Wout-Jan van der Schans’ Dutch squad won Friday’s CSIO5* 1.60m Nations Cup of Ireland for award of the Aga Khan Trophy at the 2025-edition of Dublin Horse Show. All photos © Nanna Nieminen for World of Showjumping.
Text © World of Showjumping
Friday’s CSIO5* 1.60m Nations Cup of Ireland for award of the Aga Khan Trophy at the 2025-edition of Dublin Horse saw eight nations battle it out in the iconic RDS Main Arena.
In the end, it was Wout-Jan van der Schans’ Dutch squad that came out on top, after being challenged by Ian Millar’s team Canada, Otto Becker’s German squad, Peter van der Waaij’s Swiss team, Michael Blake’s Irish side, Di Lampard’s Great Britain, Mark Laskin’s Mexico and Robert Ridland’s USA. “I was confident with my boys,” van der Schans said afterwards.
Tom Wachman on Tabasco de Toxandria Z jumped double clear for the home team to help Ireland finish third.
The course set by Alan Wade (IRL) counted 12 obstacles and 15 efforts, with an oxer-vertical-oxer triple combination at 4abc, followed by an open water at fence no. five, ending with a vertical-oxer double at 12ab, setting the scene for great sport with just enough drama and faults spread out – plus a tight finish where a jump-off for the win was just a fence away.
As last year’s winners, team USA came in as the title defenders, and showed great form with Aaron Vale and Styles (Cornet Obolensky x Canturo), Laura Kraut on Tres Bien Z (Toulon x Nabab de Reve) and McLain Ward on Callas (Casall x Coriano I) all delivering clears in the first round. However, so did three Dutch combinations as well; Kevin Jochems and Camilla van de Helle (Crumble x Casall), Willem Greve on Grandrorado TN N.O.P. (Eldorado vd Zeshoek x Carolus II) and Harrie Smolders aboard Mr. Tac (Non Stop x Toulon) all left the fences intact, and the Dutch and the U.S. moved on to the second round as joint leaders. Germany and Ireland followed right behind though, with Sandra Auffarth anf Quirici H (FRH Quaid x Escudo 19) and Marco Kutscher with Catelly (Catalido x Ephebe For Ever) posting clears for Otto Becker’s German side, while the Irish young guns Tom Wachman on Tabasco de Toxandria Z (Thunder vd Zuuthoeve x Cento Lano) and Seamus Hughes Kennedy with ESI Rocky (Stakkato Gold x For Pleasure) kept the home team’s hopes alive by jumping clear rounds.
“As a sportsman, you want to be in this kind of positions, where it really matters,” Harrie Smolders said about the pressure of being the last in the ring with Mr. Tac to seal the deal for the Dutch.
In the second round, the Dutch kept their cool and delivered another triple of clear rounds, while team U.S. stumbled to finish fourth in the end. With clear rounds from Christian Ahlmann and Blueberry (Conrad x Creve Couer) as well as Richard Vogel and Cloudio (Casall x San Patrignano Cassini), and a double clear from Auffart and Quirici H, Germany rose to the runner-up spot and the Irish completed the podium in third after Wachman, Hughes Kennedy and Cian O’Connor on Bentley de Sury (Sunday de Riverland x Calvaro) jumped clear, setting the main arena at RDS ablaze.
“As a sportsman, you want to be in this kind of position, where it really matters,” Harrie Smolders said about the pressure of being the last in the ring to seal the deal for the Dutch. “This is Mr. Tac’s first Nations Cup ever. We needed a year to understand each other, he needed to learn me and I needed to learn him, but I feel like this year we are getting together. Today he was phenomenal. Thank you to the Megret-family; I am very grateful to have this horse in my team.”
Then