Stal Hendrix shines in Helsinski

1 March 2026

For several reasons, the international show in Helsinki turned into a memorable event for the team of Stal Hendrix. Riding Carabella vd Neyen Z, Oda Charlotte Lyngvaer achieved a fantastic second place in the World Cup competition on Finnish soil, while Giampiero Garofalo also delivered strong performances with multiple horses. On Friday evening, he won the 1.50m class with the stallion Lambrusco, and together with Querido van ‘t Ruytershof he achieved top results in the Grand Prix and World Cup.

“I will always remember this day as the day I almost beat Steve Guerdat,” Oda said immediately after the World Cup class. She finished second with Carabella vd Neyen Z, just 0.04 seconds behind the winner. “Bella was absolutely amazing! I’m incredibly proud and grateful to ride a horse like her. It’s truly a dream come true that we’ve now qualified for the World Cup Final.” In April, that will mark the pair’s second major championship, having already competed at the European Championships last year. A notable detail is that Viktor Daem finished third in his very first World Cup competition with Kavaliers Blue. This mare was part of the Dutch Sport Horse Sales collection as a six-year-old and was named DSHS Horse of the Year last year.

Top performances
In Friday evening’s 1.50m class, Giampiero Garofalo secured his third international victory in one month with the stallion Lambrusco (s.Entertainer). Earlier in February, the duo had already won the 1.45m Grand Prix of Riesenbeck and the 1.45m class at CSI5* Gothenburg. This time, they once again proved unbeatable in Helsinki. Oda also finished fourth in this class with Carabella vd Neyen Z. Giampiero was equally impressive with Kadessa Z, a relatively new partnership formed only at the end of last year, as they claimed second place in Saturday’s 1.45m class. As the icing on the cake, the Italian rider jumped double clear with Querido van ’t Ruytershof on Saturday to secure third place in the 1.55m Grand Prix of Helsinki. On the final day, they added a fine sixth place in the World Cup competition. Earlier this month, the ten-year-old gelding made his debut at 5* level. All in all, it was a show to remember for the entire team!