December 13, 2024 
Whether you’re the older barn mate, the middle barn mate, or the younger barn mate, growing up in the shadow of a phenom like Leone Jei can’t be easy.
After all, the 12-year-old grey KWPN gelding is batting a thousand—ranking in the top-three in the world for 1.60m+ grand prix wins and prize money this year. The fact is, he was always going to be a tough act to follow for the rest of the talented horses in Martin Fuchs’s stable.
(Heck, even Tiffany Foster wishes she could ride him.)
Along with Leone Jei, Conner Jei is owned by the Fuchs family’s longtime owner, Adolfo Juri. But he’s long been overshadowed by his compatriot in terms of prize money, grand prix wins, and clear round statistics (Jumpr App).
This week, though, the margin between them is getting slimmer.
After all, with his win on Thursday in the time-honored Trophée de Genève at CHI Geneva, Conner Jei is a made gelding. Not only has he officially crossed the €1 million mark with the class’s €36,300 in prize money, he did so in truly impressive style.
As one of two qualifiers for the Rolex Grand Prix on Sunday, the Trophée de Genève startlist was populated by a who’s-who of qualification hopefuls as well as Olympic partnerships (think: Christian Kukuk and Checker 47, Daniel Deusser and Killer Queen Vdm, Karl Cook and Caracole de La Roque).
That didn’t stop Fuchs and Conner Jei from finding a foothold in the opening round, then again in the massive, 19-horse jump-off field.
Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca, sixth to returned for the shortened course with Denver de Talma, laid down the gauntlet, stopping the clock at a blisteringly fast 34.33 seconds. That time seemed uncatchable for the next few riders, until Fuchs and Conner Jei trotted into the arena.
There was little for the pair to do aside from matching de Luca’s footspeed and his neat turns back to Jumps 4 and 5. Fuchs’s only option? Doing one less stride from the combination down to the final, wide Rolex oxer.
“When I inspected the course, I knew I wanted to do my best in the jump-off and take one less stride on the last line. I thought that could make all the difference,” Fuchs said after his win.
But he had to leave it all on the table. Landing from the combination, the Swiss rider sat back in his tack put six strides in a bending line to the final over where everyone else had put seven, stopping the clock at 33.66 seconds. The result was good enough for the win, relegating de Luca and Denver de Talma to second place on 34.33 seconds. Daniel Deusser was third with Killer Queen Vdm on 35.25 seconds.
“Conner is in very good form and I gave it my best shot. I really wanted to win. I love this show, the crowd, the arena and the course, which suits my horses very well. I’m always very motivated here,” Fuchs said after the competition.
Motivated, he is—and likely even more so for the Rolex Grand Prix on Sunday.
But even Fuchs needs the horsepower to back up his drive, and according to Jumpr App, he’s got plenty in Conner Jei. The gelding has won five, 5*, 1.60m+ grands prix under Fuchs since 2021, jumping clear at 50% and finishing in the top 10 at an even more impressive 62%.
Those are numbers that should get you star-horse status in any barn, even if your barn mate is Leone Jei. And if Conner Jei keeps jumping like he did on Thursday, the only shadow he’ll be stepping out from is his own.
