Two Roads to a Five-Star Win
One horse with almost a decade of five-star mileage behind him, the other barely out of the gate at this level. Both walked away Grand Prix winners this weekend.
Two five-star Grand Prix winners this weekend, and two very different stories behind them. In Valkenswaard, a long-serving campaigner turned years of near misses into another big win. In Toronto, a ten-year-old with barely a handful of 1m60 starts to his name beat a strong field without touching a rail.
Between them, Yuri Mansur and Vitiki, and Shane Sweetnam and Coriaan van Klapscheut Z, sum up the range of paths to the top of the sport. One built on mileage, the other on rapid rise.
CSI5* Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Valkenswaard, 1m60
| Rank | Horse & Rider | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitiki & Yuri Mansur (BRA) | Clear, 37.27 sec jump-off |
| 2 | Casual DV Z & Pieter Devos (BEL) | Clear, 37.97 sec jump-off |
| 3 | Trezeguet & Annelies Vorsselmans (BEL) | Clear, 38.85 sec jump-off |
Vitiki has been a fixture at this level for years. Sixty-nine classifications and 77 rounds deep, with four podium finishes to his name coming into the weekend. But only one of those had been a win. That is the profile of a horse who competes at the sharp end consistently without always landing the big result, and it is exactly why this one stood out.
Beating a five-star field that included Pieter Devos and Annelies Vorsselmans, going fastest of five clear jump-off rounds, was a step above his usual pattern. His Elo rating of 694 heading into the weekend already reflected a horse who competes well above average. This result adds real weight to that number.
CSI5* Major League Show Jumping Grand Prix of Toronto, 1m60
| Rank | Horse & Rider | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coriaan van Klapscheut Z & Shane Sweetnam (IRL) | Double clear |
| 2 | Descartes SR & Kent Farrington (USA) | Clear, 4 in jump-off |
| 3 | Acajou & Ilan Bluman (COL) | Clear, 4 in jump-off |
Coriaan van Klapscheut Z came into the weekend with just seven starts at 1m60 and only one podium finish, no wins. This was only his second five-star Grand Prix. Producing the only double clear of the day, ahead of Kent Farrington and Ilan Bluman, is a serious result for a horse this new to the level.
It is the kind of win that moves a rating fast. His Elo of 733 already sits among the top five for a ten-year-old anywhere in the sport, and a clean sweep of a five-star field like this pushes that further. Where Vitiki’s win closed out a long road for another big result, Sweetnam’s came from a horse still building his record, and doing it quickly.
| Vitiki | Coriaan van Klapscheut Z | |
| 1m60 starts | 69 | 7 |
| Wins before Sunday | 1 | 0 |
| Elo rating | 694 | 733 |
One horse proving that consistency eventually pays off. The other proving how fast a young horse can announce himself at the top level. Both wins matter for very different reasons.
Two winners, two Elo ratings heading in opposite directions on the experience curve, and one clear takeaway. At five-star level, there is no single route to the top. Keep an eye on both ratings as the season moves toward its close. A horse this fast at ten years old, and a horse this reliable at any age, are both worth watching.