Few venues command respect quite like CHIO Aachen. Known as the Wimbledon of equestrian sport, it blends sporting heritage with world-class atmosphere. Riders dream of winning here. Fans pack the grandstands for five-star action. And with the Mercedes Benz Nations Cup and Rolex Major Grand Prix on the schedule, it’s where reputations are made, or broken.

The Stars of the Show

Which horses have shown class across their career?

The Elo rating reflects sustained success against the world’s toughest competition and this year’s Aachen field is packed with the world’s best. All of the Top 10 rated horses ready to rock in Aachen rank among the Top 25 rated horses in the entire world. 

Last stop before the Jumping Europeans

Several contenders are using the Aachen stage as a critical build-up to the 2025 European Championships in La Coruña. 

Based on the EquiRatings Prediction Center, Ben Maher and Point Break will enter the Europeans as the favourites for individual gold. As their last stop before the Championships, they come to Aachen as the top-rated pair in the field with Point Break’s Elo up at 791. Despite their swift rise up the ratings with consistency at the highest level of the sport, primarily in 2024, Ben and Point Break have not yet claimed a major Grand Prix win. With Sunday’s Rolex Grand Slam Grand Prix on the line and Ben Maher’s hunger to finally take top honours in a Rolex Major, they could be the ones to beat on Sunday. 

Richard Vogel & United Touch S’s near-miss in the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen last year is engraved in many a showjumping fan's memory. As their last stop before spearheading a strong German team in La Coruna, they will want to set the record straight and become the fifth consecutive German victors of the prestigious Aachen Grand Prix. 

Their presence at Aachen signals an important stepping stone, a last major test against the best in the world before championship pressure sets in. How they handle the spotlight here may offer valuable insight into their medal credentials for mid-July.

Form Front-Runners: Who’s Outperforming Expectations?

Who’s delivering clear rounds at a level beyond expectation?

Some horses aren’t just jumping clear, they’re doing it when the odds say they shouldn’t. These combinations are currently delivering above-standard performances, turning heads with consistency that outpaces the difficulty of the courses they’re facing.

What is the Clears Against Standard Metric?

One combination has taken 2025 by storm. Denis Lynch and Vistogrand have already had a busy season with 18 five-star 160 rounds jumped so far and exactly half of them resulting in a clear. 

The Double Threats: Consistency Meets Momentum

In a field stacked with stars, three horses hit both the Top 10 on rating and on form. These combinations are arriving in Aachen with the perfect balance, proven over time and peaking when it matters.

Bonne Amie & Abdel Saïd are having a season that’s hard to ignore. Bonne Amie’s place among the highest-rated horses speaks to years of elite-level performances, but what’s especially exciting is her current form. With a five-star Grand Prix victory to start off the season in Doha, they have continued to churn out strong results with a double clear in the Nations Cup of La Baule to help Team Belgium to a podium finish and most recently picking up a 155 victory under the Eiffel Tower in Paris for their last outing before this weekend. That’s a dangerous profile heading into a venue as demanding as Aachen.

Greya, the leader of Kent Farrington’s string, offers a different kind of threat. She is the only horse who has already managed to win not one, not two, but three five-star Grands Prix in 2025. Without a European Championships to distract them, their focus can solely lie on repeating Kent’s 2019 performance of winning the Rolex Grand Slam Grand Prix of Aachen.

Another Team USA star to consider in Aachen is Imperial HBF. The talented gelding only made his five-star debut under McLain Ward 6 weeks ago, but the pair have managed to maintain an exceptional consistency on this season’s toughest courses with clear rates averaging at just 19%. They produced double clears in the Nations Cup of Rome and the Grand Prix of La Baule, a kind of adaptability and effectiveness that shows a major advantage in a team context.

All three horses bring something slightly different to the table, but they’ve delivered when it counted, and they’re entering Aachen in the kind of shape that could turn strong reputations into major victories.