Millstreet CCI4*-S 2026 Preview

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Close up Image of the Bay Horse Beauville Z N.o.p. & His Rider Maikel Van Der Vleuten Clearing a Show Jumping Fence in Competition. an Upward Trending Arrow Is Behind the Subjects. Photo Tilly Berendt. Design EquiRatings.

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Close up Image of Rider Henrik Von Eckermann Rubbing the Neck of His Chestnut Horse King Edward With Both Hands as They Exit the Show Jumping Ring After a Round. Photo Tilly Berendt. Design EquiRatings.

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Image of the Bay Horse Lordships Graffalo and Ros Canter During a Horse Inspection. an Upward Trending Arrow Is Behind the Subjects. Photo Tilly Berendt. Design EquiRatings.

Image of the the Bay Horse La Biosthetique Sam Fbw and Michael Jung During a Horse Inspection. Two Line Graph Icons Are Behind the Subjects. Photo Tilly Berendt. Design EquiRatings.

Horse Ratings

Main

<h2>Windsor</h2>
The spotlight at Windsor will be on the home side, with several of Britain&rsquo;s biggest names leading the field. Ben Maher returns with Point Break, while Scott Brash brings both Hello Jefferson and Hello Folie. Harry Charles also arrives with strong contenders in Sherlock and Casquo Blue, giving the British team serious depth heading into the weekend. International challengers will make a home victory far from guaranteed. Richard Vogel and Gangster Montdesir add speed and consistency to the field, while Martin Fuchs and Connor Jei arrive in exceptional form, having finished either first or second in their last three CSI5* Grand Prix starts, making them one of the most dangerous combinations in the field.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/9e051732-af0b-4d7b-bb87-5395e24ff2f6.png?width=411&amp;height=512" alt="Unnamed (6)">
Windsor combines elite sport with one of the most atmospheric settings on the calendar, and with so much British strength in the lineup, the pressure for a home win will be high.
<blockquote>
Key class: Rolex Grand Prix of Windsor &mdash; Sunday
</blockquote>
&nbsp;
<h2>Hamburg</h2>
Hamburg offers a completely different test, with the grass arena often rewarding experienced horses and careful riding. The show is known for producing unpredictable results, and this year&rsquo;s field looks especially competitive.
One of the standout names is Chadellano JRA with Eiken Sato after their strong run of form this season. Germany&rsquo;s depth is also on full display through riders such as Andr&eacute; Thieme and Christian Kukuk, while Cian O&rsquo;Connor and Donald Whitaker add further international strength.
Hamburg also features the iconic Derby, one of the sport&rsquo;s most demanding and historic classes, adding another layer of attention to the weekend schedule.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/c7187e5d-5e8a-43d1-93b7-a6e9113c3209.png?width=512&amp;height=502" alt="Unnamed (7)">
For many combinations, Hamburg is an important opportunity to prove themselves on grass before the busiest stretch of the European outdoor season begins.
<blockquote>
Key class: Longines Grand Prix of Hamburg &mdash; Saturday
Al Shira&rsquo;aa German Jumping Derby &mdash; Sunday
</blockquote>
&nbsp;
<h2>Madrid</h2>
Madrid may have the deepest mix of established stars and rising partnerships of the three events. The venue&rsquo;s large grass arena consistently rewards confidence and rhythm, and several combinations arrive in strong form.
ESI Rocky enters the weekend with one of the strongest recent clear-round records in the field alongside Anastasia Nielsen, while Impress-K arrives in particularly strong form after his recent CSI5* Grand Prix victory in Fontainebleau. Maikel van der Vleuten and Beauville Z N.O.P. bring major championship experience, while Stephan de Freitas Barcha arrives with two highly rated horses. Bertram Allen and Qonquest de Rigo are another pair worth watching after building momentum this season.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/bde3ea93-013c-42b1-9ea5-73938868b4df.png?width=511&amp;height=512" alt="Unnamed (8)">
Madrid often produces fast, competitive jump-offs, and this year&rsquo;s lineup suggests another major test ahead.
<blockquote>
Key class: Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Madrid &mdash; Sunday
</blockquote>
&nbsp;
<h2>The Shape of the Weekend</h2>
What makes this weekend stand out is the variety across all three venues. Windsor brings tradition and home pressure, Hamburg provides a technical grass-field challenge, and Madrid delivers one of the strongest international lineups of the month. With so many top combinations spread across Europe at the same time, this weekend feels less like a normal stop on the calendar and more like a major moment in the outdoor season. This rare triple-header of five-star sport in Europe offers thrilling storylines, including the return of stars, grass surfaces, home-nation pressure, and a lineup of horses that could reshape the rankings.

