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June 8-14, 2026

Bucci's Rolex Double. Two From Forty in St Tropez. Bluman Wins Spruce Meadows on Debut.

8.8

Bucci's Rolex Double. Two From Forty in St Tropez. Bluman Wins Spruce Meadows on Debut.

Three CSI5* events across two continents delivered one of the season's best weeks. Piergiorgio Bucci became the first rider in 2026 to win two Rolex Series Grand Prix, claiming La Baule with Hantano just two weeks after Rome. On the Riviera, a brutally technical LGCT course left just two clear from forty starters — both under 25. And in Calgary, Mark Bluman won the RBC Grand Prix of Canada on his very first visit to Spruce Meadows.

La Baule ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

CSIO5* — La Baule, France | June 11-14, 2026

La Baule's marquee week delivered on every front. Piergiorgio Bucci and Hantano, the 14-year-old BWP gelding, beat Martin Fuchs and Conner Jei by 0.42 seconds in the Rolex Grand Prix jump-off to claim his second Rolex Series victory in three weeks — the first at Piazza di Siena in Rome. Bucci is only the second Italian to win the La Baule Grand Prix, after Giorgio Nuti in 1985.

Seven of 45 starters cleared Gregory Bodo's first-round track. In the jump-off, Bucci's smooth 40.61-second round left little room for Fuchs, who managed 41.03 but couldn't close the gap. Julien Epaillard was fastest in the jump-off at 38.78 seconds but dropped a rail, settling for third on home soil — a result that nonetheless signals the rising form of his newer ride Fringan de Vesquerie.

The week's most dramatic chapter came Friday in the Coupe des Nations. France won their home Nations Cup for the first time since 2017, led by Epaillard's double-clear on Fringan de Vesquerie. Germany, who jointly led after Round 1 on zero faults alongside Great Britain, saw their chances slip when Richard Vogel clipped the penultimate fence in Round 2. Britain's collapse was even more striking — three of their four riders picked up faults in R2 after a flawless opening round. Ireland rallied from eighth to third with three R2 clears from Darragh Kenny, Bertram Allen, and Cian O'Connor. The 7,500-strong La Baule crowd made sure every French clear was heard.

Saturday belonged to Steve Guerdat, who completed a remarkable double — winning both the Prix Saur and the Derby de La Baule with Easy Star de Talma, taking the Derby by 81 centiseconds over Martin Fuchs.

Rolex Grand Prix Ville de La Baule (1.60m) Results:

  1. 🇮🇹 Piergiorgio Bucci — Hantano (0/0, 40.61s)
  2. 🇨🇭 Martin Fuchs — Conner Jei (0/0, 41.03s)
  3. 🇫🇷 Julien Epaillard — Fringan de Vesquerie (0/4, 38.78s)
  4. 🇮🇪 Cian O'Connor — Chatolinue PS (0/4, 41.03s)
  5. 🇮🇪 Bertram Allen — Qonquest de Rigo (0/4, 42.19s)
  6. 🇧🇪 Gilles Thomas — Ermitage Kalone (0/4, 46.47s)
  7. 🇧🇪 Pieter Devos — Casual DV Z (0/8, 44.05s)
  8. 🇸🇪 Petronella Andersson — Odina van Klapscheut (4, 76.72s)
  9. 🇩🇪 Richard Vogel — United Touch S (4, 78.11s)
  10. 🇫🇷 Nina Mallevaey — Dynastie de Beaufour (4, 78.24s)

Rolex Grand Prix La Baule podium — Bucci (1st), Fuchs (2nd), Epaillard (3rd)

📹 Watch Bucci's winning round

📊 Full Grand Prix results

📊 Nations Cup results

"I don't go out to be beaten. I have a horse that can win. He gives me so much — he deserved a victory in a competition at this level." — Piergiorgio Bucci
"Honestly, I was very frustrated just after my round to be in second place. But five minutes later, I was satisfied with this position here at La Baule, behind Piergiorgio." — Martin Fuchs
"Winning the Coupe des Nations in La Baule is a dream come true. Hearing the crowd sing felt incredible — pure happiness." — Nina Mallevaey

