ABDEL SAÏD & WATHNAN QUAKER BRIMBELLES Z WIN THE LGCT GRAND PRIX OF ROME

Abdel Saïd rode some brilliant rounds with Wathnan Quaker Brimbelles Z to win the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Rome, extending his Championship lead and taking a decisive step toward the 2026 title.

The 13th stage of the 2026 Tour delivered a high-stakes afternoon of 5* showjumping, finishing in a competitive seven-horse jump-off.

Saïd stopped the clock in an unbeatable 35.27 seconds to take the top spot on the podium. Pieter Devos and Casual DV Z finished second in 35.88 seconds, while France’s Lara Tryba continued her strong form to take third aboard Chageorge in 36.19 seconds.

Opening the jump-off, Devos set a formidable benchmark with a clean round on Casual DV Z. His second-place finish secured his long-sought qualification for the LGCT Super Grand Prix. Devos praised his homebred mare after the round, noting how proud he was of their journey together from foal to five-star podium.

Switzerland’s Jane Richard was next to attack the course with Aequitus vh Bergerhof Z, but an early fence fault left her with four faults in 39.53 seconds. Fresh off a GCL victory in Vienna, Lara Tryba followed with a bold round aboard Chageorge, stopping the clock in 36.19 seconds to take a temporary second place. Monaco’s Anastasia Nielsen delivered a clear first round on ESI Rocky, but two fence errors in the jump-off relegated her to eight faults in 38.74 seconds.

Simon Delestre produced the fastest time of the afternoon, crossing the line in a blistering 34.42 seconds aboard Gatsby du Tillard—nearly a second and a half faster than Devos. However, a rail down on the final obstacle cost him four faults and dropped him down the standings.

Entering as the Championship leader, Saïd rode with complete precision. Up by 0.13 seconds at the split, he cleared the final fence to clock 35.27 seconds and take the lead. The last contender, Ireland’s Denis Lynch on Ping Pong van de Lentamel, needed a clean round under 35.27 seconds to win, but a single rail down at the red vertical dropped him to fifth place on four faults in 36.41 seconds.

Saïd credited both the Italian crowd and his horse’s scope for the win, noting that using his horse’s large stride to his advantage was key to taking the top spot. The victory proved doubly significant for the Championship race. Saïd’s primary rival, Christian Ahlmann, failed to reach the jump-off after picking up four faults on Untouched LB in the opening round to finish 18th.

With the maximum 40 points earned in Rome, Saïd now leads the Championship standings with 241 points, holding a 17-point margin over Ahlmann (224 points). Katrin Eckermann (199), Denis Lynch (196.5), and Edwina Tops-Alexander (192) round out the top five.

With two stages remaining, the tour now heads to Cairo, Egypt (22–24 October), where the Pyramids of Giza will host the penultimate stage of the season before the finale in Rabat.

--ENDS--

Full results here

Edited by HT

Photo by LGCT