Anastasia Nielsen (MON) wins the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Ramatuelle, St. Tropez. Christian Kukuk finishes twelfth

Winning a Grand Prix on the Global Champions Tour is at least as lucrative as it is prestigious. And, for the most part, it’s reserved for the “big names.” In October 2025, the then 19-year-old Anastasia Nielsen pulled off the feat of relegating the big names to the stands in Rabat. As of today, it’s clear: she is no one-hit wonder.

Two made it to the playoff

Of the 40 pairs, only two completed the course with its 16 jumps without any faults: Belgian rider Thibeau Spits with Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z by Indoktro K van’t Kattenheye and Anastasia Nielsen with ESI Rocky by Stakkato Gold. They had to compete in the jump-off of the Grand Prix of Ramatuelle – St. Tropez. Nielsen, who was born in Switzerland and rides for Monaco, was the 2023 European Junior Champion. She subsequently moved up a category and has been competing in the “Young Riders” age group ever since.

As such, however, she is a hit with “the older crowd.” She is part of the Iron Dames team, which Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann has just left due to differences with the sponsor.

Victory from the pole position

The 20-year-old was the first to compete in the jump-off. She rode a fast clear round. This put a lot of pressure on Thibeau Spits, who, at 25, is still considered one of the younger talents. He won the 2025 European Championships with the Belgian team. As a young rider, he had capped off his career in the “Junior/Senior” division in 2023 with a double gold at the European Championships.

After their impressive performance over the past six months—finishing third in the Rolex Grand Prix in Geneva and second behind Richard Vogel at the Dutch Masters —he and Impress-K van’t Kattenheye were the favorites. However, although the pair were faster, they had to settle for a knockdown.

Third place went to Max Kühner, riding for Austria on EIC Up Too Jacco Blue, who posted the fastest four-fault round of the competition. He finished ahead of another “expat,” Abdel Saïd, who competes for Belgium and took fourth place on Wathnan Quaker Brimbelles Z.

Not the Germans’ Day in St. Tropez

Twelfth place for Christian Kukuk and Checker was the best result for Germany at the Global Champions Tour event in St. Tropez, France. Checker had incurred a knockdown in the standard course.

Nine riders chose not to complete the course after making jumping errors in order to spare their horses. Among them were the German pairs Marcus Ehning and Priam du Roset, as well as Hans-Dieter Dreher and Elysium.

Results of the Global Champions Tour Ramatuelle St. Tropez