Marco Kutscher won Friday’s biggest class at the CSI5* event in Den Bosch - the VDL Groep Prijs - riding Cornet’s Cristallo (Cornet Obolensky x Pilot). The winning pair came in towards the very end of the 1.55 speed class that almost counted fourty riders, and the German rider produced one of his trademark rounds on the 12 year old gelding - exceptionally fast but without looking so at all. Making it all look easy, Marco took over the lead with a time of 59.47 pushing Luciana Diniz - who had taken an early lead on Winningmood (Darco x Cassini ) down to second. Two riders later the Portuguese rider was pushed down to third though, as the winner of the opening 1.40 class Pieter Devos slotted into runner-up position with a time of 60.43 on the big jumping Candy (Nabab de Reve x Etretat).

Fourth place went to home rider Maikel van der Vleuten on VDL Groep Verdi TN N.O.P (Quidam de Revel x Landgraf I), and fifth to Ludger Beerbaum on Chaman (Baloubet du Rouet x I Love You).

The late 1.50 class Friday evening went to Marlon Zanotelli and Zerlin M (Berlin x Concorde) after a very speedy 15-horse winning round. Home rider Jur Vrieling and Arezzo VDL (Chin Chin x Heartbreaker) came closest to Zanotelli, but ended nearly two seconds behind the Brazilian winner followed by Roger Yves Bost and Pegase du Murier (Adelfos x Le Tot de Semilly) in third.