{"id":18615,"date":"2026-03-27T11:25:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T09:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/?p=18615"},"modified":"2026-03-27T11:26:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T09:26:54","slug":"fortunes-set-to-be-decided-at-fort-worth-finale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/news\/fortunes-set-to-be-decided-at-fort-worth-finale\/","title":{"rendered":"Fortunes set to be decided at Fort Worth finale"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

They say fortune favours the bold, and boldness will be in no short supply when the 46th edition of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup\u2122 Final arrives in Fort Worth (USA), where the world\u2019s best horse-and-rider combinations will lock horns in a high-stakes battle for one of Jumping\u2019s most coveted titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Steve Guerdat and Albfuehren\u2019s Iashin Sitte Helsingiss\u00e4. Photos Arnd Bronkhorst.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With definite entries now confirmed, 36 athletes from 19 countries are set to line out as the Final returns to the United States next month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dickies Arena, a spectacular 14,000-seat, state-of-the-art venue, will provide the setting for a show of Texas-sized proportions, and with renowned course designer Anderson de Moura Lima (MEX) at the helm, competitors can expect a test worthy of the occasion from the very first round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning champions <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defending champion Julien Epaillard (FRA) has chosen not to travel to Fort Worth to defend the title he claimed in Basel (SUI) last year, but the line-up still boasts a formidable cast of former champions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Switzerland\u2019s Steve Guerdat heads to Texas with history in his sights, as the three-time title holder bids to become the first athlete ever to claim a fourth FEI Jumping World Cup\u2122 crown, having already lifted the trophy in 2015, 2016 and 2019. The Swiss star closed out the Western European League season in emphatic fashion with victory in the Helsinki (FIN) decider, following his earlier win in Leipzig (GER) aboard Albfuehren\u2019s Iashin Sitte, his chosen partner for the Final. If the pair can bring that same form to Fort Worth, 2026 could yet write a fresh chapter in the record books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compatriot Martin Fuchs, who claimed the title in 2022 with both Chaplin and The Sinner, also returns to the spotlight, this time calling up the 11-year-old gelding L&L Lorde. One of the sport\u2019s most consistent championship performers, Fuchs knows exactly what it takes to come out on top at this level and adds further strength to a formidable Swiss contingent in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six-time Olympian McLain Ward (USA) is no stranger to home-soil history and remains the last athlete to win an FEI Jumping World Cup\u2122 title on home turf, delivering the memorable victory with HH Azur in Omaha (USA) in 2017. Now, as he contests his 21st Final, he arrives in Texas (USA) aboard the 12-year-old gelding Jordan Molga M with the chance to once again give the American crowds something to cheer about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roll call of returning champions does not end there. Germany\u2019s Daniel Deusser has also stood on the top step having claimed the title in Lyon in 2014 with Cornet d\u2019Amour. Set to line out in Fort Worth aboard Otello de Guldenboom, Deusser arrives after another strong Western European League campaign and, as one of the most established names in the field, may yet help pen a final act worthy of a Shakespearean drama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Guerdat, Fuchs, Ward and Deusser all taking their place on the start list, Fort Worth will welcome a cast of former champions capable of turning the battle for the crown into a true Texas showdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First-timers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup\u2122 Final will not be defined by past experience alone, with a host of first-time finalists arriving on the back of strong seasons around the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among them is Norway\u2019s Johan-Sebastian Gulliksen who, at 29, follows in the footsteps of his father, five-time FEI Jumping World Cup\u2122 finalist Geir Gulliksen, as he prepares to make his Final debut. Fifth overall in the Western European League, with podium placings in both Oslo (NOR) and Basel (SUI) aboard Equine America Harwich VDL, Gulliksen now brings the 14-year-old gelding to Fort Worth. After a season that has firmly marked him out as one to watch, the Norwegian arrives with the momentum to make a serious impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eiken Sato and Chadellano.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan\u2019s Eiken Sato brings with him one of the most unconventional backstories in the field. Raised on the grounds of the My\u014dsh\u014d-ji Buddhist temple, with his father a monk, Sato chose a different path, leaving Japan for Europe at 18 without speaking a word of English to pursue Jumping at the highest level. Now riding in the distinctive yellow jacket through his collaboration with fellow finalist Yuri Mansur (BRA), the 40-year-old makes his first Final appearance thanks to a strong Western European League campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jessica Burke (IRL) travels to the USA following a landmark moment in Bordeaux (FRA) this February, where the former maths teacher became the first female athlete to win the famous qualifier in the show\u2019s 53-year history. Aboard Good Star du Bary, the horse she will ride in her first Final, Burke secured the biggest victory of her career and makes the transatlantic trip with a slice of history already to her name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Zealand\u2019s Julie Davey also takes a unique route, claiming back-to-back New Zealand League titles, she has this time accepted her invitation and will line out with her long-time partner LT Holst Freda, the sensational 12-year-old mare she has ridden since the age of four. Joining her is Southern Hemisphere first-timer Jamie Winning-Kermond of Australia riding Tulara Wat Colblensky, adding another international dimension to Fort Worth\u2019s newcomers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the field in Fort Worth are 16 first-time finalists, bringing with them a wave of fresh ambition, form and opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home soil <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nine years have passed since the FEI Jumping World Cup\u2122 Final was last won on home soil, and the hosts will be hoping Fort Worth can deliver another golden chapter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

