The final day at the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses 2025 kicked off with the final for the five-year-old horses, with Michael Pender, Doron Kuipers and Jason Foley finishing on the podium with HHS Private Ryan, Olympic van't Roosakker VK Z and Tysons Lady Lux respectively. Photo © Sportfot.
Press release from Zangersheide, edited by World of Showjumping
Under a radiant morning sun and in front of a large crowd, the starting shot was fired for Super Sunday in the Ratina Z Arena as the final day of the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses 2025 got underway.
As per tradition, it kicked off with the final for the five-year-old horses, which immediately provided both excitement and spectacle. And it became a true déjà vu: Just like last year in the final for the seven-year-old horses, it was once again the Irish rider Michael Pender who outsmarted everyone and took home the world title, this time with the KWPN-gelding HHS Private Ryan (El Barone 111 Z x High Shutterfly, bred by M. Van Der Velde).
This final for the five-year-olds was built at a height of 1.30m and brought together the best 49 horse-and-rider combinations from the qualifications held on Thursday and Friday. The level was again sky-high, as no fewer than 18 of these 49 contenders managed to clear the first-round course built by Bernard Mathy and his team.
In a nail-biting jump-off, Pender and HHS Private Ryan entered the ring as the very last combination, and with a masterful round in 38.23 seconds, managed to outdo everyone.
"I have only been riding this horse for about six weeks,” Pender said. “Therefore, all praise goes to everyone who has helped bring Private Ryan to where he is today. He is naturally very fast and we flew through the jump-off, keeping exactly the right pace, not too much, not too little, just steady, and that worked fantastically."
Pender and HHS Private Ryan's fantastic round pushed Doron Kuipers (NED) and the Zangersheide-mare Olympic van't Roosakker VK Z (Minute Man x For Pleasure, bred by Stoeterij Van Kleef) down to silver. The bronze again went to Ireland thanks to Jason Foley and the Irish mare Tysons Lady Lux (Tyson x Lux Z, bred by Shay Hesnan).
Just off the podium, Bunoit Moeskops (BEL) and the Zangersheide-mare Tokio de Liebri Z (Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z x Darco, bred by Lieven Bruyneel) finished fourth in 40.41 seconds. The Irishman Shane Dalton and the BWP gelding Unicum-H (President x Cicero Z, bred by Victor Hermans) rounded off the top five after a finishing time of 40.45 seconds.
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