In 2026, Wolvertem will lose a Nations Cup, but gain banks, ditches, hedges and a few cold sweats. The Brussels Stephex Masters are pulling out a new feature that smells of grass, gallop and decisions made half a second too late: the very first Brussels Derby Challenge. A brand-new class designed to make the terrain speak just as loudly as the clock.

The Nations Cup goes out, the derby comes in through the front door

The gap had to be filled without giving the impression of placing a flowerpot on a crater.

This year, the Brussels Stephex Masters will skip the Nations Cup (see our article “Brussels Stephex Masters: The Nations Cup Sacrificed on the Altar of Equine Welfare”).An absence that could have shaved the programme down. In Wolvertem, they preferred to bring out the diggers.

On Saturday, August 29, the Stephex Stables arenas will host the very first Brussels Derby Challenge in their history. Not just another class slipped between two time slots. Not a consolation prize for spectators deprived of team competition. A real piece of sporting bravery, with terrain, gallop and obstacles that do not look like living-room furniture.

The derby is landing in Brussels. And it is not coming to make up the numbers.

Showjumping takes off the tie

Modern showjumping loves clean lines, counted strides and clocks that forgive nothing. The derby, meanwhile, throws a little grass onto the suit.

Here, coloured rails share the bill with banks, hedges, ditches and changes in level. The horse no longer has to simply jump correctly. It has to understand quickly, stay honest and accept that the arena may suddenly stop being flat, polite and predictable.

That is precisely why the format fascinates.

A site that was waiting to be properly used

Derbies have become rare on the international circuit. Not because they lack charm, but because they are demanding.

They need space, real grass arenas, carefully built natural obstacles and months of preparation. In short, everything modern shows do not always have within reach.

Stephex does.

With its vast green spaces, arenas maintained like the greens of a PGA tournament and its XXL equestrian park setting, the Wolvertem site almost seemed to be waiting for someone to offer it something other than a classic twelve-fence course.

The Brussels Derby Challenge will unfold between the Sablon Arena and the Place de l’Atomium. Two spaces, one single class, and the promise of a course that will finally use relief as a character in its own right.

« We see a unique opportunity to make the most of our beautiful grass arenas by bringing the excitement of a derby in a modern format, », explains Ken RuysenSports Director of the Brussels Stephex Masters.

The idea is clear: to make the venue something more than a pretty backdrop.

Saturday will have mud on its boots

The first Brussels Derby Challenge will be open to combinations entered in the CSI2* and CSI3* classes. A trial run before sliding into the 5*? The start is scheduled for Saturday, August 29 at 1:30 p.m.

On paper, the timing is precise. On the arena, much less so.

The horses will have to swallow natural obstacles, change rhythm, commit to unusual combinations and keep enough freshness not to finish the course running on fumes. The riders will have to choose between controlling and letting the horse gallop, between protecting and attacking, between the tidy round and the big number.

In other words, exactly the kind of class where a favourite can be caught out by a ditch and where an outsider can become the star of the afternoon in three minutes.

Sunday will keep the prestige. Saturday could well keep the images.

The Rolex Grand Prix keeps the crown

Because the sporting boss of the weekend is not changing.

On Sunday at 2:30 p.m., the Rolex Grand Prix presented by Audi will bring together the best combinations in the world for the summit of the week. There, it will be back to grand five-star showjumping, surgical lines and jump-offs where one tenth of a second feels like an eternity.

The Brussels Stephex Masters therefore remain faithful to their recipe: CSI1*, CSI2*, CSI3*, CSI5*, young horses, the world’s best riders and a Sunday cut out for the heavyweights.

But in 2026, the event is adding a rough edge to its programme.

And in a calendar where many shows end up looking alike, a rough edge is already a lot.

Wolvertem wants more than a beautiful show

Since 2014, the Brussels Stephex Masters have learned how to master the codes of a major international event: immaculate arenas, full stands, Olympic champions, the shopping village, restaurants and the premium setting.

This year, they are adding a little controlled disorder.

Wednesday’s Kids Day, the entertainment, boutiques, food options, free entry and free parking will remain on the programme. A new covered grandstand will also allow spectators to follow the sport without negotiating with Belgian weather, which already counts as a major innovation.

But the real extra relief will be elsewhere.

In a hedge that has to be jumped boldly. In a bank that breaks the rhythm. In a horse hesitating for a fraction of a second before trusting. In a rider deciding to move forward when everything is telling them to wait.

The Brussels Stephex Masters are not simply replacing a Nations Cup.

They are upgrading the playground.

(Photo cover ©BSM)