Press release from Agria Royal International Horse Show, edited by World of Showjumping

Sanne Thijssen (NED) and Cupcake Z won the opening international class of the day at Agria Royal International Horse Show 2025 at Hickstead (GBR). Forty-eight combinations came forward for Saturday’s €28,200 class, the CSIO5* 1.50m Brilliance Horse Auction Trophy, with 17 pairs jumping clear to go through to the jump-off.

For much of the jump-off, it looked as though first-to-go Robert Whitaker (GBR) and his Al Shira’aa Derby winner Gentlemen van het Veldhof (Quite Easy 958 x Calido I) would prove unbeatable. Their quick time of 34.95 saw Robert stop the clock nearly a second faster than his cousin William Whitaker (GBR) on Millfield Quickstep (Quiwi Dream x San Patrignano Cassini).

But neither Whitaker had reckoned on Thijssen, who took off almost half a second from Robert’s time to secure victory with the 12-year-old Cupcake Z (Chacco-Blue x Nissan Caretano Z), leaving Robert to second and William to third.

The second five-star class of the day went to Sweden's Marcus Westergren, who has been making his Hickstead debut this week. He made up for disappointment in Friday's Agria Nations Cup of Great Britain with a win in Saturday's CSIO5* 1.45m Unex Group Speed Classic.

It was a last-minute decision to ride the 11-year-old Fellaini de Liebri Z (Faustino de Tili x San Patrignano Corrado) in the class, and it paid off with a brilliant win ahead of Britain's Millie Allen and the in-form Quick Diamant HR (Diamant de Semilly x Quidam de Revel) in second and Rene Dittmer (GER) aboard Echo vh Gerendal Z (Echo van’T Spieveld x Jodokus) in third.