Helsinki, Finland – February 27, 2026 – Friday evening in Helsinki could hardly have gotten a more exciting finish than the world’s top show jumpers battling for the win in the €57,000 International CSI 5* – 1.50m class presented by Finnfoam. In a nail-biting jump-off, Italian Giampiero Garofalo (ITA) and Lambrusco came on top with a spectacular fast round in 38.57 seconds. Double winner from Helsinki in 2019, Robert Whitaker of Great Britain on Equine America Gentlemen vh Veldhof and Irishman Denis Lynch (IRL) also put excellent rounds on the leaderboard and in the end, only 18 hundredths of a second separated the top three.
The class, a Longines Ranking competition, was held over two rounds, with the ten best from the first round advancing to the jump-off. Out of 36 starters, 13 riders got placed.
The atmosphere in the arena had been building throughout the day, and by the time the class began, anticipation filled the crowd. Spectators and competitors alike followed the every competitor with intensity, witnessing remarkable horsemanship, precise approaches, and outstanding equine athletes at their very best.
After the first round Robert Whitaker (GBR) was at the first place. Having already claimed victory in a CSI5* class in Amsterdam just a month earlier with the same horse, Whitaker once again demonstrated his consistency at the highest level. On the jump-off round he stopped the clock just fractions behind Garofalo, finishing only one hundredth of a second off the winning time.
“The horse was fantastic and I’m very happy with him, I couldn’t have asked for more. To the last fence I would have liked to do one less stride, but it didn’t quite happen. I was quite close on the time, he jumped fantastic so I can’t really complain. On the first round the course felt really fair and I ended up in a really good position, I could see the other riders go but ended up just a little bit too slow. I’m still very happy and not complaining at all about the second place. If the weekend continues like this, I feel very good about it.” Whitaker commented after his jump-off round.
Ireland’s Denis Lynch (IRL), who already earlier on the day won the International CSI 5* 145cm class, also delivered an outstanding performance to secure his place among the top three. Lynch once again showed his skills in the jump-off, producing a fast, controlled and clean round that kept the pressure on until the very end. At the end the difference between the first and the third was razor thin, a testament to the small margins at five-star level.
The excitement was kept until the very last seconds, but in the end Giampiero Garofalo (ITA), who had been fourth after the first round, took the win home. “All in all, it was a fair course, this was my first 1.50 with Lambrusco, so I would say it was perfect start. Everything went as we had planned. The arena was perfect, and this was a great start to the weekend. After this, I feel confident heading into the rest of the weekend.” Garofalo said after the award ceremony.
Final Results – €57,000 International CSI 5* – 1.50m, presented by Finnfoam
1) Giampiero Garofalo (ITA) & Lambrusco – 0 / 0 – 38.57
2) Robert Whitaker (GBR) & Equine America Gentleman VH Veldhof – 0 / 0 – 38.58
3) Denis Lynch (IRL) & Vistogrand – 0 / 0 – 38.75
Source: Press Release from Helsinki International Horse Show
Photos: © HIHS / Aino Tervonen
