An emerging megastar: why you need to have this mare, who jumps bootless, on your radar

We’re celebrating two exceptional mares carrying the famous De La Roque prefix in this week’s international showjumping news round-up – one who jumps bootless and the other who prefers not to have a bit when she’s in the ring.

Proof, if ever it were needed, that when you find the key to some of these exceptional horses, they really will jump the moon for you.

Read on for this week’s showjumping news round-up from around the world plus results.

Showjumping news: a new star is born

A nine-year-old mare who jumps without front or hind boots helped put Luxembourg on the showjumping map when winning the €1.25m Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) Super Grand Prix at the Riyadh Playoffs, Saudi Arabia.

Victor Bettendorf, 34, has formed a tremendous bond with emerging megastar Foxy De La Roque, and they produced the faster of just two double clears to win the prestigious end-of-season finale to the LGCT series.

“This doesn’t feel real,” said Victor. “The previous winners of this class have been my heroes for my whole career and I can’t believe I have joined them as a winner.”

Victor lost the ride on his potential Olympic horse Mr Tac earlier in the year, so the Armitages Boy x Kannan mare Foxy De La Roque stepped up to the top level. She has now repaid her rider’s trust with an outstanding winning streak, racking up this third five-star grand prix win in a row.

Finishing runner-up was the cool-headed young Belgian rider Gilles Thomas and the flashy chestnut stallion Ermitage Kalone (Catoki x Kannan), and Ireland’s Michael Duffy finished third with 15-year-old Quirex, who has made a remarkable comeback to the top level after spending four years in the field recuperating from a “career-threatening” injury in 2018. The pair picked up two time-faults in round one, but left all the jumps standing across the two rounds at just their fourth show together.

“The time-faults probably didn’t change the result too much, but it’s still a bit unnecessary on my behalf,” said Michael. “Quirex’s strongest attribute is his head and his heart, he’s so smart and he’s always giving you 100%.”

Michael also enjoyed five-star victory earlier in the day with Claptonn Mouche.

Read the full report from the Riyadh Playoffs in this week’s Horse & Hound, out on Thursday, 28 November.

• Riyadh Playoffs results

Stockholm Hearts claim €6.5m Super Cup

The curtain fell on the 2024 LGCT season with the coveted €6.5m Global Champions League (GCL) Super Cup title, which was won by Stockholm Hearts, powered by H&M We Love Horses. Team-mates Malin Baryard-Johnsson (H&M Indiana), Nicola Philippaerts (Katanga VH Dingeshof) and Julien Epaillard with Donatello D’Auge won with a score of just four penalties across two rounds to take the crown from closest rivals Shanghai Swans, winners of the previous day’s semi-finals, represented by Ben Maher (Point Break), Daniel Deusser (Killer Queen VDM) and Max Kuhner (Elektric Blue P). Riesenbeck International finished in third.

“We struggled through the year but we really focused on coming here with the best team and today was unbelievable,” said Nicola, who also took the title with London Knights in 2021.

Showjumping news: Olympic silver medallist wins new California event

Finally in this week’s international showjumping news round-up, US rider Karl Cook and the phenomenal mare Caracole De La Roque won the inaugural Longines FEI World Cup of Los Angeles, held at Santa Anita Park, the site of equestrian sport at the 1984 Olympics.

From last draw, the duo came home fastest in an eight-way jump-off under the lights, with Daniel Bluman of Israel finishing second on another exciting mare, the nine-year-old Corbie VV, and Cian O’Connor of Ireland claiming third with relatively new ride Iron Man.

“There’s a huge advantage to going last,” said Karl about winning in his home state. “You get to see everyone go, you get to see how other riders shave time and what mistakes they make. When I watched Daniel, he was crisp, he was smooth. It was a great round. But with Caracole, I have such confidence in her speed and her ability to turn, that it was just about staying on our plan and not trying to get too far out over our skis or about breaking the land speed record. It was just about doing what I know she can.”

Karl was part of the silver medal-winning US team at the Paris 2024 Olympics and swaps the 12-year-old Zandor mare Caracole’s bitted bridle for a hackamore before entering the ring, as “it’s what she likes to jump in”.

“When you go through something really intense, it makes you stronger or it does the opposite  in our case, the Olympics made us stronger,” said Karl. “I have complete faith in Caracole.”

• CSI5*-W Santa Anita results

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