Only six pairs managed to complete the demanding 1.60-meter course of the first round without faults. Annelies Vorsselmans (BEL) and Trezeguet finished seventh with two time faults. Harrie Smolders (NED) and Bingo du Parc were the first to enter the jump-off course and stopped the clock at a faultless 48.78 seconds. Twenty-three-year-old Brit Jack Whitaker did not have any knockdowns on Jack JL, but he was also unable to beat the time. Gerrit Nieberg was the first rider to do so in third place. The ten-year-old Emerald son Ping Pong van de Lentamel was only competing in his fourth five-star show jumping event in Riesenbeck, but he showed his class under Nieberg. Even the experienced Peder Fredricson (SWE) on Alcapone des Carmille couldn't beat their time of 46.99 seconds, finishing more than a second slower. Max Kühner (AUT) on EIC Cooley Jump the Q and Christian Ahlmann on D'Aganix 2000 Z each had one knockdown and placed fifth and sixth respectively.

The biggest challenge today was to stay clear, said a relieved Gerrit Nieberg after the competition: "I already had a great, great feeling in the first round. There were two very demanding jumps, so we didn't see many clear rounds. In the jump-off, I just tried to ride a smooth round. It worked and I am more than satisfied. In the jump-off, I saw the first two riders on the screen, but I couldn't really tell if they were very fast or not. As I said, I just tried to stick to my plan."

Second-placed Peder Fredricson (SWE) made a great comeback after a fall and a moment of shock in the warm-up arena when his Diamant de Semilly gelding Alcapone des Carmille stumbled. After that, the Swede perhaps played it a little safe in the jump-off, but was delighted to see his younger colleague take the victory: "Gerrit is a fantastic rider, he really brings out the best in the horses he rides. I'm very happy for him.“ Harrie Smolders narrowly missed out on his third Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix victory this season, but was very satisfied with his horse: ”Bingo du Parc stepped it up a notch in the jump-off. It was a very clean round, and I couldn't have done any better today. We could probably have been even faster, but that would have meant paying for it with a jumping fault."

After the 11th stage of the Longines Global Champions Tour Championship 2025 in Riesenbeck, Belgium's Gilles Thomas remains in the lead in the overall standings with 241 points. Christian Kukuk remains firmly in the title race with his 12th place finish today and 187 points, moving up to second place. Andreas Schou drops to third place with 173 points after his elimination today. With the top ten still close together, all eyes are now on New York (USA) and Vienna (Austria), where the next two decisive stages of the Longines Global Champions Tour will take place.

Tournament director Karsten Lütteken sums up:

In Riesenbeck's tenth year and at the third Longines Global Champions Tour tournament, we were able to make some positive changes to the facility. The grass field was renewed and the new spectator stands were all covered. This was very well received by the audience. We were also able to involve the region and international partners, which we are very pleased about. We received a particularly good response on Friday during our event for schoolchildren, who were our guests and had the opportunity to experience equestrian sports up close. Even though we had to keep looking up at the sky and endure a few rain showers, the tournament was a complete success and we are overjoyed.