The final day of Jumping Indoor Maastricht 2025 began with Belgian brilliance. Thibeau Spits set the tone by claiming victory with his experienced gelding King van Essene in the 4* 1.45m MECC Prize. In the fast two-phase course, the Belgian left no doubt about who was the strongest.
“That was a really quick round,” Spits said afterwards. “King has so much experience — I’ve been riding him for years. The turns come naturally to him now. I didn’t even have to go full speed down the lines. I had seen Hessel’s round; he got a slightly awkward distance heading to the first fence of the second phase, so I adjusted and took one stride less there. Also, in the rollback, I got a nice, forward line. That made the difference.”
Emotional week
Spits began the day in the best possible way with his victory, although he admitted that this week isn’t just about sport:
“This afternoon I’ll ride in the Grand Prix with my top horse Impress van ’t Kattenheye, which I’m really looking forward to. But honestly, it’s an emotional week for us. One of our stable staff members is currently fighting for her life. So we’re here with mixed feelings, and our thoughts are elsewhere. It’s special to win, but at the same time, it makes you realize that sport isn’t everything. There’s so much more around it. We do this as a team, and our thoughts are with her.”
Eckermann and Hoekstra back on the podium
Behind Spits, several familiar faces from this weekend in Maastricht returned to the podium. German rider Katrin Eckermann, already winner of Friday’s Medium Tour, rode Iron Dames Sascinora NRW to an impressive second place. The best Dutch performance came from Hessel Hoekstra, who, after his win on Saturday with Madonna, now took third place. American rider Lucas Porter and Vigakata finished fourth, followed by Niels Kersten with Rose of Ballmore in fifth.
Photos by Digishots
View the program and results here