Coupe des Nations Top 5:

  1. 🇫🇷 France (1 pen) — Epaillard 0/0, Mallevaey 0/4, Ermann 1/0, Perreau 4/0
  2. 🇩🇪 Germany (4 pen) — Thieme 0/0, Hinners 0/0, Deusser 0/4, Vogel drop/4
  3. 🇮🇪 Ireland (9 pen) — Kenny 4/0, Allen 1/0, O'Connor 0/0, Sweetnam 4/drop
  4. 🇬🇧 Great Britain (12 pen) — Mendoza 0/0, Stockdale 0/4, Charles 0/4, Brash 0/4
  5. 🇧🇪 Belgium — Devos 0/0, N. Philippaerts 16/4, Thomas 0/1, Wathelet 8/4

St Tropez ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

CSI5* LGCT — Ramatuelle/St Tropez, France | June 11-13, 2026

Two. From forty. That was the story at St Tropez, where only Anastasia Nielsen and Thibeau Spits cleared the 1.60m first-round track to reach a head-to-head jump-off.

Nielsen, riding for Monaco at just 20, delivered her second career LGCT Grand Prix victory — having become the youngest-ever LGCT GP winner in Rabat last year at 19. Her 43.55-second jump-off round on ESI Rocky was controlled and precise. Spits, 25, had the only other clear but dropped a rail in the jump-off to finish on 45.49 seconds with four faults. The two youngest riders in the field were the only ones to solve the course.

Abdel Said, now competing for Belgium, finished fourth on 4 faults and extends his lead in the LGCT championship standings to 133 points, six ahead of Katrin Eckermann on 127.

In the GCL team competition, Riesenbeck International (Christian Kukuk and Ciaran Nallon) claimed their first team win of 2026 on 8 faults, edging Prague Lions on time. Prague Lions maintain the overall GCL lead on 114 points.

LGCT Grand Prix of Ramatuelle/St Tropez (1.60m) Results:

  1. 🇲🇨 Anastasia Nielsen — ESI Rocky (0/0, 43.55s)
  2. 🇧🇪 Thibeau Spits — Impress-K van't Kattenheye Z (0/4, 45.49s)
  3. 🇦🇹 Max Kuhner — EIC Up Too Jacco Blue (4, 66.34s)
  4. 🇧🇪 Abdel Said — Wathnan Quaker Brimbelles Z (4, 68.03s)
  5. 🇫🇷 Alexa Ferrer — Vitalhorse Fleur d'Oz (4, 68.21s)
  6. 🇺🇸 Kristen Vanderveen — Bull Run's Jireh (4, 68.28s)
  7. 🇧🇪 Olivier Philippaerts — Hipster SV (4, 69.26s)
  8. 🇸🇪 Peder Fredricson — Alcapone des Carmille (4, 70.29s)
  9. 🇧🇷 Marlon Modolo Zanotelli — Dorette OLD (4, 70.47s)
  10. 🇮🇪 Michael Pender — HHS Cyprus (4, 70.74s)

Anastasia Nielsen celebrating after LGCT St Tropez GP win

📹 Watch Nielsen's winning round

📊 Full results

"I honestly have no words. I'm so happy. I was so grateful for jumping clear in the first round." — Anastasia Nielsen
"I honestly love this place... to be back here five years later and win the five-star LGCT Grand Prix is just amazing." — Anastasia Nielsen
"Anastasia did exactly what she had to do... she really deserved the win today." — Thibeau Spits

LGCT Championship Standings (after St Tropez):

  1. Abdel Said — 133 pts
  2. Katrin Eckermann — 127 pts
  3. Simon Delestre — 118.67 pts
  4. Michael Pender — 109 pts
  5. Thibeau Spits — 100 pts

GCL Team Standings:

