Katrin Eckermann, brilliant winner of the The King's Cup at the CSI5* LGCT Madrid

Thrilling Epilogue to the Second Day of the 114th CSI5 LGCT Madrid*

The second day of the 114th CSI5* LGCT Madrid came to a dramatic close with an electrifying jump-off filled with some of the biggest names on the international show jumping circuit. In the end, it was Katrin Eckermann who triumphed, delivering a round to remember — the kind of performance that carves its place in the golden history of elite international equestrian competitions like Madrid.

The class featured 46 horse-and-rider combinations tackling fences up to 1.55 meters in height. Fourteen of them managed to complete the course fault-free — no small feat considering the technical challenges presented by a Grand Prix-style course designed by Spain’s own renowned course designer, Santiago Varela.

The jump-off began with a strong performance by Belgian rider Gilles Thomas aboard Luna Van het Dennenhof, who set a tough time to beat at 39.37 seconds. However, his hopes for victory were short-lived. Immediately after, Germany’s Katrin Eckermann delivered what had seemed impossible just moments before.

Eckermann had finished second in last year’s edition of the H.M. The King's Cup and returned to Madrid determined to go one better. Her ride through the Caser Grupo Helvetia double, the tight rollback to a vertical, and the long gallop to the final skinny vertical with a plank were textbook examples of precision and bravery. Riding Chao Lee — the same mare she rode to second place last year — she stopped the clock at an incredible 38.51 seconds.

None of the remaining 12 jump-off contenders could top her performance. The closest was fellow German Christian Ahlmann, who delivered a clear round in 39.75 seconds, placing him third. Four additional riders managed fault-free rounds, though all exceeded the 40-second mark.

Among the Spanish riders, only Iván Serrano aboard Rain Man reached the jump-off with a fault-free initial round. The courageous rider from the Basque Country pushed hard in the jump-off and came close to a top-four finish. Unfortunately, a risky approach to the final vertical resulted in a knockdown. Without that rail, he would have finished fourth.

The event was also charged with emotion for Spanish fans, as it marked the final competitive appearance of Rockfeller de Pleville, the beloved Selle Français partner of Eduardo Álvarez Aznar. After two early rails, Eduardo chose to retire the horse mid-course. At 20 years old, Rockfeller is now stepping away from competition and will receive a well-deserved farewell tribute on Sunday in the CSI5* LGCT Madrid arena.

Katrin Eckermann received the H.M. The King's Cup from Javier Revuelta, President of the Royal Spanish Equestrian Federation (RFHE), followed by the Caser Grupo Helvetia Trophy presented by Javier Carrizo, Regional Director of Agents and Brokers at Caser Grupo Helvetia. They were accompanied by Juan Carlos Vera, General Manager of Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, and Álvaro Arrieta, President of Oxer Sport.

Italian victory at Grupo EULEN Trophy

Earlier in the day, a 1.45-meter class sponsored by Grupo EULEN was held on the green arena of the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. The competition followed a two-phase format, and only two combinations managed to deliver double clear rounds, after six qualified for the second phase.

The winner of the Grupo EULEN Trophy, with zero penalties and a time of 26.04 seconds, was Italian rider Giacomo Casadei aboard Evitason van’t Paradijs. His performance in the decisive phase was noticeably faster than that of the runner-up, Mexico’s Federico Fernández Senderos with Diamonds are Unique, who stopped the clock at 27.27 seconds.

Third place went to another Italian rider, the ever-competitive Emanuele Gaudiano, riding Vasco 118, who incurred one rail down in the second phase.

During the prize-giving ceremony, the Grupo EULEN Trophy was presented to the winner by the company’s Vice President, Juan Sucunza, accompanied by Álvaro Arrieta and Juan Carlos Vera.