June 1, 2026 
“He’s a winner. He’s been a winner at every level. He’s the horse that I just really believe in.”
That was Kyle King talking about Replay Touch van de Stapelheyde. The 9-year-old gelding (Vannan x Narew XX) is giving him every reason to have faith—even if it took a minute to make him a believer.
The first time King tried “Heyde” in Belgium, he wasn’t impressed. By the horse. Or its breeding. Replay Touch van de Stapelheyde is registered as a Belgian Warmblood but the dam sire’s XX suffix denotes purebred English Thoroughbred.
“Kirsten Rombouts had been riding him and told me he’s the horse that I wanted. I went and saw him and I didn’t like him at first. I didn’t like that he has a little breathing issue and he’s a Thoroughbred horse, which I didn’t go all the way to Belgium to buy,” he said.
Two months later, Rombouts all but forced him to try the horse again.
“I told her I wasn’t gonna buy him,” he continued.
Then Heyde made him a convert.
“As soon as I jumped my very first jump, I knew he was my horse.”
The Chess Group took over ownership in October of 2024—and King has been singing the horse’s praises ever since. On Friday, Heyde manifested his best proof of evidence yet.
The pair made their CSIO4* debut at Thunderbird Show Park’s Odlum Brown BC Open last week—and won the Grand Prix.
Six pairs found the key to Peter Holmes 1.55m track to advance to the short course. None could catch “Heyde,” despite a scramble on the final line.
“I got in a little trouble at the second-last jump. From what I walked, there was one less [stride] and I got stuck. I thought I lost the class right there, but Heyde found a way to crawl his way over that and twist and try.”
Trying—and succeeding—is a recurring theme for the pair. In 17 international starts, they’ve logged 12 top 10 finishes, including two wins (Jumpr stats).
But it’s a partnership built on more than just performance. The horse that King once balked at is now the first one he rides in the morning. “He’s my total pet. He is just so comfortable—he’s light, narrow, he is easy on my old body. I just love him to death.”
