It was a thriller until the very end on Thursday at CHIO Rotterdam 2026. In the Kralingse Bos, Italy's Giulia Martinengo Marquet rode Scuderia 1918 Calle Deluxe to victory in the Nedspice Prize. Dutchman Harrie Smolders finished second, with Germany's Richard Vogel taking third.
As dusk fell over the Kralingse Bos, 54 combinations prepared to compete in the Nedspice Prize, a CSIO5* 1.50m jumping class against the clock. No fewer than 28 combinations managed to deliver a clear round. The fastest riders set themselves apart by skillfully navigating a shorter route through the course, cutting between the water jump and the adjacent oxer.
Following the brief mid-class intermission, the provisional podium saw a rapid succession of new faces. Much to the delight of the home crowd, Harrie Smolders and Devino Weretherbach Z took the lead from France's Kevin Staut with a time of 63.71 seconds. However, in the very next round, Italy's Giulia Martinengo Marquet and Scuderia 1918 Calle Deluxe dethroned Smolders, stopping the clock at a blazing 62.38 seconds.
The next starter, Germany's Richard Vogel, squeezed between them into second place aboard Uppsala JPS with a time of 63.26 seconds. Although the remaining combinations gave it their absolute all, none could match the performance of this leading trio.
Tomorrow promises another day of spectacular showjumping at CHIO Rotterdam 2026, featuring three individual classes in the morning at the Rotterdam Arena, followed by the highly anticipated FEI Longines League of Nations Nations Cup in the afternoon.
