Bas Moerings Claims Victory in the VDL Groep Prize on Debut at The Dutch Masters

An impressive debut for Bas Moerings at The Dutch Masters. On Friday evening, the Dutch rider won the 5* 1.55m VDL Groep Prize with the stallion Ipsthar, immediately securing his first victory at the prestigious competition in 's-Hertogenbosch.

Bas Moerings and the stallion Ipsthar, bred by the Moerings family themselves, have been building an impressive partnership for some time. The combination previously enjoyed success at CSI Eindhoven, where they also won the VDL Groep Prize. With this five-star victory, they now add another highlight to their growing list of achievements.

“I’m incredibly proud of him,” Moerings said afterwards with a big smile. “Ipsthar really deserved this victory. I’ve learned everything with him, and he has had to put up with a lot from me. But he never holds my mistakes against me and only keeps getting better. Everything is starting to fall into place, and today it all came together.”

In a strong class, fourteen combinations qualified for the jump-off. Only four of them managed to stay faultless again in that decisive round. Moerings proved by far the fastest.

Petronella Andersson second, ahead of Harrie Smolders
The Swedish rider Petronella Andersson came closest to his time with Odina van Klapscheut and finished second. Harrie Smolders completed the podium in front of the home crowd with the experienced Monaco.

Thibeau Spits guided Impress-K van ’t Kattenheye Z as the first clear round in the jump-off and ultimately finished fourth. It marked a successful day for the Belgian rider after already achieving a top placing in the previous class. French rider Kevin Staut recorded the fastest time with Vida Loca Z but incurred four penalties, placing him fifth overall.

Photos: TDM / Digishots