Three Cities, Three Stories, One Huge Weekend

<h2>A Venue That Has Grown Into Something Special</h2>
Since Madrid joined the Longines Global Champions Tour calendar in 2013, it has steadily built a reputation as one of the most prestigious stops on the circuit. The numbers tell the story: the Elo field strength, the gold standard measure of competition quality in show jumping, has risen almost every single year, from 685 at the inaugural edition to a record high of 726 in 2025, ranking that edition among the top 5 strongest LGCT Grand Prix fields of all time.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/2cffe3eb-73e8-407f-a3a9-3199b90ca866.png?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Oxer Gc Madrid (2)">
In thirteen editions, Madrid has produced thirteen different winners. Not one rider has managed to win this Grand Prix twice, a remarkable statistic that speaks to the relentless depth of competition the venue attracts year after year. That streak is on the line again this week.
&nbsp;
<h2>What the Course Demands</h2>
The Madrid Grand Prix is not for the faint-hearted. Across its history, just 21% of starters in Round 1 have gone clear, one of the tougher opening round statistics on the entire circuit. When a Jump-Off is reached, it has produced clear rounds 58% of the time, meaning the course regularly forces riders to choose between caution and glory.
The toughest edition on record came in 2023, when only one horse, Edwina Tops-Alexander and Fellow Castlefield, jumped clear in Round 1. In 2015, Luciana Diniz and Winningmood were the only combination to go clear in the Jump-Off, winning the Grand Prix in a class of their own. That same Winningmood is one of the most extraordinary stories in Madrid's history: four rounds jumped at this venue across its career, four clear rounds, a perfect record.
&nbsp;
<h2>Horses That Have Left Their Mark</h2>
Four horses have recorded multiple podiums at Madrid: Rokfeller De Pleville Bois Margot, who was retired at this very venue in 2025, alongside Verdi TN, Misanto Pret A Tout, and VDL Cartello. Each of them has competed at the sharp end of the sport's biggest occasions, and each returned to Madrid more than once to prove it was no accident.
Then there is the story of Explosion W. It was in Madrid in 2018 that Ben Maher and his then-nine-year-old jumped their very first 5* Grand Prix win together. That was just the beginning. Explosion W went on to win 16 CSI5* Grands Prix, claim individual Olympic gold at Tokyo 2021, and retire in December 2025 at London's International Horse Show in front of a sell-out crowd. Madrid was where it all started.
&nbsp;
<h2>The King of Madrid: Maikel van der Vleuten</h2>
If one rider owns this venue statistically, it is Maikel van der Vleuten. No rider has started more LGCT Grand Prix of Madrid editions (11), and no rider has more Grand Prix podiums at this event (4). Since 2013, Maikel has accumulated 15 podiums across all 5* classes at this venue, and leads all riders with 12 clear rounds in 160cm classes here, a tally matched only by Marcus Ehning, who is not in the field this year.
Alongside him this week is Beauville Z N.O.P., the top-rated horse-and-rider combination in the entire field with an Elo of 767. In 122 rounds together at 5* 160cm level, they have gone clear 68 times, a career clear rate of 56%. This record places Beauville Z among a very select group: only six horses in global records since 2010 have jumped more clears at CSI5* 160 level. Maikel arrives not just as the most experienced Madrid competitor, but as the in-form favourite.
<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/47737836-5a30-4d25-8af1-ad5a9cecdc5f.png?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Oxer Gc Madrid (1)">
<h2> The Form Combination: Thibeau Spits &amp; Impress-K Van't Kattenheye Z</h2>
If Maikel is the headline name, Thibeau Spits is the story of the season. The Belgian combination of Spits and Impress-K Van't Kattenheye Z have posted three starts, three clears, and three Top 5 finishes in 5* Grands Prix in 2026, a perfect record. Their most recent outing together was a Grand Prix win in Fontainebleau just three weeks ago. Impress-K ranks among the top 20 rated horses in the world, and his Elo of 766 makes them the second-ranked partnership in the field, a single point behind Maikel and Beauville Z. They are LGCT Grand Prix winners together, having taken the title in Riesenbeck in 2024, and they arrive in Madrid with the kind of momentum that is very hard to argue with.
&nbsp;
<h2>Madrid Will Deliver</h2>
It always does. A course that punishes hesitation, a field that leaves no room for complacency, and a title that has never been successfully defended, Madrid has all the ingredients for another unforgettable Sunday evening. Eduardo Alvarez Aznar arrives with an entire city behind him. Maikel van der Vleuten arrives as the man who knows this venue better than anyone alive, paired with one of the greatest horses in the world right now. Thirteen editions have produced thirteen stories worth telling. The fourteenth is about to begin.
&nbsp;

