Laura Kraut’s Partnership with Bisquetta Blossoms to New Heights in the $750,000 Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix CSI 5*

By Jumper News USA on March 31, 2025

Wellington, Florida, United States – March 29, 2025 – Laura Kraut‘s (USA) partnership with Bisquetta blossomed to new heights during the final ‘Saturday Night Lights’ of the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) season. In front of a sold-out crowd of more than 10,000 fans, the pair finished second in the $750,000 Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix CSI 5*.

From a field of 40 qualified riders that included six of the world’s top 10 ranked athletes, eight advanced to the tie-breaking jump-off. The pathfinder in both rounds was Israeli Olympian Ashlee Bond (ISR), who finished third aboard Donatello 141 with the first time to beat of 40.41 seconds.

“I knew Laura was fast and that I had to try everything,” said Christian Kukuk (GER), who had also won the NetJets Grand Prix CSI 4* at WEF earlier in the season. “It went well and then suddenly I had too many [strides] to the last. I thought for a second that I had lost it but looked to the screen and saw I got lucky in that moment.”

In the end, the current Olympic champions, Christian Kukuk (GER) and Checker 47 bested Kraut by two tenths of a second, stopping the clock at 39.20 seconds for the win.

“I definitely left the door open,” admitted Kraut. “I added to the third and added to the double. I should have left one out in both those places.

“Being second to the Olympic champion feels pretty good,” continued Kraut, who piloted her 2014 Zangersheide mare (Bisquet Balou C x Takashi van Berkenbroek) for owners Cherry Knoll Farm. “She’s a very quick horse, but I got a bit cautious. I have to say, the crowd here has been amazing all season, but tonight was extra electric. There were tremendous horses and riders tonight, and I think that keeping it to eight clear was a definite credit to [Guilherme’s] talent.”

Jorge has designed the finale grand prix at Wellington International for 11 consecutive years and noted that the evening’s result went exactly to plan. “Eight is always my number,” said Jorge, who designed the courses fro the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. “I wanted to test the horse and rider ability, but also give this huge crowd an opportunity to see the speed and a very exciting finale. This is a championship-level course, a championship-level event, but when it comes to the jump-off, it’s 100% up to the riders.”

To close the evening, Wellington International President Michael Stone celebrated a record-breaking WEF season that saw every ‘Saturday Night Lights’ completely sold out.

“Seeing the crowds turn out for those athletes proves that we are accomplishing our goal of bringing the sport to everybody,” he said. “The quality of riders we have now is amazing with Olympic champions and world no. 1. It’s a sport that everyone can be part of and to be able to help grow that makes Wellington International very proud.”

Wellington International joined the debut season of the Rolex Series this year alongside some of the most renowned equestrian sport venues in the world, including Rome, Italy; La Baule, France; Falsterbo, Sweden; Dinard, France; Dublin, Ireland; and Brussels, Belgium.

The top 3 in the Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix: 2) **Laura Kraut** (USA) 1) **Christin Kukuk** (GER) and 3) **Ashlee Bond** (ISR) are presented by Wellington International CEO Murray Kessler (right), Anne Pradal, Rolex SA Communication & Image – Sponsoring (second from left), and US Equestrian President Tom O’Mara with the US Equestrian Open trophy.

“Rolex has been a fantastic partner for us, and to be asked to be part of the series is incredible. It raises our level because we can share what we do with the world,” concluded Stone. “We are all working together for the good of the sport.”