The Grand place Arena delivered an afternoon of world-class sport with the CSIO5* Henders and Hazel Nations Cup presented by STX Finance (1.60m), the second qualifying competition for Sunday’s Rolex Grand Prix presented by Audi. Ten nations lined up at the start, but only the top eight after the opening round advanced to the second. From the very first riders, the tension was palpable, with every rail proving decisive.

Mexico had the task of opening the competition with Carlos Hank Guerreiro and H5 Origi Horta, who clipped a rail at the entrance to the triple combination for 4 faults. Brazil suffered a similar fate with João Victor Castro, before Great Britain got off the mark as Harry Charles and Casquo Blue produced the first clear round of the day. France followed quickly with Nina Mallevaey on Dynastie de Beaufour, while Switzerland’s Nadja Peter Steiner and Sweden’s Jens Fredricson also jumped clear. Belgium, however, faced early disappointment with the elimination of Pieter Devos.

Mexico bounced back thanks to Fernando Martinez Sommer, while France’s Jeanne Sadran impressed with a superb clear aboard Dexter de Kerglenn. Switzerland maintained their momentum with Jason Smith and Picobello van’t Roosakker, and Belgium found redemption through European Champion Gilles Thomas with Ermitage Kalone, who produced a flawless round, followed by Thibeau Spits, penalized only by one time fault.

At the end of the first round, France and Switzerland led on a perfect score of 0, followed by Sweden, Mexico, Great Britain, and Germany (4 faults each). Belgium stayed in contention with 5 faults, while Brazil carried 8. The UAE and Ireland, however, did not qualify for round two.

The second round brought even more drama. Brazil’s João Victor Castro opened with 4 faults, before Germany’s Christian Kukuk delivered a faultless round in 72.12. Mexico then faltered again with 8 penalties, while Harry Charles confirmed his form with another immaculate clear in 71.23 — the first double clear of the competition. France answered in style as Nina Mallevaey produced her second clear of the day in 70.74, and teammate Antoine Ermann also joined the list of double clears. Brazil’s Stephan de Freitas Barcha followed suit with a brilliant double clear.

Meanwhile, costly 4-fault rounds from Christian Ahlmann (GER) and Scott Brash (GBR) weakened their teams’ chances.

The decisive moment came with the final rider: Olympic Champion Steve Guerdat for Switzerland. Needing a clear to keep Swiss hopes alive, he saw a rail fall, adding 4 faults and leaving Switzerland on 12 points and third place overall.

In the end, France claimed victory with just 4 faults, ahead of Belgium with 9 and Switzerland with 12.

Final Standings – Nations Cup Brussels 2025

🥇 France — 4 faults
🥈 Belgium — 9 faults
🥉 Switzerland — 12 faults