For four days, riders and course designer alike had been celebrating this vast grass arena, where horses are given the space to gallop, learn and fully express themselves. For the final act of the Chantilly Classic presented by Al Shira’aa, Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida looked completely at home there.
Attacking from the moment he crossed the start line aboard Karonia.L, the 34-year-old Portuguese rider claimed the Al Shira’aa Tour Grand Prix Ville de Chantilly ahead of two Olympic champions, Scott Brash and Laura Kraut, securing his twenty-fourth international victory since the beginning of the year.
Facing the Grandes Écuries, the grandstands were packed. Under the Chantilly sunshine, a welcome breeze brought some relief to horses and spectators alike, while the flags of the 24 nations represented throughout the weekend (including a number of riders from Canada) snapped in the wind: a setting that was already a spectacle in itself. In the arena, the grass had retained all its freshness and excellent spring to host the final sporting highlight of these four days.
For this €106,000 CSI4* Grand Prix over 1.55m fences, Grégory Bodo had designed a course worthy of the Grandes Écuries arena: 13 obstacles, 16 jumping efforts, long galloping stretches and challenges distributed all the way to the final line. But in an arena of this size, leaving every rail in place was not enough: riders also had to keep moving forward. Five combinations were denied a place in the jump-off solely through time penalties, while ten others (including Canada’s Chris Pratt and Ideaal ES) ultimately found the right balance between accuracy and speed to earn their place in the deciding round.
Watch Chris Pratt and Ideaal’s jump-off round here.
Scott Brash shows the way
Laura Kraut was the first to set a genuine benchmark. Riding Tres Bien Z, the American Olympic champion delivered another clear round in 45.09 seconds.
Immediately afterwards, Scott Brash and Hello Mango changed the complexion of the jump-off. The British rider, Olympic team champion in both London in 2012 and Paris in 2024 and currently ranked world number three, increased the pace, tightened his turns and chose to remove a stride in the final line, covering it in eight strides rather than nine. Crossing the finish line in 44.97 seconds, he appeared to have set a formidable target.
But in the warm-up arena, Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida had wanted to watch only one round: Scott Brash’s. “He was the only rider I wanted to watch because, for me, he is the best rider in the world. I love learning every day. His jump-off was very fast, but I really wanted to be even faster.”
The Portuguese rider had already considered taking eight strides in the final line. Watching Scott Brash confirmed his decision. “I had already thought about it but seeing him do it confirmed my decision. Then I had a very good start to the jump-off over the first two fences. I really wanted to gain time between fences two and three. I had seen that Scott went slightly wide there. I managed to take a shorter line and leave out a stride. I think that is where I won.”
With Karonia.L, Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida attacked from the very first stride. After following Scott Brash’s eight-stride option in the final line, he crossed the finish in 43.40 seconds, improving the Briton’s time by 1.57 seconds.
At this level, a second and a half is not merely shaved off a time: it has to be conquered.
A 24th victory that comes as no surprise
Although the manner of his victory was impressive, Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida’s success was no isolated flash of brilliance. At 34, the Portuguese rider currently sits 76th in the world rankings and is enjoying a particularly prolific season.
Having already won the 1.55m Small Grand Prix at the Mechelen CSI5*-W in 2025 and the Arezzo CSI4* Grand Prix last March, he had recorded 23 international victories since the beginning of the year before arriving in Chantilly. His success in the Al Shira’aa Tour Grand Prix Ville de Chantilly therefore brings that total to twenty-four.
Yet defeating two Olympic champions, Scott Brash and Laura Kraut, in the feature class of a show he particularly enjoys gave this latest victory a different flavour. “It is a really special feeling. But during a Grand Prix, you have to remain completely focused until the very end. Nothing is over until the last horse has crossed the finish line. I had a very good feeling with my mare throughout the weekend. On Friday, I was already very fast in the jump-off, but we had a fault that was entirely my fault. Today, it was about remaining focused until the last fence, and we managed to do it.”
Seated in the red chair reserved for the provisional leader beside the arena, Rodrigo nevertheless admitted that he found the wait more difficult than the jump-off itself. “I was a little nervous, yes! For me, that is the hardest place to be. I would rather be in the arena, galloping and trying to win, than sitting in the leader’s chair waiting.” (laughs)
From 90cm classes to CSI5* Grands Prix
Behind this victory lies, above all, a story patiently built over time. Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida has been riding Karonia.L for four years. When the now eleven-year-old mare crossed his path in Belgium, she was still competing in small classes and did not even have an FEI passport. “We started together at 90cm and gradually worked our way up to CSI5* Grands Prix. The first time I saw her, I immediately had a very good feeling. She was still very green and extremely careful, but she already had the right mentality. For me, that is one of the most important qualities in a horse.”
In Chantilly, Karonia.L continued to justify that confidence. Clear in all three major classes she contested, she concluded her weekend with a double clear and the most prestigious victory of these four days. “I am incredibly proud of her. She is an extraordinary mare, and I know that she is naturally very, very fast. She gave me an excellent feeling throughout the show.”
Chantilly, the final step before the World Championship dream
This victory also crowned Karonia.L’s final major appearance before the World Championships in Aachen. In a few weeks, the Portuguese combination will compete on another legendary grass arena, the Soers, with a clear objective: to challenge for a medal. “The Chantilly Classic presented by Al Shira’aa was our final major show before the World Championships, and I could not have asked for more. Now we will try to prepare her as well as possible and go to Aachen with the aim of winning a medal.”
Before leaving Chantilly, Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida also paid tribute to a show he ranks among his favourite outdoor events. “It is extraordinary. The horses are really happy here, and the conditions are excellent for them. Despite the heat, there is plenty of air in the stables, and everything went very well. The arena is magnificent. And it was not only with Karonia that I achieved good results: I also won with other horses. It was a very, very good show.”
Having started out in 90cm classes without even holding an FEI passport, Karonia.L leaves Chantilly with victory in a CSI4* Grand Prix and now, dreams of a medal on the world’s most prestigious grass arena.
On Sunday, Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida entered the arena after watching Scott Brash in order to learn. In Aachen, he will no longer be looking only to draw inspiration from the very best: with the mare whose journey he has shaped at every stage, he will attempt to claim a World Championship medal.
Results here.
https://results.worldsporttiming.com/2026/chantilly-classic/competition/25/result
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