Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) secured his first Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) grand prix victory by guiding the 9-year-old French-bred gelding Gadget Mouche to win the $340,000 5* Grand Prix at Tryon International. The event featured a competitive 12-horse jump-off designed by Peter Grant, where Philippaerts edged out Irish Olympian Shane Sweetnam and his mount James Kann Cruz by two-tenths of a second. Gadget Mouche, developed through the Philippaerts family program, is quickly establishing himself at the five-star level, having debuted only a month prior at Spruce Meadows.
Despite Shane Sweetnam’s strong performance and world number one Kent Farrington’s third-place finish aboard Greya, Philippaerts’ win propelled him into the top 15 in the individual MLSJ season rankings. The league continues with its next legs at Desert International Horse Park in California starting December 3. Fans can follow the season and watch live via the MLSJ app and ClipMyHorse.tv.
