World Cup leg Lyon winner Zonik Plus & Justin Verboomen - photo: ©PSV Photos - J. Morel
PRESS RELEASE
The Freestyle Grand Prix presented by FFE rounded off the FEI Dressage World Cup this Friday at the Longines Equita Concours Hippique International. The whole of Eurexpo was in awe of the total mastery of the European champions Justin Verboomen (BEL) and Zonik Plus. With yet another top-class performance, they won the class in style ahead of Becky Moody (GBR) on Jagerbomb and Larissa Pauluis (BEL) on Flambeau. France's Pauline Basquin and Sertorius de Rima Z*IFCE confirmed their return to the forefront of the international stage by finishing in fourth place.
Staying relaxed is the key
They just keep performing brilliantly. With a score 87.075%, Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus literally won over the entire audience in the International Arena. The Belgian rider and his 9-year-old brown bay stallion came out to the cheers of a discerning audience in Lyon, who were well aware of the exceptional qualities of the rider and horse pairing from the "flat country". And they have many qualities indeed, starting with their ability to stay relaxed, which is rare at this level of competition. "I've been trying get Zonik Plus this relaxed since I started riding him. Yesterday (Thursday), in the Grand Prix, I think we put in our best performance so far. He was relaxed from start to finish. It felt incredible. Today was a little more difficult. The audience was even bigger and it was hot. This was our first indoor competition of the season. I just prayed that Zonik would stay with me and he did. I wasn't up to the task in the tempi changes, but I'm very proud of him. Lyon is a really enjoyable competition to be involved in. The welcome we received was fantastic. I’ll be happy to come back."
The world number 1 finished ahead of the British rider Becky Moody, who always has a smile on her face. Riding her faithful Jagerbomb, a horse she bred herself, she scored 85.175% with her routine to a Beatles medley. On her first visit to Lyon, Becky Moody, who finished fourth in the FEI European Championships, was delighted with her performances during the competition: "When you ride a horse like mine, it always puts a smile on your face. Jagerbomb makes my life easy. He has a good personality and is easy to work with. Then, obviously, some days are better than others. And, the not-so-good days are usually down to me. It also depends on the atmosphere and the competition. But we always learn something. In any case, I really enjoyed being here. This competition in Lyon is incredible and the audience is fantastic. Looking to the future, I don't know if our objective is the FEI World Cup™ Final. I'm still giving myself time to decide."
Two Belgians on the podium
Another rider from Belgium was on the third step of the podium, thanks to the great performance of Larissa Pauluis and her faithful Flambeau, who are regular participants in the competition here in Lyon. They scored 79.560% with their routine. "I'm really pleased with Flambeau today, despite my mistake with the tempi changes. My horse is quite emotional, but he managed to stay with me. It's great for Belgium to have all these great results one after the other. Justin's European title is amazing, but, without wanting to say we could see it coming, having watched them develop over the last two years, we already knew that they would end up being among the best in the world. They are an exceptional pair!"
With a score of 78.855%, the French rider Pauline Basquin and Sertorius de Rima Z*IFCE just missed out on the podium. "We have had a tricky year in 2025, but since the Grand Prix, I feel that my horse is regaining confidence and we're both finding our feet together again. In the Freestyle, things were a bit more complicated, but overall I feel that Sertorius is getting back to where he was and that makes me happy."
Equita Lyon: a fantastic showcase
This 2025 FEI Dressage World Cup™ acted as a great showcase for several horses with different profiles, as the President of the jury, Raphaël Saleh, pointed out: "It's fantastic to have the opportunity to judge horses that are as different as Zonik Plus, Jagerbomb and Flambeau. The thing they all have in common is that they are all ridden with a great deal of harmony, and that's what we're looking for at the moment. We're delighted to have the chance to judge these types of pairings and the way they move. I think we should thank GL events Equestrian Sport for bringing together all these different disciplines at the same event, it's a fantastic showcase for riding." Sylvie Robert, President of GL events Equestrian Sport, the organiser of the Longines Equita Lyon Concours Hippique International, is no stranger to high-level competition. Above all, she remains passionate about horses and was delighted with the show put on for the audience in Lyon this afternoon: "We saw some amazing sport over the two days. I'm delighted to have been able to welcome the European champion and world number 1 to Lyon. The bond and understanding between Justin Verboomen and his 9-year-old horse are remarkable. And here in Lyon, we are lucky enough to have a great audience. There were 7,000 people here today."