  1. Prague Lions — 114 pts
  2. Riesenbeck International — 101 pts
  3. Istanbul Warriors — 98 pts
  4. Basel Cosmopolitans — 98 pts
  5. New York Empire — 94 pts

Spruce Meadows ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

CSI5* 'National' — Calgary, Canada | June 9-14, 2026

Mark Bluman picked a good week for a first impression. The Colombian rode Landon de Nyze — a 12-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by his uncle Daniel Bluman and previously campaigned by Kent Farrington to team gold and individual silver at the 2023 Pan American Games — to victory in the RBC Grand Prix of Canada on his first-ever Spruce Meadows appearance.

Olaf Petersen Jr. set his first-ever Spruce Meadows track, and only six of the field cleared the first round. In the jump-off, Bluman's smooth 44.44-second clear proved untouchable. Jos Verlooy was the only other double-clear but couldn't match the pace at 49.02 seconds. Daniel Coyle had dominated all week with three class wins including the GP qualifier, but a rail in the jump-off dropped him to third despite posting the fastest time at 41.99 seconds.

Amy Millar flew the flag for Canada in fourth. Jad Dana's fifth-place finish for Lebanon marks a breakthrough at CSI5* level. Spruce Meadows celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer, and the 'National' serves as the opening salvo before the marquee 'Masters' in September.

RBC Grand Prix of Canada, presented by Rolex (1.60m) Results:

  1. 🇨🇴 Mark Bluman — Landon de Nyze (0/0, 44.44s)
  2. 🇧🇪 Jos Verlooy — Nixon Van't Meulenhof (0/0, 49.02s)
  3. 🇮🇪 Daniel Coyle — Farrel (0/4, 41.99s)
  4. 🇨🇦 Amy Millar — Gaiete d'Elle (0/4, 44.78s)
  5. 🇱🇧 Jad Dana — Itchcock des Dames (0/8, 44.65s)
  6. 🇧🇷 Gabriel de Matos Machado — Legaland Sandro (0/8, 44.87s)
  7. 🇨🇿 Vaclav Stanek — Calippo 57 (1 time fault, 86.42s)
  8. 🇮🇪 Conor Swail — Clonterm Obolensky (2 time faults, 87.22s)
  9. 🇪🇬 Sameh El Dahan — Oscar-A (4, 81.30s)
  10. 🇨🇦 Nicole Walker — Panter JVH (4, 81.87s)

Mark Bluman and Landon de Nyze jumping at Spruce Meadows

📹 Watch Bluman's winning round

📊 Full results

"Everybody in this sport needs a little bit of luck. It's a lot of things that need to come together — starting from grooms, farriers, vets, owners, trainers. Thankfully I count on a very big team behind me." — Mark Bluman
"Spruce Meadows is great. You come here for the four tournaments and stay in one place, which we don't get to do much." ... "Spruce Meadows is one of the best places in the world." — Daniel Coyle

Quick Hits

CSIO4* Sopot — Sopot, Poland | June 10-14, 2026

Billy Twomey capped a dominant week in Sopot by winning the LOTTO Grand Prix on Ace of Hearts Z just one day after helping Ireland to Nations Cup victory. Only 3 of 49 starters managed double clear rounds. In the Nations Cup, Ireland and Argentina both finished on 8 penalties across two rounds, sending Shane Breen into a jump-off where his 37.26-second clear sealed it ahead of José María Larocca's 4-fault effort for Argentina.

