DUTCH rider Willem Greve won his first-ever 1.60m Longines FEI Jumping World Cup class on Sunday, when he rode 13-year-old stallion Highway TN N.O.P. to triumph in Leipzig, Germany.

A start list of 40 took on Frank Rothenberger’s (GER) testing track, in which all the verticals stood at the maximum 1.60m and six out of the eight oxers measured 1.55m. Thirteen combinations negotiated their way round the first-round course without penalty to get through to the jump-off, with some very familiar names among them. Eight of them managed to complete a double clear round, emphasising the level of talent in the class.

Greve came into the arena halfway through the jump-off running order and rode an impeccable clear round with Highway TN N.O.P. to stop the clock in 40.52 seconds. Greve was visibly pleased with the performance, as he punched the air in delight.

French rider Simon Delestre on Dexter Fontenis Z was last in and made a valiant effort to catch the Dutch man’s time, but they were out of luck on this occasion, with their time of 41.21 good enough for second place. The podium was completed by Germany’s Hans-Dieter Dreher on Elysium in third (41.55). The Irish didn’t feature in the class, as an unfortunate four faults ruled Denis Lynch and Brooklyn Heights out of the jump-off.

Afterwards, Greve said: “I’ve been riding Highway since he was seven, so this is our sixth year together and we know each other so well. It’s only our second World Cup (this season), at Mechelen we were close, but we didn’t start (the jump-off) quite so well. Today, we were smooth from the first to the last, everything went to plan and we nailed it!”

The current Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Western European League 2024/2025, after 11 legs, sees Kevin Staut (FRA) in the lead on 70 points, Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER) in second on 66 points, Robert Whitaker (GBR) in third with 60 points, Gregory Wathelet (BEL) in fourth place with 56 points, Pieter Devos (BEL) in fifth on 47 points, just ahead of Great Britain’s Ben Maher in sixth on 46 points.

The season jumps over to Amsterdam (NED) on January 26th for leg 12 and then down to Bordeaux for the penultimate leg, before Gothenburg plays host to the 14th and final leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Western European League 2024/2025.

Irish success

Diarmuid Howley was the best of the Irish in Leipzig, getting his name on the scoreboard on Sunday, when winning the eight-year-old 1.45m two-phase finale with Rialtto van de Roshoeve.

The 15 best horses from two previous qualifiers were pitted against each other, with seven of them managing to jump clear over the demanding course, with time being the deciding factor. Howley and his mount jumped a fast and accurate clear in a time of 26.75, which could not be caught, putting them at the top of the podium.

Howley’s nearest challenger was Germany’s Teike Friedrichsen on Kasanga VA (27.17), while third place went to Rolf-Goran Bengtsson on Davis 17 (27.20).

The World Cup Show in Leipzig, Germany, ran from Thursday, January 16th until Sunday, January 19th and, while Irish participants were few in numbers, those present featured in the placings in a number of classes.

Denis Lynch rode Anchorman 5 into sixth place in Thursday’s 1.30m seven-year-old qualifier, where they jumped a clear round in 74.71 seconds. The class was won by Germany’s Maximilian Weishaupt on D-Jay Cracker with an unbeatable clear in 69.24.

Lynch secured another sixth place with King Blue in Friday’s five-star 1.45m class, with a clear round in 51.87. The top spot went to German rider Josch Loehden on EIC Schabernack, who stopped the clock in 49.85.

Saturday saw Olivia Ann Nell on Pepita de Muze place eighth in the Small Tour 1.15m class, when they jumped clear in 55.28. Class winner Maureen Dalpke (GER) on Kalea 9 set an unbeatable time of 48.58.

Lynch and Anchorman 5 placed eighth in the day’s 1.35m seven-year-old qualifier, after they incurred four faults in a time of 58.73. Belgian rider Jules van Hoydonck on Calgary van’t Hageland T&L Z won the class, when keeping a clean sheet in 56.74.

Lynch and King Blue finished equal sixth in the Six Bar class, when they had four faults in the third round to conclude the day’s competitions.