A Win for Wim! Leopold van Asten Makes the Dream Come True in the €105,500 Grand Prix of Maastricht CSI 4*

By Jumper News on 2026-11-09

Maastricht, The Netherlands – November 08, 2026 – It had been high on his wish list for years, and a few times he came close. On Sunday afternoon, it finally happened. Limburg rider Leopold van Asten (NED) won the CSI4* Grand Prix Maastricht presented by Gemeente Maastricht over 1.55m, with a mare who was also born in Limburg. As the last to go in the jump-off, he and his eleven-year-old VDL Groep Kwienbellie went clear in 35.70 seconds. Defending champion Gilles Thomas saw his hopes of a second consecutive win go up in smoke.

The MECC was packed for the highlight of the weekend. Of the 45 combinations, twelve qualified for the jump-off, and seven of them stayed clear. As the last starter, Van Asten knew exactly what he had to do. “I went for it; I had nothing to lose,” he says. Just like on Friday, he made the difference in the final line. “Eight strides to the last was a risk, but I knew I had to do it to win. And I know she can do it. It was such a long line that it felt as though that last oxer was running away from me: I’ll never get there.” Kwienbellie did get there, with a huge leap over the final fence, and the roof came off.

Finally

Mayor Wim Hillenaar presented the prize, after which the Dutch national anthem rang out through the MECC. “That’s when it really sinks in,” says Van Asten. “It’s incredible; after a weekend like this I can only be happy. This Grand Prix has been high on my list for a very long time. I’ve come close a few times, but I’d never won it. This was a fantastic Grand Prix, where you had to take risks and fight.”

For Van Asten and Kwienbellie it was the second win of the weekend, as they also won the 3W Prix on Friday evening. “I’ve been riding her for two years now and have always really believed in her, but it took a while before I found the right buttons to get her through the big classes well. We’d never been as good as we were this weekend. Today you start from zero again, and this is the most important class of the event, so you want to perform well. She jumped even better today than on Friday.”

**Leopold van Asten** (NED) & **VDL Groep Kwienbellie**

For Wim

When Van Asten crossed the finish and knew he had won, he pointed upwards in the arena. That gesture was for Wim van der Leegte. Three years ago, Jumping Indoor Maastricht was the last event attended by the former CEO of VDL Groep. Van der Leegte laid the foundations for Stoeterij Duyselshof, where Van Asten is the stable rider, and passed away suddenly shortly afterwards. “That makes it extra emotional. Now that everything is falling into place, I hope he saw it from up above.” Van Asten thanked the crowd, the organisers and the sponsors. “The crowd was fantastic. I hope to come back here for many more years.”

Thomas & Greve on the Podium

Gilles Thomas (BEL), last year’s winner with Qalista, came to Maastricht this time with the nine-year-old stallion Riesling van ’t Roosakker. In the jump-off he looked set for victory again, but had to watch as Van Asten beat his time at the last moment. Willem Greve (NED) completed the Dutch celebration by taking third place with the nine-year-old stallion Cero Blue TN.

Ireland’s Denis Lynch (IRL) finished fourth with the eleven-year-old gelding Ping Pong van de Lentamel. Jos Verlooy (BEL), winner of the Stal Hendrix Prix on Friday, also stayed clear in the jump-off and finished fifth with the nine-year-old gelding Renshaw van ’t Meulenhof. Argentina’s Matias Larocca (ARG) rode the thirteen-year-old gelding Abril Iconthon to sixth place. Kevin Jochems (NED) completed the list of double clears in seventh place with the twelve-year-old mare Camilla van de Helle.

Thibault Philippaerts (BEL) and the ten-year-old gelding Lyandro MDB were close to the winning time in the jump-off, but a pole cost him a podium place. He finished eighth. Katrin Eckermann (GER), winner of the Van Mossel Automotive Prix last night, also picked up four faults in the jump-off. With the nine-year-old gelding Iron Dames Cascajall NRW, she finished ninth. Another German rider, Sophie Hinners (GER), rounded off the top ten with the ten-year-old gelding Lommers.

JIM 2027: November 4–7

With Leopold van Asten’s victory, the 2026 Jumping Indoor Maastrichtcame to a wonderful Limburg finish. This year the event attracted 25,000 visitors over four days, who enjoyed both top-level and grassroots sport. The organisers would like to thank all staff, volunteers, participants and, of course, sponsors, with special thanks to Van Mossel, Farm Trans, Jaeger-LeCoultre, MECC Maastricht, the Province of Limburg and Gemeente Maastricht. The 2027 Jumping Indoor Maastricht is scheduled for November 4-7. See you next year!