LOTTO Grand Prix (1.60m) Top 3:

  1. 🇮🇪 Billy Twomey — Ace of Hearts Z (0/0, 41.62s)
  2. 🇮🇹 Roberto Previtali — Quirinus 27 (0/0, 42.63s)
  3. 🇵🇹 Ricardo Benzinho Karle Da Costa — Kirocco (0/0, 43.05s)

📊 Full GP results

📹 Watch Twomey's Nations Cup anchor round

Nations Cup (1.55m) Top 3:

  1. 🇮🇪 Ireland (8 pen, JO 0/37.26) — Wachman 0/0, Twomey 4/0, Butler 0/4, Breen drop/4 — JO 0/37.26
  2. 🇦🇷 Argentina (8 pen, JO 4/34.84) — Maurin 0/0, J.M. Larocca 4/0 — JO 4/34.84, M. Larocca 4/0, Pidutti Hortas drop/drop
  3. 🇯🇵 Japan (12 pen) — Saito 0/0, Haase Shibayama 0/4, Sugitani 4/4

📊 Nations Cup results

CSI4* Sentower Park — Opglabbeek, Belgium | June 10-14, 2026

Yuri Mansur won by just 0.20 seconds over Eoin McMahon in an all-clear jump-off. Earlier in the week, eventing legend Michael Jung placed 4th in a qualifier aboard Fischerheros Z — a reminder of the German's versatility across disciplines.

Grand Prix (1.60m) Top 5:

  1. 🇧🇷 Yuri Mansur — Mister Jup (0/0 JO, 42.38s)
  2. 🇮🇪 Eoin McMahon — Disney Z (0/0 JO, 42.58s)
  3. 🇪🇸 Manuel Fernandez Saro — Baloys PS (0/0 JO, 42.89s)
  4. 🇮🇹 Emanuele Camilli — Chacco's Girlstar (0/0 JO, 43.50s)
  5. 🇧🇷 Matheus Corrêa — Graal Un Prince Domm (0/0 JO, 44.14s)

📊 Full results

CSI4* Traverse City — Traverse City, USA | June 10-14, 2026

All-American podium in Michigan. All six jump-off qualifiers went clear, making it a pure speed contest. Spencer Smith's improving partnership with the 13-year-old Keeneland continues to ascend heading into championship season.

$116,500 Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel Grand Prix Top 3:

  1. 🇺🇸 Spencer Smith — Keeneland (0/0 JO)
  2. 🇺🇸 Charlise Casas — Kanny-Fee (0/0 JO)
  3. 🇺🇸 Molly Ashe Cawley — Lorona (0/0 JO)

📹 Watch Smith's winning round

📊 Full results

CSI3* Lichtenvoorde — Lichtenvoorde, Netherlands | June 9-14, 2026

Twenty-one-year-old American Ansgar Holtgers Jr. avenged last year's runner-up finish, winning the Rabobank Grote Prijs van Gelderland by 0.67 seconds over Johannes Ehning. A strong transatlantic result against a deep European field of 47 entries.

Grand Prix (1.55m) Top 3:

  1. 🇺🇸 Ansgar Holtgers Jr. — Pixel-K van 't Kattenheye (0/0 JO, 39.09s)
  2. 🇩🇪 Johannes Ehning — Kira II (0/0 JO, 39.76s)
  3. 🇳🇱 Hessel Hoekstra — Comthago VDL (0/0 JO, 46.59s)

📊 Full results

CSIO3* Drammen — Drammen, Norway | June 10-14, 2026

Martin Dinesen Neergaard won the Grand Prix by 0.09 seconds over Finland's Annina Nordstrom. But the week's headline came from the Nations Cup: 66-year-old Geir Gulliksen delivered a breathtaking jump-off round in 31.92 seconds to clinch Norway's first home Nations Cup victory in 16 years. He competed alongside his son Johan-Sebastian — a father-son pairing for the ages.

