,000 prize fund. First into the arena was Kim Emmen riding Imagine N.O.P., her ride at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, however four faults left the door ajar for the remainder of the field. The first clear round came from Eve Jobs, a Pan American Games team bronze medalist, who guided her bay gelding, Canto Bruno, to a steady but faultless round.
Ireland’s Billy Twomey stepped up the pace, taking almost three seconds off Jobs’ time, however his lead was short lived as Britain’s reigning Olympic team champion, Harry Charles, riding Sherlock, made up another two seconds to take the pole position at the half-way point, much to the delight of the home fans.
The standard kept improving as the round went on, with Harrie Smolders following Charles into the arena and taking over the lead, with less than half-a-second splitting the two. Robert Whitaker looked to be up with the pace aboard Vermento, but a wider turn to the penultimate fence put him behind Charles and he finished in eventual fourth, repeating his result of last year.
Last into the arena was Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet, a former winner of this class who finished second last year. The Olympic team bronze medalist set off meaning business aboard Bond Jamesbond de Hay, making the tightest of turns and with an impressive gallop down to the final Rolex oxer to shave 0.06 seconds off Smolders’ time and take the victory.
A delighted Wathelet said: “The last four years competing at Royal Windsor has been really good; winning in 2022, coming second in 2024 and winning again this year – so I’m very happy. I really enjoy riding here, it’s a great show and the crowd are really supportive.”
Speaking about the final competition, he continued: “I think the course today was very fair. It’s always an advantage to go at the end, you can see the results and see what route you should take. I saw everyone get faster and faster, but I knew my horse and his speed, I knew he likes going fast, so I took some risks, but you have to on a day like today.”
Runner-up Smolders added: “Royal Windsor is such a prestigious show with a great atmosphere. We’ve seen a massive Rolex Grand Prix class today with a good amount of clears – which is a sign of a great course designer. My horse, Monaco, has speed, but I felt like I could have gone a touch faster, and that was the difference between first and second.”
Earlier in the day, the CSI5* Manama Rose Show Stakes took place in the iconic Castle Arena. As a single-phase class, it was a true test of speed and agility for the 25 riders who faced the 1.50m, 12-combination course.
First into the arena was Shane Breen riding BP Arctic Blue, who set the standard for those who followed, producing a stylish but steady clear in a time of 61.47 seconds. This was quickly usurped by Richard Vogel of Germany, who shaved a second off Breen’s time. Winner of The CSI5* Defender Challenge Stakes earlier this week, Lorenzo de Luca, once again proved to be a master of speed with a quicker time of 59.22 seconds. However, Victor Bettendorf, riding the talented 11-year-old mare Encore Toi du Linon delivered a smooth and well calculated round to finish in 58.08 seconds – a time that could not be matched by the remaining riders.
Speaking on his win, Bettendorf exclaimed: “Royal Windsor is an amazing Show – it is one of my favourites. I was early to go in the class and so I was nervous watching the remaining riders to see if they were going to be quicker than me. I have ridden my horse [Encore Toi du Linon] for a year now, she is really careful, and I am very excited about her future.”
SPONER TAKES THE SPOILS:
Thirty of the world’s most exciting up-and-coming showjumpers took to the Castle Arena early this morning for The Defender Under 25 Jumping Competition, where all clear rounds from the opening phase earned a place in the jump-off.
The challenging twelve-obstacle course proved no walk in the park, with faults scattered throughout the field, however 13 combinations produced stylish clears to advance to the second round.
Riders returned for the jump-off in the same order as the first round, with Glain Watkin Jones setting the bar early. The 22-year-old made effortless work of sixpence turns and laid down a time that applied pressure to the rest of the field.
Seven riders ultimately managed to produce double clears, but it was only Olivia Sponer aboard Kookie W who were able to beat Watkin Jones’ time. Third-last to go, Sponer shaved milliseconds off the clock to take the lead by 0.30 seconds and secure the fastest time of the day. Isabella Armstrong rounded out the podium in third place with nine-year-old gelding, Gold Star IV.
Speaking after her win, Sponer said: “It didn’t go completely to plan, but she [Kookie W] jumped amazingly. Kookie W is only 10-years-old, but we are stepping her up this year, and it is really special to be able to bring her here and compete in this class with the brilliant atmosphere. I am really happy with how she jumped.”
AN EXCELLENT RESULT FOR EXELL:
The International Carriage Driving came to a conclusion today with Competition C – Obstacle Driving for the CAIO4* World Cup Qualifier™ (Horse Four-in-Hand). A technically demanding cones course saw no clear rounds, but two of the world’s top drivers – World No. 3 Dries Degrieck and reigning World No. 1 Boyd Exell – managed to complete the course within the time, each incurring just one cone penalty. The long-time rivals produced near-identical performances, but it was Degrieck who edged ahead by the narrowest of margins to take the win in the cones phase. Radek Nesvacil of the Czech Republic completed the top three.
Although narrowly beaten in the cones, Exell’s dominance in the earlier phases meant his lead was unbeatable. He claimed an extraordinary 15th Royal Windsor Horse Show victory, finishing on a total score of 132.24 – almost 20 points clear of Belgium’s Glenn Geerts in second, with Degrieck taking third overall. The two Belgians’ strong performances, helped them secure the win in the Nations Cup, alongside teammate Tom Stokmans.
SHOWING:
Team Walker continued its triumphant assault on the trophy cupboard when the family’s youngest member, Isabella Walker, landed both the Novice and Open Show Pony titles – the latter for a remarkable third year running with the same pony. In doing so, the family once again entered the record books, as father Robert had taken both the Open and Novice Hunter Championships earlier in the week. Isabella’s victorious eight-year-old open partner, 128cm Stoneleigh Showtime never missed a beat – either in his preliminary class on grass or in the Castle Arena grand finale, despite the buzzing atmosphere.
South African judge Gregory Goss commented: “There was unbelievable quality in all our classes today. The ponies were beautifully ridden and produced, they all went extremely well and the champion was just exceptional. It is a great honour to be asked to come and judge here – we rely very much on British bloodlines in South Africa, and this show is famous the world over.”
Stoneleigh Showtime, owned by Helen Davies and victorious at Horse of the Year Show last year, has been shown only lightly this season, but was Champion at North of England and won the part-breds at the British Show Pony Society Winter Championships two weeks ago. “He’s a great all-rounder,” said Isabella. “He’s amazing at home too; he does a bit of everything and I love him.”
Helen Davies was already celebrating, as she also owns Izzy’s Novice Champion – the 138cm victor Wadacre Tigger – another sure to progress further. Reserve in the Open section went to the 148cm class victor, Chloe Salley with Copybush Time Lord, while the Novice equivalent fell to Livie Smith aboard the 148cm Swanlow Time To Shine.
Salley and Time Lord returned to the top spot later in the part-bred ranks but were pipped to the Anglo and Part-Bred Arab Championship by Hannah Horton, who capped a triumphant Windsor week with a second consecutive win for Stage Diva – Annabel Pope’s Large class winner, bred from a long line of successful Show Horses by long-time supporter Virginia Russell-Wood.
The final Showing Championship, for Show Hunter Ponies, went to Rachel Cowan’s 133cm winner Dowhills Nuage Noir, beautifully ridden by Heidi Cooper.
--ENDS--
Edited Press Release. Source here
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