Sunday’s CSI2* 1.45m Grand Prix presented by CHG – Construcciones Hispano
Germanas S.A – concluded the first week of competition at Centro Ecuestre Oliva
Nova in Spain, where action resumed as the 2025-edition of Spring MET kicked off
with the first of twelve weeks of international competition.

The course built by Spain’s very own Santiago Varela and his team counted 13
obstacles and 16 efforts, with the time allowed set to 78 seconds. While a single time
penalty kept Argentina’s Matias Larocca and Patron van de Dweerhoeve (Thunder
vd Zuuthoeve x Nabab de Reve) out of the deciding jump-off, eight horse-and-rider
managed to deliver a clear in the first round.

In the jump-off, Belgium’s Niels Bruynseels and the 11-year-old mare Credibilis van
het Lindenhof Z (Crown Z x Landetto) saved the best for last – taking the win as the
last pair out. Stopping the clock on 39.48 seconds, Bruynseels snatched the win
from his compatriot Koen Vereecke and Quinoa de la Liniere (Mosito van het
Hellehof x Loro Piana Filou de Muze), who had to settle for the runner-up spot with
their time of 39.69 seconds.

Marie Pellegrin (FRA) and Floc (Qlassic Bois Margot x Ultimo Van Ter Moude)
completed the podium in third in 40.62, while Emeric George (FRA) and Dune du Ru
(Vagabond de La Pomme x Apache d’Adriers) finished fourth in 41.12 and Graham
Gillespie (GBR) on Veneno (Chacco-Blue x Baloubet du Rouet) fifth with a fence
down in 41.23 seconds.

“It was a tricky, delicate course, and the last line especially was not so easy,”
Bruynseels said about the first-round track. “I was very happy with how my horse
jumped, and for the jump-off I knew that she is naturally a fast horse. With only eight
in the jump-off and as the last to go, I had the perfect papers in my hand.”

“I bought her when she was six, because she has the same mother as Delux,” he
said about his winning horse, the 11-year-old mare Credibilis van het Lindenhof Z –
who is related to Bruynseels’ championship mount Delux Van T&L. “She is not the
easiest horse, because she has a lot of character, but she jumps great. At first, I
gave her to Jorik Vervoort to ride, and he produced her very well until now. I took her
over last month and this is actually only the third show I have done with her.”

“This is the third or fourth time that I come to Oliva,” Bruynseels said about the venue
in Oliva Nova. “I always come here in January, for me it is the perfect timing; I can
spend a lot of time with my younger, up-and-coming horses. The weather is nice, the
facilities are super, with nice courses and beautiful fences. Every year, I am really
looking forward to my time here – I think it is the perfect setting for producing my
horses.”

Spring MET I continues with two more weeks of competition, followed by MET II in
February, MET III in March and MET IV in April. 

Click here for full results.