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Saturday evening delivered top-level sport in the Christmas Arena at Jumping Mechelen with the CSIW5* BMW Masters. Ten combinations lined up for a challenging class that started at 1.50m and built steadily round by round. A format that gradually reduced the field as the pressure increased.

Six combinations made it through to the decisive fifth and final round: Steve Guerdat (SUI), Nicola Philippaerts (BEL), Gilles Thomas (BEL), Willem Greve (NED), Daniel Deusser (GER) and Jos Verlooy (BEL). In the end, only two combinations managed to keep all the rails up. Fastest of them was Guerdat, who guided the 12-year-old Lancelotta, a daughter of Falkenhof’s Lancer, to victory.
Guerdat finished ahead of home rider Nicola Philippaerts, who took second place with Cornethagos PS, the Cornet du Lys son. Philippaerts did have reason to celebrate as well, having claimed the Belgian Indoor Championship title the day before with Rolex Ter Leydonck. Gilles Thomas, the reigning European Champion, completed the podium in third place with Qiara de Kalvarie after picking up four penalty points.

Willem Greve, last to go in the final round, still had a chance to reshuffle the standings but could not produce a clear round with Grandorado TN N.O.P., finishing fourth. Daniel Deusser followed in fifth place with Gangster v/h Noddevelt, while current four-time Belgian Outdoor Champion Jos Verlooy took sixth with Etundel de Marocy.

After a strong performance in the Masters, Steve Guerdat addressed the press with a broad smile. The Swiss looked back visibly satisfied with his evening in Mechelen. “It was still a different kind of class than what we usually ride. We are not used to this type of course. In itself it was not extremely technical, so it was not exteemly difficult, but the jump-off became very competitive. Especially because I had to be one of the first to start, so I didn’t know exactly how fast I had to ride.

Lancelotta is fantastic in a jump-off. She keeps fighting and is always very sharp in those situations, which makes things easier. I did have some doubts beforehand about how much power she would have over several rounds, as this was her first show since the Brussels Stephex Masters after a longer break. But she was amazing all evening. Each round gave me more confidence, especially in the final. She really fought for me, and I enjoyed every moment.”

Originally, the class had mainly been planned as preparation for the Grand Prix Sport Vlaanderen later in the week.
“The idea was to use this class as a build-up, not necessarily to win it. But after two or three rounds, I could feel her getting better and better. Then I thought, why not try tonight? In the end, of course, I’m very happy with the result.”

Looking ahead, Guerdat remained grateful and optimistic.
“I feel very good. The crowd and the atmosphere here are always fantastic. I love coming back to Mechelen. I missed this show for almost ten years, so it’s really special to be here again. With 2026 just around the corner, I’m simply thankful. As long as my family stays healthy and we can have a good sporting year without too many interruptions, I’ll be very happy.”