Jérôme FOLLAIN was the winner of  the Crystal Cup in 2010 and 2011.  Jerome is a young combined trainer based in Normandy at Dragey, near the Mount St Michel.   Follain began training in 2004 following a successful career as an amateur Jump jockey.  As a  jockey Jérôme won the Big Steeplechase and the Big Cross-country races of Craon in the same year, an extremely rare feat. Following earning prize money of  €481,390 in 2009, Follain's stable of horses has been steadily growing and he is one of the leading contenders to retain the Crystal Cup in 2012.

Enda Bolger is undoubtedly the master when it comes to cross country races having amassed a record that is unlikely to be surpassed.  Following a fine riding career Enda turned his hand to training in the early 1990's quickly winning a succession of races including the famous La Touche Cup, at the Punchestown Festival, on no less than 11 occasions.  Enda has trained a multitude of cross country specialist horses including Risk of Thunder, Spot Thedifference, Heads On The Ground, L'Ami and Garde Champetre dominating races in Ireland.  His record at Cheltenham is unrivalled winning 13 of the last 17 cross country races and posting a memorable 1-2 in the Glenfarclas Handicap Cross Country Chase in November 2009.

Charlie Mann, a successful Jump racing trainer, from Upper Lambourn in England, rode and trained Its A Snip to win the the Pardubice Steeplechase in 1995 and regularly returns to the Czech Republic with horses he trains to try to reclaim victory in the historic race.  Charlie has trained a string of top class horses including Celibate, Moon Over Miami and Air Force One winning many prestigious races in England and Ireland.

Paolo Favero is the leading Jumps trainer in Italy having just beaten his own personal best record of races won and heading towards the unprecedented result of 100 victories within one year.  The stables success has been helped by his stable jockey, Raffaele Romano, who has proved instrumental in sealing yet another highly successful year.  In September 2009 Paolo's horse Fatal Mac won the Premio Delle Nazioni for the fourth time in a row (also a record).  Paolo trains about 70 horses, most of which are currently in Rome for the winter jump season there.

Josef Vana is considered one of the greatest personalities of Czech horse racing having won the famous Pardubice Steeplechase eight times as a jockey and nine times as a trainer.  Josef won his first Pardubice in 1987 on the legendary Czech horse Zeleznik who he rode to victory again in 1988, 1989 and 1991.  In 1997 he achieved a fifth victory aboard Vronsky and in 2011 won the famous race on Tiumen for the eight time at the age of 58.  Josef has won hundreds of races in his illustrious career and experienced many injuries.  In 1994 he was pronounced clinically dead following a fall in Germany but recovered to ride again just two months later.