At the Press Conference, he could not hide his delight: "It is a fabulous show and I am absolutely delighted with my horse Hello William— he's a machine.  From day one here in Avenches, he has been jumping amazing. Full credit to him, he's my best friend." The horse is no stranger to top-level success: he is the same partner with whom Fletcher was crowned European Champion at the 2024 FEI Jumping European Championships for Young Riders.  Looking ahead to Sunday, Fletcher will ride a different, less experienced but talented horse for the Nations Cup. His approach for the future: "One step at a time, right now I am only starting with the Nations Cup on Sunday."

Out of the starting field, just five horse-and-rider combinations managed to decode the first-round track and advance to the jump-off. Returning for the jump-off, Fletcher put the pressure on with a clear round in a unbeatable 39.80 seconds.

Houtzager Takes Second as Smith Completes Podium

The Netherlands’ Marc Houtzager came closest to chasing down the winning time. Aboard the nine-year-old KWPN mare Mereusa (Comme Il Faut x Toulon), bred by J.H.M. Van Loon, Houtzager crossed the line clear in 40.55 seconds to secure a strong runner-up finish.

Great Britain’s Holly Smith delivered the fastest time of the jump-off at 40.63 seconds with the eight-year-old KWPN gelding Nike van het Singraven (Andiamo Semilly), bred by H.B.J. Groener, but a single rail down left them in third place with four fault points.

Local Swiss rider Bryan Smits finished fourth riding Verdi van 't Laerhof Z (Vigo d'Arsouilles Stx x Heartbreaker, bred by Hans Van Laer) following eight faults in the tie-breaker, while Belgium's Brecht Goossens rounded out the top five aboard Alaska Z (Asca Z x Utrillo vd Heffinck, bred by Nicky Dillien) after an elimination in the final round.

result