October 20, 2025 
It was officially a Thijssen family affair on Sunday during the kick-off event of the 2025/2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Western European League season in Oslo, Norway, with no less than four members of the Dutch equestrian dynasty filling out the startlist.
At the end of the day, however, only one of them would post a pair of double-zeros: 26-year-old Sanne Thijssen, who rode Cupcake Z to their first FEI World Cup qualifier win. Partnered together for three years, this is the combination’s second Grand Prix victory, with Thijssen becoming the first female athlete to top the Oslo qualifier since France’s Pénélope Leprovost did it 10 years ago.
“Normally, the jump-off is easier with [Cupcake] than the first round.” Thijssen explained after the class. According to Jumpr, Thijssen and the 12-year-old Zangersheide mare have previously jumped only one clear round together at the 1.60m height since moving up to the top sport last year.
But they certainly made this one count. The pair provided the first clear of day on Course Designer Elio Travagliati’s (ITA) first-round track, which, for many, was the first indoor test of the season after a summer competing in much larger outdoor venues.
Eighteenth to jump on the startlist, Thijssen was one of the first to solve the question of a challenging line from the double at Jump 10 a-b to a delicate plank on the corner at Jump 11—opting for the forward four strides instead of a shaped five, which cost many riders the rail.
Others followed her example, with 11 combinations eventually punching their tickets to the second round. Among them: Sanne’s father Leon Thijssen aboard Hello; her siblings Mans Thijssen and Mel Thijssen suffered 5 faults and 8 faults, respectively, in the first round.
As the pathfinder in the jump-off, Thijssen and Cupcake set off with purpose and didn’t let up. “I know she can be fast, but I had to take some time at the double, but then after that, she was unbeatable! The second part was, in my opinion, impossible to go faster,” reflected the Dutch rider, who made up key seconds around the corners with her fleet-footed daughter of Chacco-Blue, stopping the clock at 38.28 seconds.
Saddling Qh Alfond Santo Antonio, Brazil’s Yuri Mansur of Brazil finished clear and second on a time of 40.72. Hometown hero Johan-Sebastian Gulliksen (NOR) was third with Equine America Harwich VDL on 41.93 seconds, while Leon Thijssen and Hello struggled in the second round, knocking Fence 2 before their ride unraveled for a total of 16 points, finishing 11th.
Sanne Thijssen previously topped the podium with Cupcake Z in the CSI4* 1.55m Grand Prix in Opglabbeek, Belgium in August. But Thijssen, herself, is no stranger to the winner’s circle, having taken two LGCT Grand Prix wins in Valkenswaard (2023) and Madrid (2022) with her longtime partner—and living legend—the 19-year-old Con Quidam Rb.
“Con Quidam was always my best horse, but indoors was a bit too tight for him, so we didn’t really do it,” Thijssen said of the Holsteiner stallion. “I never really had a horse for the indoor season, but now I have one!”
