USA'S KARL COOK VICTORIOUS IN GRAND PRIX OF ROTTERDAM 2025
For the first time in ten years, the Grand Prix of Rotterdam has a winner from the USA: Karl Cook.
With a fearless ride in the jump-off, Cook and Caracole de la Roque secured the win in 37.17 seconds. France's Nina Mallevaey took second place with Dynastie de Beaufour in 38.09 seconds. British rider Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette were third with a time of 38.78 seconds.
Eight combinations managed to qualify for the jump-off to win the Grand Prix of Rotterdam. Cook was second to enter the Rotterdam Arena. He steered 13-year-old mare Caracole de la Roque through the course very precisely and incredibly fast.
The combinations that followed tried their hardest to best Cook, but to no avail. After Lucy Davis in 2015, the American national anthem this year played in Rotterdam for Cook.
Cook was very pleased with his ride: "Both courses were challenging and original. Cool for the riders and horses, and interesting for the spectators to watch. I saw Sienne Charles in the jump-off before me, and I tried to learn from that to see what my options were."
NO TIME TO THINK:
"When it was my turn, I just went as fast as I could. We did have a plan, but my horse Caracole de la Roque is just so fast, you can't really think so much about it because she's already doing it. You as a rider have to be quick enough to stay with her."
Cook has nothing but praise for Caracole de la Roque. "She's such a special horse. She inspires me. She is so fully confident and she knows exactly what she's doing out there in the arena. She wants it just as much as I do, maybe even more. We keep growing as a combination with each time we compete. Of course, sometimes something goes wrong, but when you get it just right, this is the result."
'GOOD WAY TO FINISH THE WEEK':
The French runner-up, Nina Mallevaey, was happy with her ride. "I didn't see Karl ride, but when I heard he was in the lead I knew I had to give it my all, because he is always very fast. I may not be the winner here, but to get second place in a five star Grand Prix is a good way to finish the week. With Dynastie de Beaufour I've been competing at the highest level for about a year now. I'm really pleased with how she's developing; we keep getting better. She's a special horse and she deserves to win at this level. I hope we can make that happen one day."
British rider Donald Whitaker finished third: "Looking back at the jump-off, I may have messed up a bit. It was a challenging course, and to beat Karl you needed to be perfect. Unfortunately it didn't happen for us today, but my horse always gives her whole heart in the arena, she could never let me down, no matter the result. She is an amazing horse."
Yves Houtackers, director showjumping, on this year's competition: "We had the best riders in a tough course. It looked like it was going to be close from the start, leading up to a spectacular jump-off. I'm really pleased."
Source here
Full results here
Photo by Nils Boeser