MUST WATCH MOMENT: Kukuk’s Strategic Step Up in Madrid
When Christian Kukuk chose promise over podium in Madrid, he gave rising star Cepano Baloubet a chance to shine - and sent a powerful message about playing the long game.
In a €500,000 Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix packed with seasoned champions, Christian Kukuk made a choice that wasn’t about today - it was about tomorrow.
As the Longines Global Champions Tour returned to the spectacular grass arena of Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, all eyes could’ve been on Checker 47. After all, it was here last year that Kukuk and Checker clinched an unforgettable LGCT Grand Prix victory. But in 2025, Kukuk made a different kind of play: he brought out Cepano Baloubet for their very first LGCT Grand Prix together.
It wasn’t the safe choice. It wasn’t the expected one. But it was a strategic decision grounded in vision, trust, and long-term ambition.
“This was a week where we had to think about the future,”
“This was a week where we had to think about the future,” Kukuk told GCTV ahead of the class. “Cepano has been doing really good at the 1.50m, 1.55m level… but Grand Prix level is still a little bit different. It’s a work in progress. There’s a long season ahead and I have to make decisions based on that.”
That decision nearly paid off in a big way. Against one of the strongest fields of the season, Kukuk and Cepano held their own with impressive composure, securing a place in the jump-off and ultimately finishing 7th overall - a standout result for a young, relatively inexperienced horse making his 1.60m debut on one of the biggest stages in the sport.
The ending wasn’t picture-perfect. In the jump-off, the pair parted ways - both rider and horse walking away unscathed - but the result didn’t dull the significance of the moment.
This was about more than rankings or ribbons. It was about building a future.
Cepano Baloubet now joins the ranks of Kukuk’s exceptional string alongside Checker 47, Just Be Gentle, and Chageorge - each one a carefully developed talent, each one a potential star for the rest of the 2025 season.
Relive the must-watch moment as Christian Kukuk and Cepano Baloubet take on their first LGCT Grand Prix together in Madrid:
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My vision is clear. Only the best for the best.