October 31, 2025 
Heavy is the head that wears the crown—and also the Global Champions League (GCL) leader’s armband. Already, at the tender age of 27, though, Belgium’s Gilles Thomas has proven he has what it takes to juggle not only the armband but the GCL’s zero-margin-for-error format—and to do it again, and again, and again.
“We got [the armbands] quite early in the season from the leading team,” said Thomas after he Ermitage Kalone and Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER) with Vestmalle des Cotis clinched the win and the GCL Championship title for Valkenswaard United on Thursday at GCL Riyadh. “It’s been tight all season with the ladies in the Cannes Stars, and today, again, it was quite tight. But we are so pleased that we can win today as well as the overall.”
“Tight” may be an understatement. As the only two teams on the startlist on a score of four after two rounds, it all came down to time, with Valkenswaard United just pipping the Cannes Stars powered by Iron Dames by 0.27 seconds.
It would be that same 0.27 seconds that ultimately gave Valkenswaard an additional 30 points and the Championship title on a final score of 326 to the Stars’ 315. The Shanghai Swans rounded off the podium on 272 points; Riesenbeck International was fourth on 262 points.
“I think what sets us apart and makes the Cannes Stars so special is that our team supports each other so well, the team spirit is something really unique,” said Sophie Hinners (GER), who notched two clear rounds aboard Iron Dames Singclair and Iron Dames Combella. Katrin Eckermann (GER) jumped 4/0 with Iron Dames Dialou Blue PS and Chao Lee, respectively.
“So many people behind us, especially [Iron Dames Owner Deborah Mayor]—before we came to Riyadh for the Final, we already had Deborah telling us how happy and proud she is. So, it’s not that we came with a lot of pressure here—we already were really proud of what we had achieved,” Hinners continued.
Befitting the occasion, Valkenswaard United—who have won the GCL Championship two times previously—arrived in Riyadh with the big guns. Enter: Ermitage Kalone, the 11-year-old Selle Français stallion who Thomas brought in to jump for the first time this season in a GCL Round 1.
And while nothing in show jumping is ever “a lock”, Ermitage Kalone is the next best thing.
In June, the pair won the LGCT Grand Prix of Paris, followed by team gold and individual bronze at the 2025 European Championships. Perhaps most tellingly, they currently jump clear a whopping 68% of the time at 1.60m+, according to Jumpr Stats.
Having already secured two wins in Paris and at LGCT New York (with Qalista Dn), and three podium finishes in LGCT Grands Prix this season, Thomas punched his ticket not only to the LGCT Super Grand Prix, but also earned the LGCT Championship. What’s more, he did it at LGCT Rome, ahead of the last stop in Riyadh, on an uncatchable 275 points.
Now, with both the GCL and LGCT Championships in his pocket, Thomas will look ahead to the Prague Playoffs (November 20-23), where Valkenswaard United, along with the top four 2025 season finishers, will secure a bye into the GCL Super Cup Semi-Finals. Their aim? To secure a hefty share of the €10 million in prize money.
But the question on everyone’s mind, is, could Thomas take both Championship titles and win the GCL Super Cup or the LGCT Super Grand Prix next month—or both? For now, the Belgian rider seems to be keeping his cards close to his chest.
“Here [in Riyadh], we were in very good shape,” Thomas said when asked if he could go on to a possible third or fourth Global Champions title this season. “For sure, the next step is Prague.”
