The RDS Main Arena in Dublin provided the stage for an unforgettable afternoon of sport on Sunday, Aug. 10, as the CSIO5* Rolex Grand Prix of Ireland brought the 2025 edition of the RDS Dublin Horse Show, a Rolex Series event, to a thrilling close. Forty of the world’s finest riders — including past Rolex Grand Prix winners, Olympic champions, and rising stars — faced a demanding 1.60m track designed by Ireland’s Alan Wade, renowned for creating courses that are both fair and unforgiving. With 14 obstacles, 17 efforts and a tight time allowed of 77 seconds, the challenge demanded absolute precision, scope, and control. In front of a wildly passionate crowd and an incredible atmosphere, every round felt like a final as riders vied for a share of the record €500,000 purse.
From the very start, the course proved merciless. Dutch rider Kevin Jochems was first to go with Camilla van de Helle, but two early mistakes and a time penalty set the tone for a tough afternoon. Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam, the first home favourite to enter the arena, thrilled the crowd with a fast round of 74.39 seconds on Dhalida, but a single rail kept him from a faultless score. Canada’s Kyle Timm was sixth in the ring with the grey gelding Casino Calvin, owned by Tara Dow-Rein, Rein Family LLC and Marleen Diedrichs, and performed a lovely smooth round, but an unfortunate rail saw them join the four-faulters. Even big names like Harrie Smolders (NED) and Aaron Vale (USA) — fresh from victory and runner-up honours in the Rolex Grand Prix Ville de Dinard — fell victim to the course’s technical questions.
As the class unfolded, rails kept falling. By start number 19, Sweetnam’s early four-fault round still held the lead. Mexico’s Eugenio Garza Pérez came agonizingly close, only to drop the final fence. Young Irish talent Tom Wachman also posted four faults, with Tabasco de Toxandria Z, finishing exactly on the time allowed.
Kyle Timm and Casino Calvin. (Cealy Tetley photo)
With no clear rounds yet on the scoreboard, the tension inside the RDS reached fever pitch. Brazilian legend Rodrigo Pessoa and Major Tom delivered a quick four-fault performance to take over the provisional lead, while Canada’s Amy Millar looked strong aboard Jagger HX until the double combination before the last fence, where a single rail dashed her hopes with the KWPN gelding owned by Team Eye Candy, Millar Brooke Farm and Stal Hendrix. Ireland’s final contender, Seamus Hughes Kennedy, finished with eight faults — leaving just two riders to go.
Then came the decisive moment. Laura Kraut (USA), Olympic silver medallist and one of the sport’s most respected figures, entered the arena as the penultimate competitor. With Bisquetta, she delivered a round of perfect rhythm and precision, crossing the finish line in 73.97 seconds — the only clear of the entire competition. The RDS crowd erupted in celebration, knowing they had just witnessed something truly exceptional.
Top three: Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA), Laura Kraut (USA), Shane Sweetnam. (Rolex Series Equestrian photo)
It was an immensely demanding contest, with 13 riders retiring before completing their round — including Canada’s Mario Deslauriers with S & L Quatro van de Meerputhoeve — a testament to Wade’s masterful course design. No one could match Kraut’s brilliance, sealing a remarkable and historic victory in one of the most challenging Rolex Grand Prix of Ireland in recent years.
Laura Kraut commented, “The Dublin Horse Show is one of those bucket list events — my husband Nick Skelton won it five times — so I’m absolutely thrilled. Alan Wade built a course that was careful but fair, and you had to be perfect to go clear. I was lucky to go late, which gave me the chance to study the others and decide exactly what I wanted to do. Bisquetta was ready and brilliant. She’s very brave, very careful, and this year she’s stepped up to another level. She has her quirks — she is terrified of other horses’ tails — but none of it affects her in the ring. In the stable she is sweet, and after today she might just become even more of a princess.”
Results here.
Other top-10 Canadian results:
Wednesday: Kyle Timm finished 10th with the Rein Family LLC’s Glamour Du Chanu in the 1.45m Speed Stakes by Heathman Farm. Nicole Walker was 10th with her own Leicester in the 1.45m Minerva Stakes by LHK Group.
Team Canada (l-r): Reserve rider Kimberley Martens Winsingh, Kyle Timm, Amy Millar, Mario Deslauriers and Nicole Walker. (Cealy Tetley photo)
Friday: Team Canada finished in sixth place overall in Friday’s CSIO5* Nations Cup of Ireland; the team was made up of Kyle Timm (Casino Calvin – 8,4), Amy Millar (Jagger HX – 0,8), Mario Deslauriers (S & L Quatro van de Meerputhoeve – 8,4) and Nicole Walker (Panter JVH – 0,RET), with reserve rider Kimberley Martens Winsingh. Team Netherlands ousted Germany and Ireland with a final score of 0 to their 4 over two rounds.
Nations Cup results here.
Saturday: Kyle Timm finished 6th with the Rein Family LLC’s Glamour Du Chanu in a seven-horse jump-off, and Mario Deslauriers finished 14th with Aram Ampagoumian LLC’s Costa Quick PS in the 1.50m Dublin Stakes for the Wylie Perpetual Trophy.
Full results here.
~ with files from Rolex Series Equestrian
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