Rupert Carl Winkelmann Cashes in for the Win in the $120,000 Skyla Credit Union Grand Prix CSI 3*

By Jumper News on 2025-10-13

Mill Spring, United States – October 11, 2025 – Capping off an action-packed evening of Show Jumping $120,000 Skyla Credit Union Grand Prix CSI 3*, Rupert Carl Winkelmann (GER) emerged as the top competitor in a field of 40 teams. Paired with his own Imodo (Bessemeind’s Quasimodo Z x Broere VDL Corland), Winkelmann produced one of only two double clear rounds of the night, finishing the short track in 42.70 seconds.

Being a new team, Rupert Carl Winkelmann (GER) and Imodo enjoyed a summer season filled with podium appearances. “I bought him about a year ago. Mel Thijssen produced him and brought him up. I would say it took us about six to eight months to actually connect and really click,” Winkelmann explained.

Being the sixth of nine to tour the Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA) jump off track, Winkelmann described the challenges the course presented. “The first few riders struggled with the time allowed and with the course. I think you just had to keep the rhythm going throughout the whole course.”

**Alejandro Leonardo Winkler** (MEX) & **Flagship de Hus**

Owner and rider of Flagship de Hus (Windows VH Costersveld x Fergar Mail), Alejandro Leonardo Winkler (MEX) slotted into second place, recording 44.11 seconds in the jump off with the 2015 Selle Francais mare.

Keeping the poles up but incurring two time faults to land in third, David Blake (IRL) piloted Conblue (Conthargos x Chacco-Blue), Pine Hollow Farm’s 2014 Oldenburg gelding, to a 53.06 second jump off.

“We’ve had a really nice summer in Europe already,” Winkelmann detailed. “We won a 1.50m and we’re top three in another 3* Grand Prix there. Now I’m just getting more and more confident, and really letting him go in the jump-offs.”

“Imodo jumped fantastic,” Winkelmann said of the 2013 Dutch Warmblood gelding. “I could really focus on the time allowed. I started off with a good rhythm, and then kept that the whole round.”

Tryon International was Winkelmann and Imodo’s first stop on American soil after their summer European tour. “This is our first show back in the US,” Winkelmann shared. “We just came back from Europe, flew straight to Tryon, and showed in the 2* last week and the 3* this week.”

*Podium: 2) **Alejandro Leonardo Winkler** (MEX), 1) **Rupert Carl Winkelmann** (GER), and 3) **David Blake** (IRL)*

In preparation for the winter circuit, Winkelmann took full advantage of the Tryon International venue. “Obviously a win always makes [the experience] better!” Winkelmann said. “I was taking all the horses out on trail rides, and I love the countryside here. It’s a beautiful season to be here, and the facilities are fantastic,” he concluded.