27 December '25
Niels Bruynseels and Chacco's Lando OL win the Léon Melchior Prize
© Paardenfotograaf
The breeding evening of Jumping Mechelen had a particularly haunting denouement in the Nekkerhal with the Léon Melchior Prize, better known as the Zangersheide Open Sires of the World. In a particularly well-filled Christmas Arena, twenty-eight strong stallion combinations appeared at the start, all determined to add this prestigious title to their record of achievements.
Course builder Bart Vonck and his team had once again prepared a challenging and selective course at 1.45m level for this absolute classic. The technical course had some difficulties and of the twenty-eight contenders, eight managed to keep their nerves in check and thus qualified for an exciting jump-off.
In that jump-off, it was riding at the cutting edge, with fast lines and all-or-nothing attempts. Victory eventually went to Belgian rider Niels Bruynseels and the 12-year-old stallion Chacco's Lando OL, a son of Chacco Blue and Lando bred in Germany by Paul Schockemöhle. As the penultimate combination at the start, Bruynseels and Chacco's Lando OL managed to put a time of 39.34 seconds on the scoreboard after a whirlwind round, taking this prestigious Léon Melchior Prize to their name.
The strong performance by Bruynseels and Chacco's Lando OL meant that silver was up to Portuguese rider Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida with his 9-year-old stallion Comme le Coeur, a son of Comme Il Faut and Heartbreaker from the breeding farm of H.A.J. Seiger. As the second starter in the jump-off, Giesteira Almeida and Comme le Coeur had immediately set the tone with a particularly fast clear round in 39.37 seconds, but in the end they fell just short of claiming the top prize.
Bronze went to Hungary thanks to Vince Jarmy and the 14-year-old stallion JB Koronaor, a son of Keve and Corleone from the breeding farm of Miklós and Katalin Jármy. They too stayed clear in the jump-off and reached the finishing line in 41.69 seconds.
Just off the podium, Belgian rider Frédéric Vernaet and the 9-year-old Quatre Mai-L (Corydon by T&L x Toulon - breeder: Louis Lenaerts) finished in 4th place, while Ukrainian Oleksandr Prodan with the 11-year-old stallion Desert Encounter OL (Hunter's Scendro x Tornedo FCS - breeder: Tom De Craene) completed the top five in the standings. Both combinations saw a fault in the jump-off.
Click here for the results.