Text © World of Showjumping

Brazil's Yuri Mansur and the 16-year-old gelding Vitiki (Valentino x For Expo, bred by ZG Karl-W. Stapel & Jürgen Wahlers) won Saturday night's CSI5*-W 1.55m Championat of Basel – the traditional Golden Drum – at the 2024-edition of Longines CHI Classics Basel.

With a time of 33.89 in a jump-off between six horse-and-rider-combinations, Mansur and Vitiki took the win ahead of Ireland's Denis Lynch and Dark Chocolate 48 (Casall x Acodetto, bred by ZG Oldekop/Hulshof) in second in 37.48. 

"When I walked the course, I thought it was really, really technical," Mansur commented to World of Showjumping after his victory. "And I was not wrong; there were only six clears. I have to say that the jump-off was really nice to do, even though it was a challenge. It is good to have Vitiki back again; last season was hard for him and I thought for a moment that he would not come back anymore, but he is a fighter and he is back – and I am really, really happy." 

"Dark Chocolate is a horse that came to us as a 7-year-old, and I am really, really delighted with him," the second placed Lynch – who won the Golden Drum in 2020 with Cristello – said to World of Showjumping. "I was saving him tonight, I did not try to take the winner on. My plan was to try and finish nicely as Dark Chocolate is still quite young for this level. I am not only delighted with him, I am so happy with my team and everyone who minds him and takes care of him at home. Getting young horses, developing them and bringing them up the levels is something I love to do, so I am really happy with Dark Chocolate's performance tonight – and I hope he will be a great breeding stallion in the future as well." 

Belgium's Pieter Devos and the 9-year-old Casual DV Z (Cornet Obolensky x Cicero Z, bred by Stal Devos) placed third with the last double clear of the class, while a fence down in the jump-off left the home hero Steve Guerdat and the 10-year-old Looping Luna (Lord Fauntleroy x Calido I, bred by Andreas Middelkampf) in fourth, followed by Dutch rider Kevin Jochems aboard Camilla van de Helle (Crumble x Casall, bred by Klaus Thiedemann) in fifth.