Yuri Mansur & Vitiki! Tears & Triumph in the €308,600 Longines Global Champions Tour of Valkenswaard CSI 5*

By Jumper News on 2026-09-06

Valkenswaard, The Netherlands – September 06, 2026 – There are victories, and then there are moments that mean everything. As Yuri Mansur (BRA) stood on top of the podium in tears, the scale of what he and the remarkable Vitiki had just achieved was written all over his face. Against a backdrop of packed grandstands, huge crowds and an electric Sunday atmosphere at the iconic Longines Tops International Arena, Mansur produced a sensational performance to win the 2026 Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Valkenswaard.

Eight combinations had survived the first-round examination to reach the jump-off, but when the pressure reached boiling point it was Mansur who delivered the lap of the day. Flat out from start to finish, the Brazilian and Vitiki stopped the clock at 37.27 seconds, leaving every fence standing.

Belgium’s Pieter Devos (BEL) and Casual DV Z threw everything at the final challenge but came home just seven-tenths slower in 37.97 seconds for second, while compatriot Annelies Vorsselmans (BEL) and Trezeguet completed the podium with a double clear in 38.85 seconds.

It was pure top sport: margins measured in fractions, championship pressure, home hopes, big names falling by the wayside and one extraordinary partnership producing an emotional victory on one of the biggest stages of the season.

Yuri, taking his first ever Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix win, an emotional Yuri Mansur (BRA) said “I’ve had so many good chances and could never finish the job… finally! Especially with my favourite horse, it is even more special.”

The famed Vitiki also claiming his first ever 5* Grand Prix win, Yuri explained, “He’s won so many 1.50 and 1.55 Grand Prix’s but we’ve never managed to take a 5* Grand Prix and for it to be a Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix win makes it even more special. I can’t believe that I have the golden ticket to the LGCT Super Grand Prix! ”

Making his appearance on an LGCT Grand Prix podium for the first time, this time with homebred Casual DV, he remarked “Each time we get to do a jump off together I feel like it is getting better and better, and not being far off Yuri makes it disappointing that we didn’t get the ticket for the LGCT Super Grand Prix but really I am very happy with my horse.”

“I must say that the crowd was really fantastic today, the tribunes were packed and I couldn’t see the screen but the crowd was shouting so loud I thought I’d managed to get into the lead! Really what makes our sport is the people around so it was really nice to have a lot of people creating a lovely atmosphere here today.”

**Annelies Vorsselmans** (BEL) & **Trezeguet**

In her debut season the Longines Global Champions Tour, a beaming Annelies Vorsselmans (BEL) spoke to Rosie Turner of GCTV, “My horse really deserved this, and sticking to the plan in round 1 really worked.” She added, “in this circuit there are only the best riders, so a clear round doesn’t mean you are on the podium so the jump off really gives a lot of pressure. He has jumped super and he’s fought for me the whole season with great results and really secure rounds – but this one, this is perfect.”

Round One: No Room for Error

It looked big. It rode big. And from the opening combinations, there was nowhere to hide. In front of a packed Longines Tops International Arena, the first-round course demanded power, precision and complete concentration. Rails fell across the track as some of the sport’s biggest names discovered just how unforgiving a Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix can be.

Second into the arena, Scott Brash (GBR) and Hello Chadora Lady immediately showed the difficulty of the challenge. The multiple LGCT Grand Prix winner looked quick and competitive, but one fence down put him onto four faults and eventually left him outside the jump-off in 16th.

Reigning Valkenswaard champions Harrie Smolders (NED) and Monaco returned looking to defend their crown, but their hopes of back-to-back victories disappeared with a single rail. Smolders did not hang around afterwards, however, recording the fastest four-fault round of the class in 72.25 seconds to finish ninth – agonisingly close to another shot at the title.

There was disappointment too for Philipp Weishaupt (GER), winner of last year’s Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Vienna, as Kilminster accumulated four rails for 16 penalty-points on a day where nothing quite fell their way. And the championship plot thickened.

Series leader Abdel Saïd (BEL), riding Whatnan Zasou vom Claashof, arrived in Valkenswaard carrying the pressure of the golden armband but one rail left him on four faults and out of the jump-off. Suddenly, the door was open for his closest championship rivals.

