Abdel Said Extends His Lead in the Global Champions Tour in Rome; Super Grand Prix Spot for World Championship Teammates, and More

Seven pairs had advanced to the jump-off of the Global Champions Tour stop in Rome, including two riders on horses that had previously enjoyed great success representing Germany: France’s Lara Tryba on the 11-year-old OS stallion Chageorge, who was considered a great up-and-coming prospect for Olympic champion Christian Kukuk for a time before moving to France in 2025, and Denis Lynch (IRL) on Gerrit Nieberg’s former top horse, Ping Pong van de Lentamel. Belgium was also represented by two pairs who contributed to the team’s silver medal at the World Championships in Aachen: Abdel Said and Quaker Brimbelles Z, and Pieter Devos with his homebred Casual DV Z.

The pricking

Devos and his 11-year-old Cornet Obolensky daughter were the first pair in the jump-off and set a benchmark—a clear round in 35.88 seconds—that would be difficult to beat. The next rider to attempt it was Switzerland’s Jane Richard on Aequitus vh Bergerhof Z. However, she knocked down a rail on the very first jump.

Next, Lara Tryba and Chageorge, a Chacco-Blue son bred at Lewitz, entered the stadium. Tryba had led the Scandinavian Vikings to victory in the Global Champions League in Vienna at the end of September, though on a different horse. The 28-year-old also demonstrated her excellent form in Rome with Chageorge: a clear round in 36.19 seconds, provisionally placing her second behind Devos.

Next up was the talented Monegasque rider Anastasia Nielsen, another strong rider with podium experience on the Global Champions Tour. But this time, it wasn’t to be—she and ESI Rocky had two knockdowns.

Next, Simon Delestre set his sights on the lead. He had saddled up Gatsby du Tillard and got the ten-year-old Selle Français stallion by President moving at a blistering pace. Up until the final obstacle, the pair looked like winners. But there, their dream came crashing down when they knocked down a rail. Still, he had cut Devos’ time by a full 1.46 seconds—though, of course, that didn’t help.

Then it was Abdel Said and Quaker Brimbelles Z’s turn. The pair had already scored a double clear round for Belgium at the World Championships in Aachen, and even back then, the 11-year-old grandson of Quick Star looked as if he couldn’t possibly make a mistake. And he didn’t—Said masterfully knew how to make the most of the gelding’s powerful canter. The clock stopped at 35.27 seconds—a new lead.

Only Denis Lynch and Ping Pong van de Lentamel remained to turn what looked like a Belgian victory into a possible Irish one. Lynch and the Emerald son apparently hit it off quickly. But they had one knockdown, and their time wouldn’t have been fast enough anyway. With a time of 36.41 seconds and four faults, they finished in fifth place.

Abdel Said won the competition ahead of Devos, Tryba, and Delestre.

Eckermann and Kutscher Place

Two German pairs also made it into the placings, though not into the jump-off. Riding the nine-year-old Westphalian Iron Dames Cascajall NRW (by Casallco), Katrin Eckermann earned valuable points toward the overall standings by finishing eighth thanks to the fastest four-fault round in the first round. Marco Kutscher was barely any slower on the 11-year-old, also Westphalian-bred Pikeur Lemar NRW by Los Angeles—bred and owned by Wolfgang Brinkmann—and finished ninth with four faults in 73.18 seconds.

Hans-Dieter Dreher also had a knockdown on his Holsteiner Elysium, a son of Zirocco Blue, but with a time of 76.01 seconds, he missed the placings by exactly one spot. Christian Ahlmann and his ten-year-old rising star Untouched LB—a Westphalian by United Touch S, bred and (co-)owned by Lena Bieler—also had one knockdown in the first round, as mentioned.

Philipp Weishaupt withdrew with Oreo D.R.

Reactions After the Tiebreaker

Abdel Said later commented on his strategy with Quaker Brimbelles Z in the jump-off: “He has a big canter stride and a lot of ability. I had to use that to my advantage today. He may not be the most agile horse, but he’s a real fighter, and it worked.” A fighter and a smart horse, because with this victory, Quaker Brimbelles Z helped his rider further extend his lead in the Global Champions Tour overall standings over Christian Ahlmann (who missed the jump-off after a knockdown with Untouched). “I think he was keeping an eye on the rankings, too, because he was really there for me today,” Said joked later.

Although Pieter Devos “only” finished second, he still achieved his main goal—namely, securing a spot in the Super Grand Prix—because Said had already won in Cannes. Devos: “It’s fantastic. That’s been my goal all year, and I’ve really dedicated myself to the LGCT to secure this spot. I’m so happy now that I’ve got it in the bag!”

For Lara Tryba, this third-place finish was one of the greatest achievements of her still-young career. “It hasn’t quite sunk in yet. It’s unbelievable. I was already so happy to have had a clear round in the first round. But to pull off a double clear and a good jump-off, and then to stand on the podium alongside riders like Pieter and Abdel… I couldn’t be happier.”

The GCT Overall Standings—Things Are Starting to Get Exciting

Of course, Abdel Said was overjoyed with the victory. But when it comes to the overall standings of the 2026 Tour, he’s still keeping his cards close to his chest. “There are still two stages to go, but things are looking good. It couldn’t have gone any better than it did today, so I’m very satisfied.” Said won the Super Grand Prix in Prague in 2025, but has never won the overall standings of the Global Champions Tour, where there’s even more prize money up for grabs. Now he has his chance.

He leads the overall standings with 242 points, ahead of Christian Ahlmann (224), Katrin Eckermann (199), Denis Lynch (196.5), and Edwina Tops-Alexander (192).

The next GCT stop is Cairo in Abdel Said’s home country of Egypt, where preparations are already well underway in front of the Pyramids of Giza to ensure that the superstars don’t have to jump on desert sand but instead get riding sand.

All the results are available here.