The first to enter the ring was the Italian Lorenzo Correddu. Riding Bruce F.L., he immediately set the tone by guiding the Ogano Sitte son through a faultless round. The reference time was set at 38.51 seconds. A little after, all eyes were then on Dimme d'Haese. Riding the Zangersheide stallion Dalido BV Z (Diamant de Semilly), he took more risks as the course progressed, resulting in a time of 39.01 seconds, just half a second behind Correddu's time.

The reigning World Champion of the six-year-old horses, Katrin Eckermann, did what she does best—be fast. Iron Dames Earl of Alice (Eldorado vd Zeshoek, breeder: Ralf Mewes) crossed the finish line in 38.17 seconds, taking the lead.

Jelmer Hoekstra was the first Dutch rider in the arena. On Emeralda VH Haringvliet Z (Emerald), he chased Eckermann’s time but was held back by just nine hundredths of a second from securing first place. 

World Champion of the five-year-olds, Niamh McEvoy, had a chance to win a second gold medal, this time with Daliradas Boy. The Irish rider clearly aimed for a strong round, but a jumping fault by the Cornet's Prinz son kept her from claiming a second World title.

Eckermann's last remaining competition came from her compatriot Kendra Claricia Brinkop. On Sniper des Lilas Blancs (Hamilton du Chapitre), she was heading for a fast round but eased off the pace towards the last line, which secured her the second place.

Katrin Eckermann: "It's so special my father is the breeder"

“What a fantastic day! I am very proud. Above all because my father is the breeder of Sascinora NRW! He is also the breeder of her mother as well. It's very special. Christian Glanemann bought her when she was five years old and we gave her quiet time first. I'm very happy with how she absorbed everything, considering she doesn't have much experience yet.”

“Iron Dames Earl of Alice is a stallion that Christian saw and instantly fell in love with. From the beginning he believed in him!”

Kendra Claricia Brinkop: "It's always hard to beat Katrin."

“I was only second, so it definitely could have been better. I'm very happy with my second place finish. Looking back on my jump-off, I had a really good start but misjudged the last line. I rode a canter jump too much, I lost some time there. But congratulations to Katrin Eckermann! It's always hard to beat her, so I knew what to do.”

“Here in Lanaken we were able to see again what good horses are being bred! The course was solidly built and difficult enough for the 6-year-old horses, the time was fair. For our series it was the first time in the Ratina Z Arena.”