Multiple LGCT Champion Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS) , competing on home turf at the venue synonymous with the Tops family, also finished with one rail. Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) carried the hopes of the Dutch crowd with Beauville Z N.O.P., but the troublesome plank caught them out too, ending another home challenge.

Eight combinations eventually found the formula. Eight clears. Eight chances. One Grand Prix title. And then the clock took over.

Jump-Off: Flat Out to the Finish

Christian Ahlmann (GER) was first through the gate with Untouched LB – and there was absolutely no reconnaissance lap happening here. The German attacked immediately, setting a blistering pace and throwing down a time of 38.74 seconds. But the gamble came undone at the very last fence. Four faults. The speed was there; the door remained wide open.

Next came Annelies Vorsselmans (BEL) and Trezeguet. With Ahlmann’s rail in mind, Vorsselmans took a fraction more care without surrendering the challenge. She crossed the line clear in 38.85 seconds, producing the first double clear and becoming the new rider everyone had to catch.

Then came Yuri Mansur (BRA) and Vitiki. And this was different.

Their story together has already been one of extraordinary resilience. After Vitiki suffered an injury years earlier, simply seeing the pair back competing at this level has represented a remarkable comeback. But Mansur wasn’t in Valkenswaard for sentiment.

He came to win. He attacked every metre. Vitiki answered every question. The turns were tight, the stride opened up and coming to the final fence Mansur committed completely. No hesitation. Flat out. The poles stayed in their cups. 37.27 seconds. Mansur punched the air as the crowd erupted. More than a second faster than Ahlmann’s already rapid time – but crucially, this one was clear. The benchmark had been smashed.

Emanuele Camilli (ITA) and Chacco’s Girlstar were next to take up the chase. The Italian knew exactly what was required and went after Mansur’s time, but one rail hit the floor and with it went his hopes of taking the lead. Four faults in 40.35 seconds meant it wasn’t to be his day.

Experienced campaigners Denis Lynch (IRL) and 17-year-old Cordial followed. An early rail immediately changed the Irishman’s strategy. With victory now out of reach, Lynch sensibly steadied his veteran partner, completing on four faults in 40.31 seconds.

Olivier Philippaerts (BEL) and Miro were next and the Belgian tried everything. Tight turns, direct lines, no wasted ground – it was another flawless round. But when the clock stopped at 39.32 seconds, the answer was clear: Mansur’s time was going to take something exceptional to beat.

The Dutch crowd had one final card to play. Arne van Heel (NED) and Keaton HV entered as the last remaining home combination and delivered under enormous pressure. Every fence stayed standing, giving the grandstands plenty to celebrate, but 39.08 seconds put them behind Mansur, Vorsselmans and Philippaerts.

One rider remained. Pieter Devos (BEL). Mansur could only watch. Devos and Casual DV Z knew exactly what they had to do. There was no protecting second place. No settling for a podium. They came to take the win.

The Belgian attacked from the opening stride and the clock was close. Turn after turn, Casual DV Z kept answering. The final fence remained standing and Devos powered through the finish. 37.97 seconds. For a split second, eyes went straight to the scoreboard. Second. Just 0.70 seconds separated them. And finally, Mansur knew. The Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Valkenswaard belonged to him.

What followed said more than any scoreboard could. As the Brazilian flag flew above the arena and Mansur stood alongside Vitiki as winner of the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Valkenswaard, the emotion finally broke through. The tears on the podium told the story of far more than 37.27 seconds.

It was about the road back. The belief in a horse. The setbacks, the recovery and the opportunity to stand on one of the sport’s most prestigious podiums together. On a weekend celebrating world-class show jumping at the spiritual home of the Longines Global Champions Tour, Valkenswaard had delivered another unforgettable chapter.

With Abdel Saïd still holding the championship lead but Christian Ahlmann (GER), Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS), Max Kühner (AUT) and Scott Brash (GBR) closing in, the margins are getting smaller, the points more valuable and the pressure greater with every round.

Valkenswaard belonged to Yuri Mansur (BRA) and Vitiki but the race for the 2026 title is very much still on.