Christian defends his title in the 5* Grand Prix in Wellington

Just like last year, Christian and Checker once again secured victory in the $750,000 5* Rolex Equestrian Open Grand Prix in Wellington on Saturday evening.

"This is a story you couldn't make up," Christian said after his win, having become a father in the early hours of the morning before the Grand Prix. "This day will always be a very special memory of her birthday. Tonight, I am the happiest man on the planet."

Out of the 40 riders in the Grand Prix, eight qualified for the jump-off. Christian, who had a favorable starting position as the seventh rider in the decisive round, had to beat the time set by U.S. Olympic team silver medalist Laura Kraut and her mare Bisquetta.

"I knew Laura was fast, and that I had to try everything," Christian said after his victory, having already won the NetJets 4* Grand Prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington just a few weeks earlier. "It was going well, but suddenly I had too many strides to the last jump. For a moment, I thought I was too slow, but then I looked at the scoreboard and saw that it was enough to win." With a time of 39.20 seconds, Christian and Checker secured the victory, finishing just two-tenths of a second ahead of Laura Kraut.

To conclude the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Christian accepted the Harrison Cup on Sunday on behalf of Checker’s owners – Thomas Müller and Madeleine Winter-Schulze - for the horse with the most prize money earned over the past 12 weeks, as well as the Simba Challenge Trophy for the best horse of the 2025 WEF season.