The five-star action at the 2024-edition of the Brussels Stephex Masters in Wolvertem, Belgium, kicked off on Thursday with a home win for the host nation's own Gilles Thomas (BEL) and the 10-year-old Elfra Van Beek Z (El Salvador x Vagabond de La Pomme) in the CSIO5* 1.50m presented by EquiHome.

The class was the first qualifier for Sunday's Rolex Grand Prix, presented by Audi – and was judged as a Table A against the clock, counting for the Longines Ranking Group D. Out of the field of the 56 horse-and-rider combinations at start, Thomas and Elfra Van Beek took the win with a time of 66.42 seconds, ahead of Natalie Dean (USA) and Oasis van de Bucxtale (Quinn vd Heffinck x Skippy II) in second in 66.61.

"Courses like this, judged solely on time, really suit Elfra," Thomas said in a press release from Brussels Stephex Masters. "He’s already won several this year. So I had no doubts about entering him in this first qualifier, and I even hoped for the win. Now that we’ve achieved that goal, I’m extremely satisfied. Elfra Van Beek Z is 10 years old and has been with me for three years. Two years ago, we won the young horse final here. Last year, I also rode him in the first qualifier for the CSIO5* Rolex Grand Prix, presented by Audi, but he lacked a bit of experience then. Now, he’s truly ready for this level, and I was able to take more risks.”

With his win, Gilles Thomas has now qualified for Sunday's CSIO5* Rolex Grand Prix, presented by Audi. “For the Grand Prix, I’ll be relying on my top mare, Luna van het Dennehof (Prince van de Wolfsakker x Quidam de Revel). My original plan was to compete with her in tomorrow’s qualifier. But since I’ve already earned my place thanks to today’s win, I’ll ride her in a lower class tomorrow. That way, she’ll be extra fit for Sunday,” he said.

Olivier Perreau (FRA) and GL Events Faustine Sauvage (Kannan x Ivanohe Sauvage) placed third in the CSIO5* 1.50m presented by EquiHome after clocking a time of 67.45 seconds. Olivier Philippaerts (BEL) on Poppemieke Jw van de Moerhoeve (Vigo d'Arsouilles x Diamant de Semilly) and Yuri Mansur (BRA) aboard Fifty Fifty Semilly (Diamant de Semilly x Heartbreaker) followed in fourth, with both riders stopping the clock on exactly 67.87 seconds.