Wellington, Florida has long held a singular place in the world of equestrian sport. Since the Winter Equestrian Festival first began in 1974, the West Palm Beach-area venue has grown into the largest and longest-running hunter/jumper horse show in the world. The grounds at Wellington International are open for twelve weeks, sprawl across 111-acres, and become an annual sanctuary for over 7,000 horses and 4,000 equestrian athletes from around the world.

Rolex, who became the official timepiece of Wellington International and the Winter Equestrian Festival in 2012, stepped up to become the title sponsor of the season-closing Grand Prix CSI5* in 2015.

When the Rolex Series was formally launched in May of 2024, uniting Wellington with Rome, La Baule, Falsterbo, Dinard, Dublin, and Brussels, the Rolex Grand Prix of Wellington was positioned as the series opener. In 2025, the event grew further with the addition of the US Equestrian Open Jumping Final, bringing additional prize money to the winner’s purse in the sum of $750,000, and the debut of the US Equestrian Open series, a USEF initiative designed to elevate horse sport ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

This time last year, under the lights at Wellington International, Olympic champion Christian Kukuk and Checker 47 captured the $750,000 Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix CSI5*, a Rolex Series event, closing 12 weeks of international sport in style and adding a new chapter to a 2025 Rolex Series season defined by global star power, record prize money, and iconic venues.

When Rolex Finale Week at the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival reached its climax, all eyes in the global jumping community were in Wellington. Under the floodlights and in front of a packed international crowd, Christian and his long-time partner Checker 47, 2010 Westphalian gelding, Checker 47 (Comme Il Faut 5 x Loro Piana Come On), owned by M.H. & Partner Gbr, as well as Madeleine Winter Schulze, delivered another masterclass to win the $750,000 Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix CSI5*. The victory repeated their 2024 success in the same class. On Saturday, they will line up again with a chance at three wins in a row.

The inaugural US Equestrian Open Jumping Final brought together a world-class field of 40 combinations, the highest ever rated field for a Wellington Grand Prix. The first round produced a select group of clears from a field that included Olympic, World, and continental championship medalists, setting up a jump-off that demanded both bravery and control. For the home crowd, Laura Kraut jumped clear with Bisquetta for what felt like would be a long-awaited and hugely popular US winner here. It was not to be. Kukuk and Checker 47 answered with an even faster round. The announcement of the birth of his daughter Lilah in the immediate aftermath of the class made the whole evening and celebration truly unique and special.

The 2025 Rolex Series Review
Across seven events on two continents, the 2025 Rolex Series season produced stories of veteran mastery, youthful brilliance, and a remarkable showing from U.S. athletes and horses who claimed three of the seven prestigious Grand Prix titles.

Rome, Italy: Mansur and Miss Blue Steal the Show
Beneath the pines of Villa Borghese, the 2025 Rolex Grand Prix of Rome CSI5* produced a thrilling 12-way second round. Brazil's Yuri Mansur, riding Miss Blue Saint-Blue Farm (Chacco-Blue x VDL Zirocco Blue), a mare he had campaigned since bringing her from Brazil in 2022, delivered a blistering clear round to win in 35.65 seconds.

La Baule, France: Deusser and Otello's Masterclass by the Sea
The François André Stadium in La Baule, France drew nearly 50,000 spectators over four days, and on Grand Prix Sunday, with seven of the world's top 10 riders in the starting list, Germany's Daniel Deusser produced the fastest round of the afternoon. Going last in a jump-off of eight, Deusser and Otello de Guldenboom, a 2014 Belgian Warmblood stallion (Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z x Caretino), owned by Stephex Stables, shaved more than a second off the leading time to win in 37.22 seconds.

