Hij is wereldberoemd buiten Nederland. In 1992 won Jan Tops met zijn paard Top Gun goud tijdens de Olympische Spelen in Barcelona, veertig jaar later doet hij als trainer en handelaar van springpaarden zaken met de groten der aarde. Inmiddels geldt de Global Champions Tour & League, grotendeels eigendom van de 61-jarige Brabander, als parel op zijn kroon. Het is de absolute top van de paardensport, met wedstrijden en concoursen op de meest exclusieve locaties ter wereld.
Recently, Jan Tops once again secured the Longines watch brand as the main sponsor for over 100 million euros for five years. But this year's Longines Global Champions Tour & League is not only visiting fashionable places like Miami Beach, London, Monaco, Mexico and New York, also Valkenswaard. Still under the radar in the Netherlands, a humble Brabander is working to give his hometown a status of its own.
How does a baker's son enter the world of horses?
"By starting small. As a pony rider. Who was somewhat successful from the beginning. If it runs and something is positive, it often gets a follow-up. By the way, it was not that I was pushed from the family. On the contrary. My mother and father worked extremely hard in our bakery and restaurant, and my father occasionally did something in breeding. His only link with horses. Not for trade, more as a hobby. So I started on a pony at the age of five. If you are successful then, it is extra noticeable in this area. After all, Brabant is, together with Limburg, the horse region of our country. Although all of the Netherlands has something with horses, especially here in Brabant you have always had a concentration of good riders and many good events. After pony riding I became a junior, then a young rider and in that class three times European champion. I built on that success. Because I was working at an early level, I also got involved in the horse business around the age of eighteen. I was immediately very interested in that. Performing on the horse and trading smartly at the same time actually went hand in hand from an early age."
Who was earlier: the sportsman or the entrepreneur?
"I've always been both. I am obsessed with this sport. Even though I haven't been riding since the start of the Global Tour, I just love horses. Seeing a very good horse jump is the best thing for me. I also enjoy watching a great soccer match or a top race in Formula 1 and am interested in everything that is top sport and is practiced at a high level. How Liberty Media develops Formula 1, I follow closely. It regularly makes me think. Just as I started the Global Tour in 2005 to bring equestrian sports to another global level. Like soccer and Formula I, our sport deserves the same. One of the main things I have wanted to change is for riders, owners and sponsors to get more attention and better earnings. Fortunately, the spin-off in recent years has been tremendous. Not just for the riders, but the entire industry. From breeding to auctions. Both the sport and the trade have moved up. And when things go well at the top, that trickles down and the rest benefits as well."
What did the entrepreneur learn from the sportsman?
"A lot. Vision and perseverance are important in both cases. Of course, it also involves a lot of fingerspitzengefühl for recognizing a horse, feeling for the trade and business. You get to deal with so many facets: of dealing with people and thus building relationships. I've been doing that since I was sixteen, because I've been traveling around the world for forty weeks a year since then. That's how I learned that no matter what country or culture, the most important thing is to first respect the people and the country itself. That not everyone has to be the same as a Dutchman. So I let everyone have their own value and listen and see how I can anticipate that. On top of that, of course, you have to exude knowledge and live up to what you sell. Especially when it comes to horses, this is not easy, because you are dealing with a living creature. However, you can eliminate a number of risks to ensure that the customer or partner is satisfied and stays satisfied. I also apply this long-term policy within the Global Tour. Ensuring trust and connection with sponsors, with riders, with teams, with organizers. Especially when you're global."
You have now had the most beautiful, permanent equestrian stadium in the Netherlands built in your backyard.
"I learned from a young age to build everything in steps. In the end, you still go for the perfect picture. I want to invest in what I have always benefited from and what future generations can benefit from. This stadium was not built for me, but for the next generation. I could also have put up tents, but I wanted something lasting for equestrian sports as a whole. Like it succeeded in Zandvoort with Formula 1 and in Wimbledon with tennis. Both not exactly Paris, London or New York, but known worldwide. Despite the Grand Slams in Australia, Paris and New York, that village outside London is still considered the Mecca of tennis. A place that exudes class and top sport worldwide. I want to go that way with Valkenswaard as well. Top sport for everyone and in all categories."
How do you see the future of Dutch top sports and equestrian sports in particular?
