The Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Madrid for Ioli Mytilineou

The 2025 edition of the CSI5* Longines Global Champions Tour of Madrid came to a perfect close with a Grand Prix in which the circuit’s top riders delivered outstanding performances. Among them, the young Greek rider Ioli Mytilineou stood out as the star of the day with “L’Artiste de Toxandra.”

She has spent years achieving success all over the world, was an Olympian in Paris, but Ioli Mytilineou was still missing a Grand Prix victory in the Global Champions Tour circuit. And the young Greek rider (27 years old), who resides in Belgium, finally achieved it this afternoon on the green arena of the Club de Campo-Villa de Madrid. And she did it in dominant fashion, with a jump-off round that was nearly flawless, without the slightest mistake and shaving off hundredths of a second wherever possible to secure her win.

Ioli Mytilineou not only won, she made an unusually large difference in a jump-off at this level of Grand Prix, with elite competition. The Greek rider stopped the clock with “L’Artiste de Toxandra” at exactly 34 seconds, while the German Marco Kutscher finished second with a time of 35.98 seconds on “Aventador S.” Almost 2 seconds more!

Third place went to another experienced German rider, Hans-Dieter Dreher, with “Elysium” (36.12), and fourth was Pieter Devos riding “Casual DV Z,” with a time of 36.40. They were the four double-clear rounds of the Madrid Grand Prix, which had three other riders qualify for the jump-off, though none of them managed to repeat a clear round in the second phase.

The 114th CSI5* Madrid event, which counted toward the Longines Global Champions Tour, was contested over a demanding and lengthy course of 14 obstacles, perfectly designed by Spanish course designer Santiago Varela.

Of the three Spanish riders who qualified to compete in this Madrid Grand Prix, the best result came from Manuel Fernández Saro, who had just one rail down riding “Ezilis du Mesnil.”

The top three riders in the event received their respective trophies on the Longines Global Champions Tour podium. Hans-Dieter Dreher, third, received his from Jan Tops; Marco Kutscher, second, from Javier Revuelta, president of the Spanish Equestrian Federation (RFHE); while the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, presented the grand cup to the winner, Ioli Mytilineou.

A brilliant victory lap was the perfect finishing touch to this 114th edition of the CSI Madrid Longines Global Champions Tour.

¡HOLA! TROPHY

The Sunday schedule of the CSI5* LGCT Madrid included another event, the ¡HOLA! Trophy, which took place in the early afternoon. It was a Table A against the clock, with jumps set at 1.45 meters in height, featuring 24 combinations, of which ten completed the course without penalties.

The ¡HOLA! Trophy confirmed that Emanuele Gaudiano is in top form, as is his horse “Vasco 118.” The Italian rider has already won 24 international classes this year, 9 of them with this 11-year-old horse. In the arena of the Club de Campo-Villa de Madrid, his time of 60.25 seconds marked a significant difference from his closest competitor, Denmark’s Andreas Schou with “Billy Matador” (62.39). Third place went to France’s Olivier Perreau with “GL Events Dolce Deceuninck” (62.88), and fourth — and best Spanish rider — was Armando Trapote with “Tornado VS” (63.94).

Two other Spanish riders also delivered clear rounds: Jesús Garmendia, sixth with “Caramel Blue PS,” and Manuel Fernández Saro, eighth with “Dreamland,” while Julio Arias and “Peanuts van Baublo” incurred only 2 time faults.

Lorenzo Cavanillas, rider and former president of the Equestrian Forum, presented the ¡HOLA! Trophy to the winner, accompanied by Álvaro Arrieta, president of Oxer Sport, and Antonio Vos, CFO and commercial director of the Club de Campo-Villa de Madrid.

Bye Rokfeller

In the moments leading up to the start of the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Madrid, the iconic green arena of the Club de Campo-Villa de Madrid was transformed into the setting for a heartfelt and emotional tribute to a true legend of Spanish equestrian sport. Rokfeller, the loyal and inseparable partner of Eduardo Álvarez Aznar, officially retired from competition, bringing to a close a brilliant career filled with memorable moments.

During this very special moment, Eduardo was joined by people who have played deeply meaningful roles not only in his professional and personal life, but also in Rokfeller’s. They shared years of dedication, effort, and triumphs together. By his side was his wife, Leticia Pérez-Seoane, accompanied by their children Carlota, Santi, and Victoria, who experienced this unique moment with emotion. Also present were major figures from the equestrian world such as Luis Álvarez Cervera (his father), Alejandra Álvarez Aznar (his sister), Asia Olszewska (Roki´s previous groom), Ricardo Iriarte (Roki´s first groom), Typhaine Lacroix (Roki´s actual groom), and Fernando de los Santos (Alvarez Aznar´s rider) — all of whom were witnesses and protagonists at different stages of Rokfeller’s journey.

Together, they paid tribute to an exceptional horse, whose nobility, dedication, and heart have left an indelible mark on the history of Spanish equestrianism.