CZECHMATE: ABDEL SAÏD SECURES THE LGCT GRAND PRIX IN PRAGUE

Abdel Saïd is having a stellar 2025, delivering incredibly consistent results. His season was brilliantly highlighted by a jackpot win at the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) Prague leg on Saturday 22 November - a perfect cherry on top of a fantastic year.

Prague:

The LGCT Super Grand Prix at the GC Prague Playoffs ended with a tight finish for Saïd and his mare Bonne Amie. He has been representing Belgium since 2021 and he snatched the €1.25 million individual title by delivering two great rounds over a 1.65m course designed by Italy’s Uliano Vezzani, finishing with a total of 4 faults in 62.43 seconds.

Following a very consistent year of results and ascend in the Longines FEI Jumping rankings (currently at no. 13) – he won by the smallest possible margin as Simon Delestre on Cayman Jolly Jumper, finished in second place with 4 faults at 62.45 seconds.

In third place came Great Britain’s Scott Brash on Hello Chadora Lady, finishing in 62.81 seconds and 4 faults.

The competition was climactic with multiple champion riders also finishing on 4 faults but unable to match the top three's speed. The event, described by the organisers as the "Super Bowl of showjumping," was praised by LGCT President Jan Tops.

Prague pre-win drama:

This leg was loaded with high-stakes drama though.

Saïd and Delestre are members of the Istanbul Warriors, a Global Champions League (GCL) team that also features Henrik von Eckerman, Hasan Senturk, and Oliver Fletcher.

As Delestre was competing for his team on Thursday 20 November, his helmet strap inadvertently came undone during his round, a seemingly minor detail that went unnoticed by the Ground Jury, and a detail that would shatter their standing.

A bystander informed the Jury and, consequently, a judge promptly eliminated the Istanbul Warriors overnight, a decision that forced them to file an immediate protest on Friday 21 November.

Their filing stated that the very same judge who applied this disciplinary action had not acted in the same manner when the identical incident occurred during the LGCT Monaco leg, implying a grievous double standard.

See here Delestre’s Instagram statement and here Istanbul Warriors’.

According to this Instagram post by TM2 Equestrian, a partner of the Istanbul Warriors, Maxine van Molecot the Communication Officer of the Iron Dames team, was the one who informed the Jury. See here

Under FEI rules, all athletes must wear securely fastened protective headgear at all times when mounted on the show grounds. The Jumping rules state that it if an athlete loses their Headgear or whose retention harness becomes unfastened during the course of their round must recover and replace it, or in the case of the retention harness becoming unfastened must refasten it. In such case, the Athlete will not be penalised for halting to retrieve their Headgear and/or refasten the retention harness, but the clock will not be stopped. An Athlete who jumps or attempts to jump an obstacle with a retention harness incorrectly fastened or not fastened will be eliminated unless the circumstances rendered it unsafe for the Athlete to stop immediately in order to refasten the harness (e.g. if the harness becomes unfastened in the middle of a combination or one or two strides before the obstacle in question). As an exception to this rule Senior Athletes may remove their Headgear while accepting prizes, during the playing of the National anthem and any other ceremonial protocol. See here

Saïd’s year:

Saïd has had a remarkable 2025 with several major victories some of which are:

Winner of LGCT Grand Prix of Doha, with Bonne Amie

Winner of the CSI5* Eiffel Challenge Finale, with Bonne Amie

Second place in the CSI3* Porsche Grand Prix during the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship in A Coruna, with his horse Calvaro

During round 1 of the Mercedes-Benz Nations' Cup at CHIO Aachen, Said and Bonne Amie – members of the Belgian team, struggled near the triple combination where the sunlight affecting the line into the triple fences caused Bonne Amie to refuse to jump. They went back to jump the combination but finished with 18 faults.

In round 2, the combination cleared their round, and even though their result was counted as the discard score for the Belgian team, it still contributed to the team winning securing silver.

Saïd on Quaker Brimbelles Z won the $117,000 CSI5*-W Grand Prix Qualifier at Traverse City Horse Shows 

See LGCT Prague full results and prize money here 

--ENDS HT--

 Photos by Lucio Landa courtesy of Abdel Saïd

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