Eyes on the Gold: Who are the Favourites for European Glory?
Who are the leading contenders and what makes them stand out?
The stage is set. The 2025 Jumping European Championships at Casas Novas in La Coruña are almost here, and anticipation is building around who will capture individual gold. With legends, rising stars, and a wealth of championship experience lining up, this year’s battle promises drama, precision, and some truly elite sport.
Martin Fuchs & Conner Jei
Martin Fuchs, the 2019 European Champion on Clooney, returns seeking a second gold meda, this time with Conner Jei. While not his top-rated mount, Leone Jei, with whom Fuchs just won the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen, Conner Jei has proven winning credentials of his own.
Rated 749 on the EquiRatings Elo (ranked 36th in the world), this horse has delivered a solid clear rate of 50% across 64 five-star 160 rounds. Conner Jei and Fuchs were victorious in Bordeaux’s World Cup in February and won the Rolex Grand Prix of Dublin last year, signaling their readiness for another major title bid.
With an 8% predicted win chance and an 18% medal chance, Conner Jei tops the prediction center’s leaderboard heading into La Coruña.
Maikel van der Vleuten & Beauville Z N.O.P.
If there’s a horse to beat on paper, it’s Beauville Z N.O.P., the highest-rated horse in the field on an Elo of 787, third in the world overall.
This Dutch duo is among the most decorated in the sport: bronze medallists at both the Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 Olympics, and at the 2022 Herning World Championships. Remarkably, the only individual medal missing from their collection is a European one.
They’ve jumped over 100 rounds at five-star 1.60m level together, with a superb clear rate of 59%. With a 7% win chance and 17% medal chance, they come to La Coruña as one of the most experienced and consistent pairs in the championship.
Gilles Thomas & Ermitage Kalone
One of the revelations of 2024, Gilles Thomas and the eye-catching stallion Ermitage Kalone arrive in form after winning their first five-star Grand Prix at the Longines Global Champions Tour of Paris.
Despite a smaller career record at this level (just a quarter of the rounds Beauville has jumped), their clear rate of 58% matches the very best, and with an Elo of 774, Ermitage Kalone ranks among the world’s top 10 horses.
Belgium has never claimed individual European gold, could Thomas and Ermitage Kalone be the first? The Prediction Centre rates their win chance at 7% and their medal chance at 18%, marking them as a serious contender.
Darragh Kenny & Eddy Blue
Ireland’s leading individual hope is Darragh Kenny with Eddy Blue, the top-rated Irish combination on an Elo of 757 (Top 30 globally).
Winners of the London World Cup late in 2024, they’ve had a strong 2025 season, maintaining an outstanding 63% clear rate over five-star 1.60m rounds so far this year.
Ireland hasn’t won an individual European gold since Peter Charles and La Ina in 1995, but this pair could change that narrative. With a 7% win chance and 18% medal chance, they’ll be watched closely.
The Scene Is Set
As the championship unfolds at Casas Novas starting today, history, form, and talent converge in La Coruña. None of the last ten European champions completed their championship on a zero-penalty score, and just one of the past seven was leading after Day 1, reminders that consistency and resilience, not just brilliance on paper, will decide who stands atop the podium this weekend.
The favourites are strong, but at a championship like this, surprises are guaranteed.