Thibault Philippaerts wins his first Longines Global Champions League with St Tropez Pirates in Rabat Nicola Philippaerts wins five-star Grand Prix in Tryon The Philippaerts brothers can look back on a fantastic weekend. On Friday, Thibault Philippaerts helped his team, St Tropez Pirates, to victory in the Global Champions League. On Sunday morning, he added another win in the CSI5, presented by Qatar*. Only a few weeks after finishing second in the Longines Global Champions Tour in New York, Thibault has now claimed his first win in the Champions League. What a debut! While Nicola Philippaerts took the spotlight in the five-star Grand Prix in Tryon, Olivier Philippaerts was making his mark in China at the Beijing Masters, where he captured a memorable win. Jenny Krogsæter completed the family’s strong weekend with a third place in the Grand Prix of Oslo. Once again, the Limburg riders proved that they truly belong on the world stage. From Rabat to Tryon and all the way to Beijing, the Philippaerts brothers showed their strength. On Friday, Thibault Philippaerts impressed by securing the decisive round for his team in the Global Champions League. After making his Global Tour debut only a few weeks ago in New York – where he just missed the win – he now led his team to victory. In the first round, he stayed clear with Quilano, and in the second, he did the same with Lyandro. “I was the last rider to go, and I knew I had to stay clear to win,” said Thibault Philippaerts. “I didn’t think too much about it, just did my job and trusted my horse. That’s what I always try to do. Of course, it was amazing that we stayed clear and could take the win for the St Tropez Pirates.” Thibault and his horses are clearly in top form. “The last few weeks have gone really well. The horses are in great shape, and I have a fantastic team around me, including my dad, who does so much for us. As brothers, we understand each other and work very well together. We’re enjoying it and just trying to keep going the way we are,” said Thibault Philippaerts. Besides the team competition, Thibault also won the CSI5* on Sunday morning. “It was a difficult course, and I was one of the first to go. Quilano is a clever horse and naturally fast. We just did our thing, and the time was good enough to win. None of the other riders even came close.” Just like Thibault, Nicola Philippaerts has also been in excellent form in recent weeks. He proved that on Saturday night by winning the five-star Grand Prix in Tryon with Gadget Mouche. In a jump-off with 13 combinations, he stayed clear again and set the fastest time.
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