Mantovani Horses Kick Off 2025 International Competition Year with Double Victory

2025 CDI Jerez de la Frontera

Mantovani Horses, a Portuguese equestrian company that pursues excellence in high performance dressage sport, training and sales, have started the 2025 international competition year with a double victory and top placings at the 2025 CDI Jerez de la Frontera in Spain.

New Milestones

For Thiago Mantovani 2025 is a year of new beginnings with a first milestone set by establishing Mythos Mantovani, a collaboration between the Portuguese horse investment company Mantovani Horses and the Spanish equestrian center Mythos in Madrid.

Mythos Mantovani organizes high-end showcases for the promotion of elite sport horse genetics in sales and breeding. Mantovani's breeding stallions Escorial and Nuelo are now standing there at stud and are offered fresh to the breeders.

In the sport department, Mantovani's team riders Joao Marcari Oliva (BRA) and Maxi Kira von Platen (GER) have set the bar high early in the season with strong competition results aboard Orion de la Gesse and Oporto d'Atela.

Victorious in Jerez

The renowned Real Escuela del Arte Ecuestre in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, became the venue of the first two international dressage competitions on the Iberian peninsula in 2025. Hosted between 8 - 16 March 2025 Jerez hosted two weeks of back-to-back CDI's.

Brazilian Olympian Joa Victor Oliva competed the first week aboard the 7-year old French bred Mantovani's Orion de la Gesse (by Escorial x Zamorim) and dominated the 7-year old division with its 12 combination. The pair topped the board in both the preliminary and Finals test, scoring 74.018% and 75.386%.

"Orion is a horse I have high hopes for," said Joao. "He's already winning in the 7-year old division, which is a strong one, with very demanding movements. He's very easy and quick learning, but he still has a lot to improve on. This was the first event of the year and I'm very pleased with the result."

The second week Maxi Kira von Platen travelled from Germany to make her international show debut aboard Mantovani's Oporto d'Atela (by Escorial x Madrigal), her first CDI as part of Team Mantovani and her first on the striking bay Lusitano stallion. After getting warmed up in the 7-year old preliminary test with a 5th place and 72.129% they moved into second place in the Finals test with 72.700%.

"Oporto had a long way from Germany to Spain, but far from being tired he was super fresh and motivated when I arrived. I'm very happy that Thiago made this trip possible for us," said Maxi Kira. "The first two days he needed a little bit of time to feel good in the atmopshere as he has little show experience. Norbert van Laak trained us via video and Oporto did a fantastic job."

Exciting Future Ahead

While Grand Prix level competition is the ultimate goal for both horses, the 2025 World Championships for young dressage horses in Verden is an important mid-term target.

"We like to see Maxi Kira and Oporto move into the Prix St Georges division and with consistent work move up to Grand Prix," said Thiago Mantovani. "It's great to see how well Maxi Kira gets along with her first Lusitano. It's a testament to their amazing character and rideability. We are thrilled with the match."

For Von Platen it has been an adventure training and competing a Lusitano for the first time in her professional career.

"Oporto has a special attitude, always willing to work, very quick to learn and I can ride him to small aids. He showed me that it doesn't depend on the breeding of a horse, it's about character, talent and positive attitude," said Maxi. "It would be super nice to qualify him for Verden but in the end it's our aspiration to train him, step by step, for Grand Prix in the next years."

Thiago was thrilled with the results of his two horses at the CDI Jerez de la Frontera.

"For Orion de la Gesse we're definitely aiming for the World Young Horse Championships. It will mark Joao's fourth, consecutive WCYH with offspring by our flagship stallion Escorial."

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