Nicola Philippaerts Earns First MLSJ Grand Prix Win
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Mill Spring, NC—Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) showcased a star in the making on Saturday night as he guided 9-year-old Gadget Mouche to win the $340,000 5* Grand Prix, presented by KASK, to cap Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) Leg 5 at Tryon International.
Podium presentation with Nicola Philippaerts, Shane Sweetnam and Kent Farrington atop the podium
©MLSJ / Meraki Creative Group
A seasoned Belgian nations cup rider and member of MLSJ team Archers, Philippaerts returned at the bottom half of a 12-horse jump-off over courses designed by Peter Grant (CAN).
Gadget Mouche—a French-bred Andiamo Semilly son—was produced through the Philippaerts program by his father Ludo and brother Thibault and is now making a name for himself at the five-star level. Philippaerts debuted the gelding in the 5* ranks in Spruce Meadows only a month ago.
Nicola Philippaerts & Gadget Mouche
©MLSJ / Meraki Creative Group
When Philippaerts entered the Tryon stadium, his fate was all but sealed as the runner up after Irish Olympian Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz—his mount from the 2024 Paris Olympics—laid down a blistering pace of 43.94 seconds to take over the lead from world no. 1 Kent Farrington aboard Greya.
“If you can beat these guys with these horses, it's always very nice to be able to do that,” admitted Philippaerts, who earned his first MLSJ grand prix title.
Gadget Mouche was efficient in the turns and quick across the ground to pip Sweetnam and his Gizmo Partners owned mount by two tenths of a second and steal the win.
Shane Sweetnam & James Kann Cruz
©MLSJ / Meraki Creative Group
“This is his third five-star where he jumped the grand prix, and he feels very good. He was very quick tonight,” continued Philippaerts. “I’m happy to be back over here in America. It's my second year in Major League and I really enjoy it; it's a great sport, great riders and a lot of great events.”
When asked about his recent string of second-place finishes, Sweetnam answered, “I have a lot of experience coming second this year so I always felt there was someone that maybe could catch me [tonight], but I left everything out there. James Kann Cruz is brilliant, and his results speak for themselves. Not just this year, every year. When you go to jump on him, you know you have a chance.”
Kent Farrington & Greya
©MLSJ / Meraki Creative Group
The record-breaking evening that was promised was not to be after Farrington settled for third aboard his phenom mare Greya on a time of 44.18 seconds. Farrington is still on the hunt to make history with his ninth grand prix win in one year, while Greya chases her own record of seven.
“I'm at the wrong end of this lineup tonight,” said Farrington. “I was very happy with my horse—she's an incredible athlete and I am very proud of what she's doing in the sport. It was going to be a tall order tonight when there's so many clear going faster and faster. I'm happy with the horse, disappointed to be third.”
Winning Round Video
Complete results from the $340,000 5* Grand Prix, presented by KASK, can be found here.
A team with for the Archers at MLSJ Hudson Valley and Philippaerts’ individual victory in Tryon, moved him into the top 15 in the individual season rankings. View current team and individual standings here.
The next stop for MLSJ kicks off December 3 at Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) in California for Leg 6 and 7.
For more information on Major League Show Jumping and to view complete schedules, rosters and more, visit majorleagueshowjumping.com. Get in on the action by downloading the MLSJ App and tune in live all season at ClipMyHorse.tv.