Yesterday afternoon, Willem Greve made history in the Brabanthallen by becoming the first Dutch rider to win a Grand Prix in the prestigious Rolex Grand Slam.

Greve, riding his sharp and fast stallion Highway TN N.O.P. (Eldorado van de Zeshoek out of Zelana V reg.A PROK by Chellano Z, bred by P. Verdellen Paarden Fok & Opfok from Horst), was four-hundredths of a second faster at the finish line than the world’s number one, Henrik von Eckermann from Sweden. Harrie Smolders also made a strong attempt to beat the Swede, finishing nearly a second behind and securing a fantastic third place with his crack Uricas van de Kattevennen. “A dream come true to make history here,” said a delighted Greve.

“I still can’t believe it,” was Willem Greve’s initial reaction. “I owe a lot to my horse, the people behind the horse, and the team around me. To make history here is a dream, and Highway TN N.O.P. is also a dream come true for me.”

“My jump-off started really well over the first two fences, and the roll-backs were very quick. I could really go for the last stride to the final fence. It was in that last turn that I made the difference. I didn’t expect to be faster than Henrik von Eckermann. I felt a bit slower along the way. But my horse never gives up. We fought until the end, and it was enough. I am very proud of Highway TN N.O.P. Dreams do come true.”

After his victory, the first for the Netherlands in the 35 Rolex Grand Prix events held so far, Greve praised the people and the team around him and those behind Highway TN N.O.P., Team Nijhof from Geesteren. They were honored as the ‘Horseman of the Year’ on Friday night during the event in Den Bosch for their contributions to the sport and breeding in the Netherlands.

Greve, who broke through last year with Highway TN N.O.P. by winning the Grand Prix of Rotterdam, is now among the world’s top combinations. In late January, they finished second in the World Cup competition at Jumping Amsterdam. “Highway has developed superbly over the past few years, in the shadow of Zypria, with whom I competed at the Tokyo Olympics, and my other top horse, Grandorado TN N.O.P. In hindsight, this has been the perfect path for Highway to peak now at twelve years old,” Greve praised his winner, who earned him €330,000 with the victory in Den Bosch. On the FEI world ranking list, Greve is steadily climbing and now ranks 30th.

Greve rode last in the winning jump-off. Brabant native Harrie Smolders had brought the Brabanthallen to its feet just minutes earlier with a strong attempt to beat the top time set by the world’s number one, Henrik von Eckermann. Smolders, with the spectacularly jumping Uricas van de Kattevennen, finished just 0.92 seconds short at the finish line. “Uricas jumped fantastically. The level is so high. I am very pleased with this third place,” said Harrie Smolders at the press conference. “This was only Uricas’ second major indoor competition of this winter season. I am very confident about the outdoor season.”

Earlier in the competition, The Dutch Masters, Smolders was named ‘Rider of the Year.’ Currently ranked 12th on the FEI world ranking list, he was the second-best TeamNL rider in the standings behind Greve.

Fourth place went to top horse Leone Jei, the Baltic VDL son (out of Dara ster prest IBOP-spr PROK by Corland, bred by the late Gijs van Mersbergen from Udenhout) ridden by Martin Fuchs. He also made history by achieving no fewer than eight clear rounds in the Rolex Grand Slam so far.

With Loewie Joppen in 10th place and Kim Emmen in 12th place, both of whom took home part of the €1 million prize pot, The Dutch Masters was a fantastic event for Dutch show jumping, with eight Dutch combinations finishing in the top 20 in the Rolex Grand Prix of ’s Hertogenbosch.

Results Rolex Grand Prix ’s Hertogenbosch, 1.60m
Willem Greve (Markelo), Highway TN N.O.P. (by Eldorado van de Zeshoek), 0 – 0, 33.70 sec
Henrik von Eckermann (SWE), King Edward (by Edward), 0 – 0, 33.74 sec
Harrie Smolders (Lage Mierde), Uricas van de Kattevennen (by Uriko), 0 – 0, 34.66 sec

Results

Bron: KNHS
Foto Highway TN N.O.P.: Dirk Caremans