The first qualification for the Longines Trophy, the VDL Groep Prize, counted 43 combinations of which 16, among them 10 Dutch riders, reached the jump-off. There was a big chance for a Dutch victory. It was Dutch Henk van der Pol who finally clocked the fastest time with Looyman Z (Numero Uno x Wellington): 32.84. “It was a nice jump-off. There were not many possibilities for short cuts, but Looyman is a naturally speedy horse. I just have to ride with hi mand than he often wins. He was also good in Oslo and Helsinki. I wanted to ride in Maastricht, but that is more or less all for this year.”

The next placings were also for Dutch combinations. Maikel van der Vleuten took the runner-up spot with the nine-year-old Beauville Z (Zang, Bustique x Jumpy des Fontaines) in 33.72 seconds and Jur Vrieling finished in third with Comino (Holst, Cassini II x Corrado I).