"Top sport is always difficult because vision is required. Especially in the horse world, because the real top athlete is the horse. Top competitions are basically seventy percent decided by a horse with extra qualities. In the top fifty riders, the differences are small; they are all good riders. Therefore, it is a top horse that often makes the difference. For the Netherlands it is therefore important to have good horses in our country and to keep them. Just like in top soccer with Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappé, millions are also bid for that handful of horses that are of the outer category. If you are lucky enough to have those running around in the Netherlands you have to keep them together, after which you can start doing good things. When we became Olympic champions with the equestrian team in Barcelona in 1992, we had three horses of that outer category. Jos Lansink with Egano, Piet Raijmakers with Ratina and I had Top Gun. Those were three horses that were better than the rest. But fair is fair, the situation now is more complicated. The sport is growing, with more people looking for horses and more riders who want to play the game. We are partly responsible for that with the Global Tour. This season we are working with 35 million euros in prize money and everyone wants to participate. Only there are few horses that can easily handle that level. There is also more demand than supply. Besides just Europe, America and South America, Asia, Middle East and a bit of Africa have joined in. The oil patch has become many times larger and the distribution of top horses more complicated. And the prices, of course. Those are shooting up."
How autonomous is the Longines Global Champions Tour & League? More and more you see organizations decoupling from traditional federations.
"We fall under the rules of the international equestrian federation FEI. Meanwhile, the Global Tour has lifted the sport to another level, bringing competitions to another level in the overall breadth. Currently, cooperation with FEI is good. The important thing is that a federation does not slow down growth and thus hinder the whole sport and the whole world around it. In 2005 the best riders were still riding 45 competitions for 6.6 million euros in prize money, now they ride in 17 competitions for 35 million. Sponsors are also becoming more and more interested, because unlike before, there is now a return on investment. That forces you to be even more professional. Unions have to think along with this and, above all, not apply self-protection. I therefore think it is fantastic how Liberty Media does that in Formula 1. For me, Bernie Ecclestone is the inventor, but Liberty Media has taken everything to an even higher level. We are busy doing that as well. More and more investments are being made. Of course not at the level of Liberty Media, but that it takes equestrian sports further. Then it is enormously important that a federation supports that instead of imposing rules out of protectionism. It is the only way for owners and riders to develop further, which in turn trickles down to the studs. Therefore, there should be no brake on this growth. Especially not when it affects the industry as a whole. We are talking about a healthy growth of the sport. With Liberty Media and Formula 1 as a fantastic example."
How professional is the Longines Global Champions Tour & League?
"In our sport the most professional. We handle our own TV productions, with interviews, graphics and the horses are filmed in a special way. Also, the playoffs, something totally new in our sport, are unprecedented. They have been held in Prague in recent years, and in the future we will change cities. The playoffs are now called the Super Bowl of Show Jumping in equestrian sports. It is truly unique. In terms of presentation, in terms of prize-giving, in terms of ceremonies, in terms of entertainment. We are now working with 16 teams, each contributing 2.5 million euros. For that money, everything is facilitated. The horses travel in business to first class and two vets accompany each flight. The two Boeings are packed with a total of 100 horses. Also for the riders everything is arranged to perfection. Just take Valkenswaard. At this venue there are permanently 512 stalls that are unique in terms of welfare for the horses. The stadium also has the best grass, which is maintained like a professional soccer field. Welfare of the horses is a firm spearhead of policy. In this we also distinguish ourselves."
As a race entrepreneur, are you involved in any other activities?
"No, not really. Top sport is both my hobby and my work. I am constantly working on whether it can be even better. That's why I'm also interested in how Zandvoort is organized and all the entertainment during the Grand Prix in Austin. My challenge is to realize the same in Valkenswaard. This season with seven events, with top entertainment, which should give people some super nice days in Valkenswaard. We are organizing an Italian week under the name Brabant meets Italy. A combination of top sports, top entertainment and top culture. For children and adults. Just like during the Grand Prix in Zandvoort, people should experience an unforgettable experience. In Prague this has already succeeded fantastically with the play-offs, also in Valkenswaard it will be very beautiful. Especially in August during the Global Tour. And every year again. I won't do it for less."
MASTERS Magazine #53
This article was taken from MASTERS Magazine. Want to read the entire interview with Jan Tops? You can in the spring edition of MASTERS! Furthermore: three entrepreneurs shed light on the future: Raymon Pouwels (GO Sharing), Merel van Helsdingen (Nxt Museum) and Tim van der Wiel (GoSpooky). According to the latter, ever-accelerating technological advances offer tremendous opportunities. "There has never been a better time to have a good idea. Technology is in your pocket!" Sports journalist Jaap de Groot outlines the contours of the new playing field of international sport after the resounding success of the World Cup in Qatar. And futurist Adjiedj Bakas also shines his light on the future. According to him, next year will be dominated by the search for the economy of happiness. "We are not only going to look at what makes us money, but what makes us happy," he says. Perhaps this edition contributes to that, with a look back at MASTERS EXPO, a road trip with the new Range Rover and interviews with equestrian Pope Jan Tops, Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner, chef Margot Janse and visual artist Spencer Tunick. Happiness!
