By Roberta Milani / ABCCH (translation: Caroline Padilla)
Photography: Felippe Saad
Riding the Brazilian Sport Horse Chevaux Chantily JMen, Stephan Barcha wins the first five-star Grand Prix of the Brazilian season, the Nelson Pessoa Filho GP, and takes the lead in the opening round of the Senior Top Ranking.
Olympian Stephan Barcha, aboard the Brazilian Sport Horse Chevaux Chantily JMen – a BH stallion born in 2011, a son of Calisco Jmen and damsire Baloubet du Rouet – was the champion of the Nelson Pessoa Filho Trophy Grand Prix at the 9th SHP Open National Show Jumping Competition, the first five-star event of the 2025 season. The pair were the only ones to complete both rounds with no fence faults (1/0), finishing in 58.87 seconds, securing the top spot on the podium.
This 1m55 Grand Prix – the first stage of the 2025 Senior Top Championship – was held over two rounds and two different courses. According to the rules, the top 12 competitors qualified for the second round, with R$200,000 in prize money at stake. Stephan had already won the Nelson Pessoa Filho Perpetual Trophy GP in 2022, the year the trophy was created to honor the Brazilian and global equestrian icon.
“The first round always has more technical challenges, like triple and double combinations. Today, there was a water jump and a wall, which we don’t often see in our Grand Prix classes here in Brazil. The second round was less technical, but maybe a bit higher. So I’m really happy with Chantily’s performance,” said the new champion about the course designed by Brazilian Rafael Ferrarez...
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