April 19, 2026 
“This feeling is definitely not normal,” smiled Kaitlin Campbell, as she stood on the podium next to her towering teammate Piergiorgio Bucci on Saturday.
The 34-year-old American jumped a double clear on Karius in the Global Champions League of Mexico to lead the St. Tropez Pirates to their first win of the 2026 season. It was a masterstroke by a GCL rookie. Campbell made her debut in the League just a week prior in Miami.
“He was incredible,” said Campbell. “In the first round, he everywhere was really smooth. I thought I gave him not as good to ride in the second round, and he helped me in so many places. And he walked into this arena, and the crowd is amazing and just makes the horses jump even higher.”
In a razor-thin finish under the new GCL format, the top three teams all finished on four faults. Time was the deciding factor. The Pirates stopped the clock at 147.23 seconds in Round 2, edging the Istanbul Warriors (148.99 seconds) and Basel Cosmopolitans (149.41 seconds) for the top podium spot.
Campbell, competing in her debut season on the tour, anchored the win aboard Karius after teammate Piergiorgio Bucci set the tone with a clear ride in the second round on Pallieter vd N.Ranchin.
Bucci was quick to praise his partner: “Thank you to my teammate Kaitlyn—she had an amazing double clear. It’s like having [Lionel] Messi on the team. She just served me the good round that was the match point at the end. And we were lucky that we were fast enough also.“
The victory vaults the Pirates into early championship contention as the GCL circuit now heads to Shanghai.