History is certainly on the side of the United States, which remains the most successful nation at the Final with 11 titles to its name. When it comes to female success, no country can match the American record either, with four of the five women to lift the trophy having flown the flag for the USA: Melanie Smith (1982), Leslie Burr-Howard (1986), Katharine Burdsall (1987) and Beezie Madden (2013 and 2018).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That depth is reflected again in this year\u2019s home contingent. Team USA stalwart Laura Kraut brings a wealth of championship experience and one of the most accomplished careers in the sport to Fort Worth, where she is set to contest her 10th FEI Jumping World Cup\u2122 Final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current world number two Kent Farrington adds serious firepower for the host nation, returning with the 12-year-old mare Greya. The pair are in flying form, having delivered seven wins at five-star level in 2025, and after finishing fourth at the 2024 Final in Riyadh, where Farrington also rode Toulayna, the American will now be hoping that the proven partnership can go at least one better and secure a place on the podium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it is not only familiar faces who will carry American hopes in Fort Worth. Twenty-one-year-old rising star Mimi Gochman is set to make her Final debut after booking her place with a breakthrough victory in Ocala (USA) that marked her out as one of the most exciting young names on the start list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local interest is also strong, with Aaron Vale, who originally hails from nearby Irving, Texas, set to compete on familiar ground in Fort Worth aboard the 13-year-old gelding Carissimo 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blending proven class with fresh momentum, the American side looks well equipped to mount a serious charge on home soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challengers <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strength in depth will be one of the defining features of the Fort Worth field, with the fight for the title drawing on a deeply international cast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dutchman Willem Greve arrives after a superb Western European League campaign that yielded three victories, two of them with Pretty Woman van\u2019t Paradijs N.O.P., who will also partner him in the Final. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

France\u2019s Kevin Staut returns with Visconti du Telman after the pair claimed third place at last year\u2019s Final in Basel, and they will be aiming to better that performance this time around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seasoned international experience runs deep through the field, with Olympic pedigree also brought by Ireland\u2019s Daniel Coyle, Latvia\u2019s Kristaps Neretnieks, plus two of Belgium\u2019s representatives in Abdel Sa\u00efd and Gregory Wathelet. Together, they reinforce the sense that threats will be mounted from every angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With representation stretching across the globe and every route to Fort Worth demanding something different, there will be no shortage of contenders when the battle begins and the lines are drawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dickies Arena opens from 8 to 12 April, with the first Jumping competition taking place on Thursday 9 April, the second on Friday 10 April, and Sunday\u2019s decider on 12 April set to crown the 2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup\u2122 champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Definite Entries are available here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text FEI<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They say fortune favours the bold, and boldness will be in no short supply when the 46th edition of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup\u2122 Final arrives in Fort Worth (USA), where the world\u2019s best horse-and-rider combinations will lock horns in a high-stakes battle for one of Jumping\u2019s most coveted titles. With definite entries now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":18592,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18615"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18621,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18615\/revisions\/18621"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helsinkihorseshow.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}