December 5, 2025 
It was that plain-speaking, TV clinical psychologist Dr. Phil that popularized the phrase, “The best way to predict future behavior is past behavior.”
And like most Dr. Phil-derived wisdoms (“cash me outside” notwithstanding, IYKYK) there’s a bit of truth nestled in among the folksy Texas tough-talk—at least when it comes to the world’s best juvenile show jumping horses.
With less than a month left of jumping in the 2025 season, just five 9-year-olds have won a 1.60m 5* Grand Prix this year. And while it’s a statistical anomaly for any horse of that age to win a 5*, the odds improve significantly after a horse turns 10, and before they turn 15. (For comparison, nine, 10-year-old horses brought home a 5* in 2025—nearly double the number of 9-year-olds.)
But there’s a clear predictor that a horse is likely to win a 5* (or many) in the prime of their careers: By proving that they’ve already done so as a 9-year-old, of course! And for the young guns that meet this impressive and statistically rare benchmark, the sky is the limit.
Last year, just three 9-year-olds won 1.60m 5* Grands Prix: Equine America Zodiak Du Buisson Z, then under Richard Howley (IRL); Impress-K Van’T Kattenheye Z and Thibeau Spits (BEL); and the otherworldly Foxy De La Roque, who took not one but three (!) 5*s with Victor Bettendorf (LUX).
These horses follow in the footsteps of a host of 5*-winning 9-year-old phenoms who have gone on to big careers: Donatello 141, Killer Queen, and James Kann Cruz, just to name a few. And although Zodiak Du Buisson Z and Foxy De La Roque are currently learning the ropes under new riders in 2025, Impress-K Van’T Kattenheye Z just keeps on excelling—recently helping Spits and Team Belgium to the top of the podium at the 2025 European Championships this summer.
So what do we know about 2025’s crop of super-achievers? Read on to find out.
1. Gadget Mouche
When Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts and the 9-year-old Selle Français Gadet Mouche (Andiamo Semilly X Consul DL Vie) took to the field in the CSI5* 1.60 MLSJ Grand Prix in Tryon, the gelding had only jumped a handful of classes at that height. Despite his inexperience, though, Philippaerts made the most of Gadet Mouche’s explosive, Greya-esque footspeed across the ground, beating out not just the aforementioned grey prodigy and Kent Farrington (USA), but also Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Kruz.
The impressive ”family horse”—produced by Ludo Philippaerts as a 7- and 8-year-old, then campaigned by his sons Thibault and now Nicola—currently maintains a 50% clear rate and 50% top 10 finish rate at 1.60m+, according to Jumpr Stats.
2. Gangster Montdesir
He may not be the original, but “Gangster” is an appropriate name for Richard Vogel’s 9-year-old Selle Français (Kannan X Cornet Obolensky)—a stallion who seems to have all the right moves. The horse owned by Cian O’Connor’s Karlswood has not only scope and speed at his disposal, but also the far-more experienced skill of backing himself off the fences at just the right moment. In October, Vogel and Gangster Montdesir earned their first 5* in the LGCT Grand Prix of Lyon, France, finishing 2nd one month later in the FEI Jumping World Cup™ of Los Angeles.
3. Kilmister
Kilmister’s foray into the global spotlight began as a bit of an accident: the 9-year-old Swedish warmblood (Diarado X Hors la Loi II) was not Philipp Weishaupt’s (GER) first pick for the 5* LGCT Grand Prix of Vienna. But when Oreo D.R. seemed tired after his classes on Friday, Kilmister got the call up—and the rest is history. Despite jumping just four 1.60m courses prior to Vienna, the gelding laid down a picture-perfect jump-off round, besting a series of top partnerships (think: Monaco and Harrie Smolders).
“For so little experience, the horse was just incredible, incredible quality,” Weishaupt said after the class. “If a 9-year-old can deliver a round like this, it’s just unbelievable.”
4. Qalista DN
The 9-year-old mare by Emerald (X Landetto) didn’t just inherit her father’s rich chestnut coloring—she also takes after his winning ways. With fellow wunderkind Gilles Thomas’s (BEL) in the saddle, Qalista took home the hotly contested LGCT Grand Prix of New York in September. A few months later, she followed it up with a win in the 4* 1.55m Grand Prix of Maastricht.
“She’s cheerful, fiery, and has a true fighting spirit,” Thomas said after that win. “Very careful, but in the jump-off, she gets even faster. That’s when she really jumps her best—when I can let her go a little. She’s fantastic, truly a dream horse to have in the stable.”
5. S & L Quatro Van De Meerputhoeve
Canada’s Mario Deslauriers has been carefully producing the 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood S & L Quatro Van De Meerputhoeve (Jon Pleasure Van De Mispelaere X Vancouver D’auvray) since his 6-year-old year. This summer, that dedication paid off in a big way at Spruce Meadows—one of the most challenging show jumping venues in the world. In June, the pair put all the pieces together in the CSI5* Duncan Ross 1.60m Grand Prix, presented by Rolex, besting a field of 25. At the time, it was only the second 1.60m track the “scopey, lopey horse [with a] big step” had attempted.