Stars of the Show: The Numbers Behind One of the LGCT of Madrid

In 77 years of Badminton history, no horse had gone beyond two victories. "Walter" has now gone one better - adding 2026 to his wins in 2023 and 2025, and standing alone at the top of a list that includes legends like Supreme Rock, Sir Wattie, and Great Ovation.
The victory is also the fifth CCI5* win of Lordships Graffalo's career (excluding Worlds and Olympics), moving him clear of Willingapark Clifford and Ballaghmor Class &mdash; both of whom finished on four &mdash; to become the most successful five-star horse the sport has ever seen.
From harmony in the dressage, to bravery across country, to delivering once again when it mattered most in the showjumping, this was a performance that captured everything great about eventing. That it came just 15 weeks after the birth of Ros' second child only adds to the remarkable nature of what was achieved.
Skill. Horsemanship. Resilience. Greatness.

History Made: Lordships Graffalo becomes Badminton's first three-time Champion

Ros Canter &amp; Lordships Graffalo&nbsp;did it again! They went clear inside the time to maintain their lead and head into the showjumping with a 94% win chance. But this is about more than just a win.&nbsp;Lordships Graffalo&nbsp;is chasing history: a third Badminton title that would make him the first horse ever to win the event three times. No horse has done it. Walter just might.
The cross-country ran almost exactly to script. Of 59 starters, 33 went clear - a rate of 56%, right in line with our pre-event expectation. The average time fault tally across the field was 7.2 penalties, again where we expected it. Seven combinations went inside the time for a rate of 12%, each collecting the full 60 Eventing Manager points:
<ul>
<li>
Ros Canter &amp;&nbsp;Lordships Graffalo: 80 points total on EM, 94% win chance heading into Sunday.
</li>
<li>
Harry Meade &amp;&nbsp;Annaghmore Valoner: Sitting second overnight on 74 EM points. His seventh Badminton clear inside the time in the modern era, bettered only by Andrew Nicholson's eleven.
</li>
<li>
Sarah Bullimore &amp; Corimiro: Move into third on 72 EM points. The homebred ten-year-old has been one of the stories of the week. Bullimore put it simply:&nbsp;"He is the reason that I am still doing it and the reason I get out of bed in the morning. He is an absolute pleasure to ride in every phase."
</li>
<li>
Katie Magee &amp; Treworra: In fourth place, they are likely to set improve on their finishing position at Badminton last year (11th).
</li>
<li>
Gaspard Maksud &amp; Zaragoza: 12th overnight and the first French rider inside the time at Badminton in ten years.
</li>
<li>
Tayla Mason &amp; Centennial: A huge result for this pair to sit in 14th going into showjumping.
</li>
<li>
Holly Richardson &amp; Ballyneety Silver Service: Backing up their Bramham 4*L form where they were inside the time, this pair sit 23rd overnight.
</li>
</ul>
Ros and Walter go into Sunday not even needing a clear round (6.6 penalty margin) to make history... although they are 5/5 clear jumping from their five 5* starts. Second through sixth are within a rail of each other. One phase remains.

94% chance at history

Millstreet CCI4*-S 2026 Preview

Top Stories

Millstreet CCI4*-S 2026 Preview

Three Cities, Three Stories, One Huge Weekend

Stars of the Show: The Numbers Behind One of the LGCT of Madrid

History Made: Lordships Graffalo becomes Badminton's first three-time Champion

94% chance at history

Latest Shows

MARS Badminton Horse Trials

Eventing

Defender Kentucky

Eventing

WEF 2026

Jumping

Morven Park

US Equestrian Open Final of Eventing

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US Equestrian Open

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Jumping

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