A total of 24 horse-and-rider combinations had lined up for the third and last competition of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, after qualifying through Thursday and Friday’s rounds. Sunday’s title-decider was jumped over two rounds set at 1.60m, with the twenty best overall being allowed to return for round two. A testament to the quality of the horses and riders that had qualified, ten of the 24 at start delivered clears over Gérard Lachat's 13-fence first-round track and all of those also managed to move on to round two.
The first of the two rounds gave the overall standings a small shake-up, but a clear from overnight leaders Julien Epaillard and Donatello d’Auge kept them in pole position ahead of the second round. However, Epaillard did not have as much as a fence in hand down to his closest competitors, as Ben Maher and Point Break, Lillie Keenan and Kick On, as well as Kevin Staut and Visconti du Telman, all kept on their overall score of three penalties after delivering clear rounds – pushing up on the standings to sit tied in second.
With these images, we take a look back at the action in the first of Sunday's two final rounds in Basel!
All photos © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping.
Big enough... USA's Katie Dinan and her trainer Beat Mändli walking the course for Sunday's first round.
French flair in Basel: Technical delegate Gregory Bodo and France's chef d'equipe Edouard Couperie.
Julien Epaillard entered Sunday's competition as the overnight leader on a score of zero, with two points separating him from Martin Fuchs and Henrik von Eckermann.
Gérard Lachat's tracks gave plenty to think about, also for Dutch chef d'equipe Wout-Jan van der Schans.
A serious Swiss team...
Ales Opatrny and Kapsones W. were the pathfinders on Sunday, as the third and final competition got underway. The pair added ten penalties to their overnight score of 26.
South Africa's Bronwyn Meredith Dos Santos and Bibisi impressed throughout the week in Basel and continued to do so in Sunday's last competition, clearing the fences in round one where they only picked up three time penalties.
"I couldn't be happier, it is a joy like you couldn't understand – it is incredible," Dos Santos said after jumping another impressive round in Basel.
"It is only about the horse. I am not a professional and this is possible because of the horse that I have. I am very, very grateful," Dos Santos said.
The United Arab Emirates' Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi and Enjoy de la Mure ended their campaign in Basel with two rails down in Sunday's first round.
The first clear round came from the USA's Kaitlin Campbell and the lovely Castlefield Cornelious.
"This is my first championship ever, so the jumps look very big to me," Campbell said after her round. "I think in the beginning of the week, I was maybe not keeping my rhythm so good, but now after three days in this indoor I tried to keep everything a bit smoother today. My horse was fantastic all week."
Kristen Vanderveen and Bull Run's Jireh followed suit for USA, delivering a clear.
All the love for Bull Run's Jireh after a great clear.
Great Britain's Robert Whitaker and his home-bred Vermento entered the arena on Sunday carrying 16 penalty points and had to see another five added to their score after round one.
Germany's Mario Stevens and Starissa FRH added four faults to their total score of 15.
Course designer Gérard Lachat watching the action unfold.
KSA's Ramzy Al Duhami and Untouchable 32 were another pair that cleared the fences but got caught out by the time allowed.
Belgium's Gregory Wathelet and Bond Jamesbond de Hay added four faults to their overall score of 14.
Ireland's Daniel Coyle and Incredible delivered again, posting a clear in Sunday's first round – moving forward on 13 penalty points.
USA's Katie Dinan and Out of the Blue SCF jumped an impressive clear in the first round...
...eventually topping the class standings.
Hungary's Vince Jarmy and Carbon Girl Z added four faults to their overnight score of 12 and moved forward to the second round.
The Swiss made sure to cheer on their own a little extra.
After a tack malfunction on Friday, Edouard Schmitz and Gamin van't Naastveldhof posted a clear and kept their score of 12 moving forward.
Much to the delight of their home crowd!
Willem Greve and Grandorado TN N.O.P. made light work of Sunday's demanding track.
"I think my horse jumped his heart out for me," Greve said after his round.
Coming into Sunday's third and final competition, Hans-Dieter Dreher and Elysium were well in contention with their overall score of ten.
Unfortunately, another four faults were added to their score after a rail fell on 4b.
Germany's Richard Vogel and United Touch S added another four faults to their overnight score of eight when a rail fell on 8b of the triple combination.
Germany's Sophie Hinners and Iron Dames My Prins looked well on their way to a clear round, only to see a pole on the penultimate oxer fall to the floor.
Sitting 7th ahead of Sunday, Austria's Max Kühner and Elektric Blue P ran into trouble in the triple combination at fence 8abc and added four faults to their overnight score of six.
France's Kevin Staut and Visconti du Telman added pressure on those to come when going clear, keeping their score of three penalties.
USA's Lillie Keenan and Kick On delivered a clear as well, and with four left to jump, the pressure was on. "No matter what, I am going to leave Basel just so incredibly proud of my horse," Keenan said after her round.
Just like Staut and Keenan, Ben Maher carried three penalties ahead of Sunday's third and final competition, and a clear in the first round left him and the impressive Point Break well in contention for a podium finish.
Chasing the title... Sharing the second place with Henrik von Eckermann, home hero Martin Fuchs and Leone Jei entered the arena in St Jakobshalle on Sunday carrying only two penalties after two days of jumping.
However, a heartbreaking rail on the final oxer saw four faults added to their total score which dropped them down to 5th ahead of round two.
Just like Fuchs, Sweden's Henrik von Eckermann and Ilina entered the arena on Sunday only two points behind the leader Julien Epaillard.
...and just like Fuchs, the title defender also had to see four faults added to his overall score when a pole fell on the liverpool oxer at fence seven.
Last to go, Julien Epaillard and Donatello d'Auge delivered another clear, leaving them on top of the standings ahead of the very last round in Basel.
Then