Nicola Philippaerts and H&M Harley VD Bisschop Secure the Victory in the Highly Anticipated $380,000 Rolex CSI 5* Grand Prix at Tryon Fall V

On a historical and spectacular evening at the Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) featuring a special performance by Grammy award-winning country music legend Lee Greenwood, Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) guided H&M Harley VD Bisschop to victory in the $380,000 Rolex CSI 5* Grand Prix. The duo secured the win in front of an enthusiastic crowd, stopping the timers at 40.575 seconds. Jessica Springsteen (USA) and Cynar VA earned second place honors with a time of 41.291 seconds, while Lauren Tisbo (USA) and Coriandolo DI Ribano rounded out the top three with a time of 42.299 seconds.

Competition at the 2016 Tryon Fall Series presented by Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District commenced on Thursday, September 22, and will continue through Sunday, October 30, featuring hunter and jumper competition, alongside two weeks of FEI CSI 3* classes and the highly anticipated FEI CSI 5*.

Fans from the western region of Foothills filled the George H. Morris Arena, creating an electric atmosphere for a class featuring Olympic veterans and many of the sport’s rising stars. Philippaerts and H&M Harley VD Bisschop were the final pair to qualify for the jump-off, as they were the last to go in tonight’s star-studded lineup. The first round track set by Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA) asked several technical questions, keeping the riders on their toes with a tight time allowed of 80 seconds. The first round track only produced six combinations that advanced to the jump-off round.

“I think it was a really nice course. There were not so many clear as I actually thought there would be because there were many good ones here competing tonight. Unfortunately, Mclain [Ward] and Kent [Farrington] and a few others had one down leaving only six in the jump-off,” Philippaerts said. “I had the advantage of going last, and I knew Jessica was very quick, so I had to go quick. I was lucky enough the last rail stayed up,” he detailed, explaining his strategy for the jump-off round.Philippaerts was pleased with H&M Harley VD Bisschop, a 2007 Belgian Warmblood gelding (Dulf Van Den Bisschop x Coronado) owned by Ludo Philippaerts and Ben Beevers, and how the talented gelding settled into tonight’s class after having a six-week vacation from competition. He explained, “The first few days he was a bit nervous, but today was a lot better. Hopefully next week he will be a good as well.”