Graham Gillespie and ‘Warriors Glory’ wins the Tesalia 1.45 Small Grand Prix

Last in the jump off, he snatched victory from French Rider Penelope Leprevost and ‘Djagger Semilly’ by just three hundredths of a second

An intense jump-off took place today in the 1.45 Small Grand Prix, held in the main sand arena Milton, sponsored by Bodegas Tesalia, a winery led by rider Natalia Golding in the heart of the Sierra de Grazalema, where 22 hectares combine the production of high-quality wines with the breeding and training of horses.

With thirteen horse-rider combinations in the jump-off, British rider Graham Gillespie and his 16-year-old stallion ‘Warriors Glory’ (‘Warrior’ x ‘Caretino Glory’) took the victory at the last moment, second place was for the French rider Penelope Leprevost by just three hundredths of a second. The French rider had completed the course with ‘Djagger Semilly’ (‘Diamant de Semilly’ x ‘Apache D’Adriers’) in 37.95 seconds, but Gillespie stopped the clock at 37.92 seconds, securing the win in this important qualifier calss for the Longines FEI Ranking.

The victory was even more special considering Warriors Glory’s incredible comeback story. Having been retired 16 months ago due to a severe tendon injury, the stallion defied the odds thanks to groundbreaking treatment from Equi Laser in the Netherlands

Speaking after the win, Sean Cubitt, co-owner of Warriors Glory, expressed his amazement at the horse’s return to competition:

"Two vets told us he would never jump again. We found this company in Holland called Equi Laser, and at first, I thought, ‘That’s never going to work.’ But they took him in for six weeks—and kept him for fourteen months! The guy rode him every day, treated him like a normal horse, turned him out in the field, and lasered him daily."

Now, in just his second show back, Warriors Glory has already secured a world-ranking victory—a truly astonishing turnaround.

"What a retirement, though!" Cubitt added with a smile. "Unbelievable. I’m so happy with it."

With this spectacular performance, Gillespie and Warriors Glory have proven they are back at the top level, setting the stage for an exciting season ahead.

English rider James Whitaker finished third with ‘Just Call Me Henry’, a ten-year-old son of ‘Argento’. Dutch rider Sanne Thijssen and ‘Cupcake Z’ (‘Chacco-Blue’ x ‘Nissan Caretano Z’) placed fourth, while Eden Leprevost shared the podium with her mother, securing fifth place with ‘Darkhorse Brimbelles’ (‘Air Jordan’ x ‘Diamant de Semilly’).

Meanwhile, Belgian rider Gilles Thomas and ‘Qalista DN’ (‘Emerald Van’t Ruytershof’ x ‘Landetto’) won the 1.50 Medium Tour Ranking Class. Sanne Thijssen secured two podium finishes, placing second with ‘Cum Laude’ and fifth with ‘Lolandria Z’. Belgian rider Andres Vereecke finished third with ‘Call Me de Muze Z’, while Eden Leprevost claimed fourth place again with ‘Fantasy de la Roque Z’.

In the 1.40 Medium Tour, Italian rider Andrea Calabro was the fastest, securing victory with ‘Cornnan’. Spanish rider Carolina Villanueva with ‘Voice de Chenaie’ and British rider Emma Stoker with ‘Solid Gold HS Z’ completed the top three.

The 1.30 Medium Tour had a Spanish highlight with Jorge Bidón Daurella and ‘Duska’, an 11-year-old daughter of ‘Diamant de Semilly’, taking the win. This duo had already claimed a couple of victories during the second week of the Andalucía Pre Sunshine Tour and continues to demonstrate excellent form. Fellow Spanish rider Alejandro Fernández Sánchez took silver with ‘Balthargos PS’, while Moroccan rider Ali Al Ahrach took the third place with ‘Hapilly du Seigneur’.

Hungarian rider Laszlo Toht and ‘Conmir T’ (‘Cornet Obolensky’ x ‘Accarat’) were the best in today’s Medium Tour class, the 1.20. Following closely were Belgian rider Maverick Van Lent with ‘Mithras de Regor’ and, once again, Alejandro Fernández with ‘Contilove PS’.

Meanwhile, British rider Sally Schutter took the First place in the 1.35 Big Tour with ‘Fadograaf’ (‘Vigaro’ x ‘Quasimodo Z’), followed by Spain’s Álvaro González de Zárate with ‘Casper de Luxe’ and British rider Chloe Winchester with ‘Chakensa PS’.

In the Small Tour 1.45, British rider Chloe Reynold and ‘Christian Street’ (‘Christian 25’ x ‘Poker 49’) delivered the fastest performance in the second phase. Spaniards Leticia Riva Gil with ‘Amaretto du Surgeon’ and Elena Appendino with ‘Grupo Prom Hacienda’ completed the top three.

In the 1.35 Small Tour, Dutch rider Yoni Van Santvoort with ‘Mainly San Peppy’ was the fastest, followed by Spanish rider Antonio Mariñas Soto, who secured both second place with ‘Qute Hero TC’ and third with ‘Quapriccio Di Cantero’.

In the Small Tour 1.30, French rider Mathieu Lambert with ‘Easy Cash du Sey’ took the top spot, followed by Spanish rider Guillermo González Alonso with ‘Double R Dolly’ and Finnish rider Veera Salminen with ‘Singa’.

As for the Classic Tour competition, Moroccan rider El Ghali Chaoui El Faiz won the 1.30 with ‘Dr House Mons’, French rider Carla Nahra claimed the 1.20 victory with ‘Flicka du Tulipier’, and Irish rider Sean Cubitt triumphed in the 1.10 with ‘Nord Prince’.

Tomorrow, Sunday, promises an intense day at the Andalucía Sunshine Tour, an event sponsored by Andalucían Regional Ministry of Tourism and Foreign Affairs and the Provincial Council of Cadiz.The day will feature the first Grand Prix and 12 additional classes. In total, three of them will serve as qualifiers for the FEI Ranking in this final day of the first CSI4* of 2025 at the Sunshine Tour facilities.