Willem Greve wrote history by being the first Dutch rider to win a Rolex Grand Slam Major. And to top it all off, he did in front of his home crowd with the presence of Highway TN NOP's breeders, the Nijhof family.
Although the course encountered numerous faults and retirements, nine riders qualified for the jump-off. Two Belgians, two Dutch, one Frenchman, one Irish, one Swede, one Swiss, and one German entered the thrilling Rolex Grand Prix of the Dutch Masters. Over the years, the average percentage reaching the jump-off was 27%, but here it was 23%, proving that Louis Koninckx's course was anything but easy.
First to go was Martin Fuchs (SUI) aboard Leone Jei (Baltic VDL). The KWPN gelding, bred by G.M. Van Mersbergen, performed admirably, meeting expectations and being steered tightly through the turns by his rider. The bar was set high with the first faultless round in a time of 35.11 seconds. Second to go was Henrik von Eckermann (SWE). The world number one relied on his well-known mount, King Edward (Edward), bred by Wim Impens. Together, they won the IJRC Rolex Top 10 Final in December and had already competed successfully in major championships. Von Eckermann himself had won the Rolex Grand Prix of the Dutch Masters in 2019, then riding Mary Lou. The duo followed in the footsteps of their predecessor, taking at least as much risk and finishing in 33.74 seconds, undercutting the time.
Third to go and the first for Belgium was Gregory Wathelet (BEL). With Ace of Hearts (Aliandro B), the back rail of the Rolex oxer fell to the ground, resulting in eight penalty points. Until now, no Frenchman had managed to win the Rolex Grand Prix in 's-Hertogenbosch. Could Julien Epaillard (FRA) change that aboard Dubai du Cedre (Baloubet du Rouet)? Unfortunately, the Rolex oxer showed no mercy to them either, and the French duo encountered trouble at the Audi obstacle.
The first Dutch rider in the arena was Harrie Smolders (NED). On Uricas van de Kattevennen (Uriko), Smolders aimed to become the first Dutchman to win a Rolex Major. They pushed hard for the fastest time but fell short, finishing in 34.66 seconds. Marcus Ehning (GER) and Priam du Roset (Plot Blue) were next. With a clear round in mind, the pair took no unnecessary risks and smoothly crossed the finish line in 42.87 seconds.
Seventh on the stage was Ireland's Denis Lynch on Brooklyn Heights, a son of Nabab de Reve, a BWP bred by Eric Polfliet. The interim time display indicated that they wouldn't surpass von Eckermann's fast time, but nevertheless, they completed their round faultlessly. Pieter Devos (BEL) could have secured another Belgian victory with Toupie de La Roque (Kannan) but opted for a clear round. In 2022, he had finished second here in 's-Hertogenbosch.
In front of the home crowd, Willem Greve (NED) could completely change the game with Highway TN NOP (Eldorado vd Zeshoek). HE DOES IT. The Dutchman was four hundredths of a second faster then world's number one and made his home crowd go wild.