Dublin's 100th Aga Khan Trophy and the Rolex Grand Prix: who's entered for the weekend
The RDS hands out its 100th Nations' Cup trophy on Friday and stages one of the most exciting classes in Irish show jumping on Sunday with the €1m Rolex Grand Prix, and the entry list for both is stacked.
The RDS marks its 100th Nations' Cup of Ireland this week, and the calendar has lined it up well. The Aga Khan Trophy is contested on Friday, the €1 million Rolex Grand Prix of Ireland closes the show on Sunday, and both classes draw from a field carrying real form.
None of the 107 horse and rider combinations entered for the week are locked into a start list yet. Team sheets for Friday get confirmed closer to the class, and Sunday's Grand Prix draws from the same pool of entries. A number of horses on the list carry two or three possible riders. What follows is a read on who has entered, not who is jumping.
Friday: the Aga Khan Trophy turns 100
Ireland has won the trophy three times in the last decade, most recently in 2022. The Netherlands are the defending champions. Harrie Smolders, Kevin Jochems, Willem Greve and Frank Schuttert won it for the Dutch in 2025, with Germany second and Ireland third.
| Year | Winning nation |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Ireland |
| 2016 | Italy |
| 2017 | USA |
| 2019 | Great Britain |
| 2022 | Ireland |
| 2023 | Switzerland |
| 2024 | USA |
| 2025 | Netherlands |
No two nations have won back to back since the run of data starts in 2010. That points to an open Friday, and the depth entered this week backs it up. Eight nations have entered enough riders to field a full team.
| Nation | Starts | Wins | Win % | Podiums | Podium % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 13 | 3 | 23% | 11 | 85% |
| USA | 10 | 3 | 30% | 6 | 60% |
| France | 10 | 0 | 0% | 5 | 50% |
| Great Britain | 12 | 3 | 25% | 6 | 50% |
| Netherlands | 13 | 2 | 15% | 5 | 38% |
| Switzerland | 9 | 1 | 11% | 3 | 33% |
| Germany | 7 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 14% |
| Belgium | 4 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 25% |
Germany's individual form is the strongest of any nation in the building this week. Andre Thieme's Dsp Chakaria and Richard Vogel's Cloudio both carry an Elo of 766, tied for the second-highest rating in the field, and Cloudio has earned a 71% clear rate across 20 rounds in individual competition. That individual strength for Germany has not yet carried over into this team event. Seven starts, one podium, no wins.
Ireland's record runs the other way. A 23% win rate is respectable rather than dominant, but the podium rate stands out at 85% from 13 starts, easily the best of any nation with a team's worth of entries this week.
Who Ireland can call on
The team named for Friday includes Trevor Breen, Daniel Coyle, Jordan Coyle, Cian O'Connor and Shane Sweetnam. Five riders for four team places, and each has more than one horse entered for the week, so the final pairings are still a chef d'équipe decision.
| Rider | Horse | Elo | Clear rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Coyle | Farrel | 735 | 40% |
| Gisborne VDL | 646 | 17% | |
| Shane Sweetnam | Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z | 730 | 25% |
| Pia Maria H | 671 | 0% | |
| Jordan Coyle | Chaccolino | 701 | 53% |
| Eristov | 570 | 17% | |
| Cian O'Connor | Kentucky TN | 662 | 29% |
| Genghis Khan | 680 | 0% | |
| Trevor Breen | Highland President | 655 | 31% |
| Kannoon Blue | 637 | 50% |
Daniel Coyle and Farrel carry the highest Elo of the group, but Jordan Coyle and Chaccolino have the best career form in the group. Chaccolino has already won and podiumed four times on a 53% clear rate, well clear of anyone else on this panel. Cian O'Connor has a strong pair in Kentucky TN and the younger Genghis Khan. Trevor Breen's pairing looks the most open call, with Kannoon Blue's 50% clear rate against Highland President's higher Elo.
USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands will all be fielding teams to try and claim the title in this Friday's Nations Cup.
Sunday: the €1 million Grand Prix
The Rolex Grand Prix of Ireland carries the largest individual prize fund in Irish equestrian sport this year. Kent Farrington has won it before, taking the 2015 running with Uceko, and he returns this week with Greya, the highest-rated horse in the entire field at an Elo of 785.
| Year | Winner | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Kevin Jochems, Captain Cooper | NED |
| 2019 | Shane Breen, Z7 Ipswich | IRL |
| 2022 | Edouard Schmitz, Gamin Van't Naastveldhof | SUI |
| 2023 | Francois Xavier Boudant, Brazyl Du Mezel | FRA |
| 2024 | Martin Fuchs, Conner Jei | SUI |
| 2025 | Laura Kraut, Bisquetta | USA |
Ireland has not won this Grand Prix since Shane Breen in 2019. That is six years without a home winner in the class, despite lifting the Aga Khan Trophy in the same window.
Entries for the week are ranked below by Elo. These are the combinations declared for Dublin, not a start list for Sunday, and several horses carry more than one possible rider.
| Horse | Rider | Nation | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greya | Kent Farrington | USA | 785 |
| Dsp Chakaria | Andre Thieme | GER | 766 |
| Albfuehren's Iashin Sitte | Steve Guerdat | SUI | 766 |
| Cloudio | Richard Vogel | GER | 766 |
| Baloutinue | Laura Kraut | USA | 760 |
| Esi Rocky | Anastasia Nielsen | MON | 753 |
| Toys | Jörne Sprehe | GER | 749 |
| Major Tom | Rodrigo Pessoa | BRA | 748 |
| Farrel | Daniel Coyle | IRL | 735 |
Greya sits on top of the whole field. Cloudio has had the biggest rise of any horse near the top of the entry list, and has been clear in 5 of his 8 international rounds this year. Farrington still holds the higher rating. Vogel has a sharp trend line heading into Dublin.
Dublin will crown its 100th Aga Khan Trophy winner on Friday and hosts one of the most exciting classes in Irish show jumping on Sunday. Who will claim these exciting titles?