Gilles Thomas spent the past few weeks in Spain, where the young horses were able to gain a lot of experience and the more experienced horses had the opportunity to get into competition rhythm.

With Undercover V/d Kattevennen Z, Plus Belle van T&L, Riviera van het Dennehof, Riesling van’t Roosakker, Saladin “S”, Scotch van het Dennehof, Qiara De Kalvarie and Happy Landais, Gilles had no fewer than 8 horses with him in Vejer de la Frontera.

Some highlights: During the first week of February, Plus Belle van T&L jumped to third place in a 1.45m class. Happy Landais finished fifth in a 1.50m class on the same day and Riviera van het Dennehof jumped to ninth place in a 1.35m competition. The following week, Happy Landais took ninth place in a 1.50m class. During week three, Riviera van het Dennehof jumped to seventh place in the 1.40m class. Happy Landais once again demonstrated his potential for the big time with a fifth place in the 1.50m class. In the final week, Saladin “S” achieved an impressive third place in the 1.45m class for eight-year-old horses. Riesling van 't Roosakker jumped to sixth place in a 1.45m class and in the 1.55m GP, Happy Landais jumped to fourth place. One penalty point for exceeding the time limit kept Gilles and Happy Landais out of the jump-off. Qiara de Kalvarie remained completely faultless in a 1.50m class on the last day on Spanish soil and finished the Sunshine Tour 2026 in fifth place.

Gilles and the horses are now safely home and are back to work at Sentowerpark. Next week, Gilles will be competing in Lier for the final of the Belgian Stallion Competition. This will be followed by the Dutch Masters in 's Hertogenbosch and then on to Paris.