Thrills and spills from the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final 2022

The 2022 Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final ended with – surprise, surprise – a Swedish victory, as the current world number one, double World Champion and Olympic team gold medallist Henrik von Eckermann and the incredible King Edward took the sought-after title ahead of Simon Delestre and the feisty Cayman Jolly Jumper in second, and Peder Fredricson who rode Catch Me Not S to third.

Here we look back at the final, one of the annual highlights in the international showjumping calendar.

All photos © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping.

The trophy they all want...

Picture perfect: Mclain Ward and Contagious showed impeccable style throughout the two rounds.

Kevin Staut – the most experienced Top 10 finalist of them all with ten finals under his belt – and Visconti du Telman picked up eight faults in round one, here the delicate black plank falls to the ground.

Peder Fredricson and Catch Me Not S were caught by the time allowed in round one, recording a single penalty.

Thumbs up from Marlon Modolo Zanotelli after Like A Diamond van het Schaek jumped a beautiful clear in round one.

Flying: Simon Delestre's Cayman Jolly Jumper is an extraordinary little athlete, and impressed again when jumping double clear.

Ben Maher, Great Britain's Olympic Champion and last year's winner of the Top 10 Final, chose Exit Remo for the prestigious final but unfortunately things did not go quite as planned and the relatively new combination finished last.

Cutting corners: A tight turn to fence number four in round one proved costly for Harrie Smolders and Monaco, who after picking four penalties delivered a clear in round two to finish fifth.

Julien Epaillard did his first Top 10 Final, but unfortunately it was not his day and he finished the first round on eight faults with Caracole de La Roque.

The home heroes: Martin Fuchs and Conner Jei received the loudest support from the crowds, but sadly this time around it was not to be for the two.

King Edward yet again jumped fantastic for Henrik von Eckermann.

Sometimes you win, sometimes the cows go flying...

"I knew it was possible," Peder Fredricson said about his hopes for the podium after picking up a single time penalty in round one...

... and playing it safe in round two, his tactics paid off and the Swede ended third.

Power mode, on! Mclain Ward and Contagious were in it to win it and risked it all in round two. Unfortunately, the stylish duo had the third last fence down and ended fourth.

After finishing as runner-up last year, Sweden's Henrik von Eckermann was determined to give it his best shot...

“I looked at Mclain and he was really going. I tried to do my plan, and it went all according to it until the last line where I wanted to do seven strides but got a bit close to the vertical at the second last and did not see the seven forwards so I had to wait and it felt like forever," von Eckermann told about his second round, that saw the clock stop at 48.42 seconds.

Watching on...

After his round, von Eckermann had to wait and see what the last pairs out, Marlon Modolo Zanotelli on Like A Diamond van het Schaeck and Simon Delestre on Cayman Jolly Jumper, could do.

In round two, Marlon Modolo Zanotelli's dreams of the podium came crashing down at the IJRC upright that was the penultimate fence.

"The first time I asked him to go fast in a jump-off was two weeks ago," Delestre said about Cayman Jolly Jumper. "He is naturally fast, but I still don't have the last control."

Stopping the clock on 49.35, the former world number one had to settle for the second place finish. "My horse is younger and less experienced; I think our time will come," Delestre said after ending second behind von Eckermann and King Edward.