OXER Grand Prix CSIO3* (1.55m) Top 3:

  1. 🇩🇰 Martin Dinesen Neergaard — Here I'Am Z (0/0 JO, 37.08s)
  2. 🇫🇮 Annina Nordstrom — Fuzhou (0/0 JO, 37.17s)
  3. 🇸🇪 Robin Naeve — Queen's Armani (0/0 JO, 38.54s)

📊 Full results (PDF)

Norwegian Nations Cup team on the Longines EEF Series podium at Drammen

Nations Cup (1.50m) Top 3:

  1. 🇳🇴 Norway (4 pen, JO 0/31.92) — J-S Gulliksen 0/0, Flam 4/4, Hoeidal 0/0, Geir Gulliksen 0/5 — JO 0/31.92
  2. 🇧🇪 Belgium (4 pen, JO 0/32.44) — Van Olst 8/8, Bourdeaud'hui 4/0 — JO 0/32.44, Putters 0/0, Brutsaert 0/0
  3. 🇩🇪 Germany (4 pen, JO 0/34.16) — Lahmann 12/5, Beckmann 0/0, Von Essen 0/0 — JO 0/34.16, Kuhl 0/4

📊 Nations Cup results (PDF)

Industry News

  • FEI Rankings: Kent Farrington (USA) holds world No. 1 for a second consecutive month. Richard Vogel (GER) No. 2, Scott Brash (GBR) drops to No. 3. USA leads team rankings with four top-20 riders; Belgium narrows the gap in second. (HorseSport)
  • LA28 Olympic Format: FEI proposals for Los Angeles include jump-offs for all medals (team and individual), reserve team provisions, and a nationality registration deadline of January 17, 2028. Vote expected at the FEI General Assembly in December. (Equnews)

Looking Ahead: June 15-21, 2026

5⭐ CHIO Rotterdam (CSIO5*) — Rotterdam, Netherlands | June 18-21

The 77th CHIO Rotterdam at Kralingse Bos hosts the third qualifying leg of the 2026 Longines League of Nations. Ten nations compete Friday, with the Grand Prix on Sunday. Germany lead the series on 190 points, but France (155) and Ireland (150) are separated by just five points in a tight race. The Netherlands field a powerhouse home squad — Harrie Smolders, Maikel van der Vleuten, Willem Greve, and Kim Emmen — arguably the strongest individual lineup of any nation this week.

5⭐ LGCT Paris (CSI5*) — Paris, France | June 19-21

The Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping at Champ-de-Mars, directly beneath the Eiffel Tower. The seventh leg of the LGCT's 20th anniversary season. Abdel Said leads the championship on 133 points, six clear of Katrin Eckermann (127). Simon Delestre rides on home soil at 118.67 points. Gilles Thomas won the 2025 LGCT GP of Paris and the overall 2025 championship.

4⭐ Hickstead — West Sussex, Great Britain | June 17-21

The 65th Al Shira'aa Hickstead Derby — 1.60m, €120,000 — featuring the legendary 10-foot-6 Derby Bank. David Simpson (2023 winner), William Funnell (2024 champion, five-time winner), and Sammie-Jo Coffin, bidding to become the first female winner since 2011.

3⭐ Le Pin au Haras — Orne, France | June 17-21

Third edition at the historic Haras national du Pin — the 'Versailles of horses.' 200 riders from 29 nations. Grand Prix of the Orne/Normandy Region (1.50m) on Sunday.

3⭐ Bedizzole — Brescia, Italy | June 18-21

Borgo La Caccia near Lake Garda. CSI3* Grand Prix at 1.55m with €57,500 prize money.

3⭐ Ocala — Florida, USA | June 16-21

Summer Series II at World Equestrian Center. CSI3* Grand Prix with $65,000 prize money.

3⭐ Traverse City — Michigan, USA | June 17-21

Spring Series continues at Flintfields Horse Park. $116,500 CSI3* Grand Prix Saturday evening.

This Week: 8.8/10

Three CSI5* events across two continents, with compelling storylines at every turn. France's first home Nations Cup win since 2017 at La Baule — powered by Epaillard's double clear and undone by Vogel's penultimate rail — was the week's most dramatic moment. Nielsen's second career LGCT victory at 20, from a field where 38 of 40 starters faulted, underlines a generational shift. Bucci's Rolex double, Bluman's Spruce Meadows debut win, and Gulliksen's father-son Nations Cup triumph in Drammen round out a week that delivered quality, volume, and narrative depth.

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