Top line-up for TDM: nine from top 10 sign up
The Dutch Masters may welcome no fewer than nine showjumping riders from the top 10 ranking to the Brabanthallen in 's-Hertogenbosch from 9 to 12 March. The entry of world number 1, Henrik von Eckermann and number 7, Daniel Deusser, was announced earlier and now seven others have joined this illustrious company.
The world number 2, Swiss Martin Fuchs, is a formidable opponent and has already managed to win the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva twice, in 2019 and 2021. The 28-year-old rider from Wangi has already won quite a few medals: individual silver at the World Championships in Tryon (2018) and gold (2022 Leipzig) and silver (2019 Gothenburg) at the World Cup finals. At the European Championships, he won an individual gold (2019) and silver medal (2021) and with the Swiss team a gold (2021) and two bronze medals (2015 and 2017). So Fuchs is definitely someone to be reckoned with.
Frenchman Julien Epaillard (3) has been in a winning mood in recent months, scoring one Grand Prix victory after another. The 45-year-old rider, who together with his wife runs a stable, Haras de la Bosquetterie, in Le Pre d'Auge (Normandy) is nicknamed the 'flying Frenchman' for good reason. He is known for his speed, which is partly why he recently managed to win the World Cups at Jumping Amsterdam and Madrid, and in Lyon he won both the World Cup and the Grand Prix. A victory in a major of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping is still missing, so the Frenchman will be extra motivated to win.
Of course, the Dutch are not missing from this top 10 at The Dutch Masters. Harrie Smolders is the highest-placed Dutchman in the rankings, he is at number 4. Smolders, who lives in Hooge Mierde and rides for Evergate Stables in Belgium, was a member of the Dutch team that won silver at the World Championships in Herning, Denmark (2022), and the same year he also won silver at the World Cup final in Leipzig. Maikel van der Vleuten (10) is looking forward to the home event. He has been competing successfully in the Brabanthallen for years. Last year, his top horse Verdi TN, with which he won team silver at the London Olympics (2012), team gold at the World Championships in Caen (2014) and the European Championships in Aachen (2015), had a beautiful and emotional farewell in 's-Hertogenbosch. The rider from Someren will take his current top horse with him, "as it looks now I will start with Beauville Z in the Rolex Grand Prix."
Furthermore, Briton Ben Maher (6), Frenchman Simon Delestre (8), Brazilian Marlon Modolo Zanotelli (9) will provide show jumping at the very highest level.
The world number 2, Swiss Martin Fuchs, is a formidable opponent and has already managed to win the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva twice, in 2019 and 2021. The 28-year-old rider from Wangi has already won quite a few medals: individual silver at the World Championships in Tryon (2018) and gold (2022 Leipzig) and silver (2019 Gothenburg) at the World Cup finals. At the European Championships, he won an individual gold (2019) and silver medal (2021) and with the Swiss team a gold (2021) and two bronze medals (2015 and 2017). So Fuchs is definitely someone to be reckoned with.
Frenchman Julien Epaillard (3) has been in a winning mood in recent months, scoring one Grand Prix victory after another. The 45-year-old rider, who together with his wife runs a stable, Haras de la Bosquetterie, in Le Pre d'Auge (Normandy) is nicknamed the 'flying Frenchman' for good reason. He is known for his speed, which is partly why he recently managed to win the World Cups at Jumping Amsterdam and Madrid, and in Lyon he won both the World Cup and the Grand Prix. A victory in a major of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping is still missing, so the Frenchman will be extra motivated to win.
Of course, the Dutch are not missing from this top 10 at The Dutch Masters. Harrie Smolders is the highest-placed Dutchman in the rankings, he is at number 4. Smolders, who lives in Hooge Mierde and rides for Evergate Stables in Belgium, was a member of the Dutch team that won silver at the World Championships in Herning, Denmark (2022), and the same year he also won silver at the World Cup final in Leipzig. Maikel van der Vleuten (10) is looking forward to the home event. He has been competing successfully in the Brabanthallen for years. Last year, his top horse Verdi TN, with which he won team silver at the London Olympics (2012), team gold at the World Championships in Caen (2014) and the European Championships in Aachen (2015), had a beautiful and emotional farewell in 's-Hertogenbosch. The rider from Someren will take his current top horse with him, "as it looks now I will start with Beauville Z in the Rolex Grand Prix."
Furthermore, Briton Ben Maher (6), Frenchman Simon Delestre (8), Brazilian Marlon Modolo Zanotelli (9) will provide show jumping at the very highest level.