Falsterbo, Sweden: Cook and Caracole Deliver for the Red, White & Blue
On a sunny Sunday at the Falsterbo Horse Show, the United States’ Karl Cook produced one of the most electrifying rounds of the entire Rolex Series season. Going last in the second round of the two-phase Grand Prix of Falsterbo, a format in which the 13 fastest clears from round one reverse-order their way through a jump-off, Cook aboard Caracole de la Roque, a 2014 Selle Français mare (Zandor Z x Kannan) owned by Signe Ostby and Eric Navet, topped the clock at 43.28 seconds to beat Sanne Thijssen (NED) and Con Quidam RB by just half a second.

Dinard, France: Career-Defining Moment for Vale and Carissimo 25
The Val Porée arena in Dinard, perched along the northern French coastline, has a reputation for producing dramatic sport and the 2025 Rolex Grand Prix Ville de Dinard CSI5* did not disappoint. With eight pairs contesting a jump-off on the 1.60m track,  the Aaron Vale and Carissimo 25, a 2013 Holsteiner gelding (Cascadello I x Clinton), owned by The Carissimo Group and representing the U.S., saved their best for last, blazing through the course in 38.77 seconds to win by nearly two full seconds over Harrie Smolders (NED) and Mr. Tac.

Dublin, Ireland: No Jump-Off, No Problem for Kraut and Bisquetta
The Royal Dublin Society Arena served one of the most extraordinary Grand Prix days in recent memory. After 40 combinations took the course in the Rolex Grand Prix of Dublin CSIO5*, not one emerged with a clean sheet — except one. Laura Kraut guided Bisquetta, a 2014 Zangersheide (Bisquet Balou C x Takashi van Berkenbroek), owned by Cherry Knoll Farm Inc., to the only clear round of the entire class, winning without a jump-off in front of an Irish crowd that appreciated the brilliance of what they had witnessed.

Brussels, Belgium: Mallevaey Emerges as New Star
The 2025 Brussels Stephex Masters brought the Rolex Series season to a close with the coronation of young equestrian talent in the form of 25-year-old French athlete, Nina Mallevaey. The demanding two-round class saw Mallevaey and her longtime partner, Dynastie de Beaufour, a 2013 Selle Français mare (Diamant de Semilly x Cassini II) owned by Tara Dow–Rein and the Rein Family, LLC, who had already claimed an impressive second place finish in Rome, and another podium position Dinard, delivered a clean jump-off round in 40.75 seconds to claim her first-ever Rolex Grand Prix title.

When the final scores were tallied, the United States would claim three of the seven Rolex Series Grand Prix titles — more than any other nation. Karl Cook (Falsterbo), Aaron Vale (Dinard), and Laura Kraut (Dublin) each delivered landmark performances, showcasing the depth of U.S. jumping on the global stage.

The results carry clear significance for U.S. jumping, which will have its biggest domestic spotlight in years when the sport returns to Olympic competition on home soil in 2028. One of the goals of the US Equestrian Open series is to give fans a spectacle worthy of the sport's finest traditions while building the next generation of equestrian audiences. 

The Stage is Set for the 2026 Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix CSI5*
This week, bathed in the glow of the famous ‘Saturday Night Lights’ event, Wellington International's main arena will host the Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix. This year with an elevated prize purse of $1,000,000 which reflects both the class's prestige and the sport's growing ambitions.

Course designer Guilherme Jorge (BRA), who has built the Grand Prix finale in Wellington for 11 consecutive years, will once again test the world's top athletes and horses over obstacles set to 1.60 meters, the sport’s highest standard. Forty combinations will qualify through Thursday and Friday's preliminary rounds and vie for one of the most coveted titles of the season, kicking off the 2026 Rolex Series in style.  

• Qualifier 1: $116,100 Adequan WEF Challenge Cup CSI5* 
• Qualifier 2: $62,500 Bainbridge Companies 1.50m CSI5* 
• Final: $1,000,000 Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix CSI5*

From the sun-drenched arenas of Europe to the electric glow of a Wellington International under the lights, the Rolex Series draws the world's best to one of the world's biggest stages. On Saturday evening, one combination will etch their names into the perpetual US Equestrian Open trophy and earn their place among the greats in Rolex Series history.