July 11, 2025 
When it comes to winning the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, only one rider in history—Scott Brash (GBR)—has managed to do the deed. But he’s not the only one who’s making history in the series.
As of his victory last week in the Rolex Grand Prix in Aachen, Martin Fuchs and his longtime partner Leone Jei are the winningest combination in the series’ history. Fuchs has contested a full 27 majors—and won five of them. That’s more than even Brash’s four.
Fuchs first took the Rolex Grand Prix in Geneva with his now-retired partner Clooney 51 back in 2019. He’s since been victorious in four majors with the 13-year-old KWPN gelding Leone Jei, winning nearly one a year since 2021. Outside of Brash, Fuchs is also the only rider in history to win the same major in consecutive years, and the only one to have done it twice at two different venues—one indoor and one outdoor.
Not bad when you consider that these classes are some of the most challenging and prestigious in the sport. Requiring multiple, 1.60m+ rounds—and typically a jump-off for double-clear competitors—winning a Rolex major requires a level of strength and stamina from horses and riders that’s typically reserved for multiple-day championships (think: FEI World Cup Finals).
Which makes what Fuchs and Leone Jei have been able to accomplish in just a few short years all the more special. Here’s a look back at their greatest hits.
1. Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva 2021
Two, Covid-shut-down years after his victory with Clooney 51 at the Rolex Grand Prix in Geneva in 2019, Fuchs was back in action debuting a brand new, similarly grey ride: the then-9-year-old gelding Leone Jei.
Back then, Leone Jei’s talent, lightness, and scope already had the show jumping world buzzing. “I knew that the jump-off suited me very well, I knew that I could leave out strides and that it would be difficult for my colleagues to do the same because Leone Jei has such a massive stride,” Fuchs said after the class.“I’m delighted to once again be the live contender of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping.”
That’s a good thing, because the ‘live contender’ hot seat was something Fuchs would need to become very comfortable with.
2. Rolex Grand Prix at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ 2023
Two years later, in the fall of 2023, Leone Jei’s legend had only grown. By that point, he was averaging just 2.32 faults in 56 rounds at 1.60m (Jumpr Stats), and the proof was in the pudding that September at Spruce Meadows.
After a self-proclaimed “big mistake” cost Fuchs the same class in 2022, he made a resolution: “I’m going to bring him every year back to Spruce because this is the Grand Prix I want to win and this is the horse that I know can win it.”
Fuchs was right, of course—but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The Swiss rider lost his stirrup at the Canadian planks, forcing him to jump the next, seven, 5’3”+ fences without one. No matter. Only Fuchs and Tiffany Foster (CAN) managed a double-clear that day, with the latter Canadian rider dropping a pole in the jump-off.
Of course, Fuchs took the title in spectacular fashion: Jumping the final fence with a celebratory fist in the air, then dropping an F-bomb on live TV. Then, he announced he was going on vacation (not Disney World) after what he then-called “the biggest victory in [his] career.”
But Spruce Meadows wasn’t done with him yet.
3. Rolex Grand Prix at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ 2024
A back-to-back majors victory was not in Fuchs’ purview in 2023 after Richard Vogel and United Touch S knocked him out of contention that December at CHI Geneva. He and Leone had crossed the €3.6 million-mark that year in prize money, though, and the pair was back in fighting form at Spruce Meadows (Jumpr). There, they jumped two clear rounds to qualify for the jump-off—where Fuchs said he inadvertently overrode Leone at the oxer at fence three, dropping a pole.
Alas, all was not lost. Though the two pairs to come in the jump-off—Daniel Deusser and Killer Queen VDM and Darragh Kenny on VDL Cartello—were certified threats in the their own right, both dropped rails and couldn’t catch Fuchs for time. “Today was our day! And I’m glad that, even though I made a big mistake myself that we could still win,” Fuchs said.
“[Leone Jei] is an unreal partner to have,” he continued. “The courses that we jump here are some of the toughest in the world; they really challenge the riders and the horses. You need to be 100% focused and confident, as well as have the courage to jump these impressive fences to be able to win here.”
4. Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen 2025
After two indoor wins at CHI Geneva and two Canadian victories on the grass field at Spruce Meadows, it’s clear Fuchs felt he needed to broaden his repertoire at a new venue this summer. He’d vowed to make that change at CHIO Aachen. “I have come close to winning here so often. Last year, I let him down in the jump-off and made a mistake,” Fuchs admitted, noting that he spent most of the evening before his class watching videos of their previous performances at Aachen.
Fourteen pairs were clear on Course Designer Frank Rothenberger’s challenging track after Round 1, with 11 staying on the zero after the second round. That field was nearly cut in half for the jump-off, where Fuchs dared to risk it all with a leave-out at the double-combination and a gallop to the final vertical. Naturally, it worked, making him the first Swiss rider to take the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen since his uncle, Markus Fuchs, did it more than 20 years ago.
“My horse was fantastic today,” Fuchs said. “[He’s] always there, always present. He always lets me leave out a few strides in the jump-off. So that was my plan today. I feel very fortunate and lucky to ride a horse like this.”
Once again the live contender for the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, Fuchs and Leone Jei have are hoping that luck will hold. But they’ll be on familiar territory when they return to Canada for the Rolex Grand Prix at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament this fall.
Could Fuchs and Leone Jei make it a hat trick at this venue, and take yet another Masters win in the process? It all kicks off September 7, 2025.
