Strong Start for Richard Vogel in KNHS Prize at The Dutch Masters

The first winner of The Dutch Masters 2026 is known. In the five-star KNHS Prize over 1.40m, a course against the clock, German rider Richard Vogel struck immediately. Just like last year, he won the opening class, this time with the twelve-year-old Diamant de Casall.

"It's always nice to start an important weekend with a positive feeling," Vogel said afterwards. "The Dutch Masters is a very important competition for us and we always try to start here with our best horses. Diamant de Casall is still relatively new in our stable, so we don't have much competition experience together yet. He already jumped very well in Basel earlier this year and it's nice that we can continue that line here. Hopefully this is a good omen for the rest of the weekend."

The German rider is focusing on several things this weekend, including Sunday's Rolex Grand Prix, where he plans to compete with his top horse United Touch S. Additionally, Vogel will also be competing tonight during the HeadFirst Group Prize - Best of Champions.

Raijmakers Second Behind Vogel Again
For a long time, victory seemed to be heading to Piet Raijmakers Jr. With For Freedom EKT, the Dutchman recorded a sharp time, but ultimately had to settle for second place behind Vogel, just like last year. Frenchman Simon Delestre, winner of the Rolex Grand Prix at The Dutch Masters in 2025, finished third.

Behind him followed a strong Dutch contingent with Bas Moerings, Mans Thijssen, and Hessel Hoekstra in fourth, fifth, and sixth place respectively.

Kent Farrington saves his trump cards
For Kent Farrington, the opening class was mainly about preparation. The winner of the Rolex Grand Prix in Geneva rode his twelve-year-old mare Toulayna calmly through the course to let her get used to the main arena at The Dutch Masters.

"One horse, one class, one goal," said the American, who still has a chance at the Rolex Grand Slam. "Toulayna was still competing in Florida last week, so she's in good competition rhythm. Today was mainly about acclimatizing in the ring. We want to save her energy for Sunday."

With the Rolex Grand Prix in mind, Farrington knows the competition is strong: "Everyone here belongs to the absolute top. The level is always high, but of course we hope to ride for victory again."

Photo: TDM/DIgishots