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Switzerland wins the Mercedes-Benz Nations’ Cup after 21 years

30.06.2023 00:24

The Swiss show jumping team rode to victory…


The Swiss show jumping team rode to victory in the Mercedes-Benz Nations’ Cup 2023 – for the first time again after 21 years.  

 

The last time that the Swiss squad won the Mercedes-Benz Nations’ Cup in Aachen was in the year 2002 and the final rider of the team back then was Markus Fuchs with Tinka’s Boy. Now, 21 years later it was his nephew Martin Fuchs with Commissar Pezi, who sealed the victory for the Swiss team on a final score of four faults, ahead of the British team and the Belgians, both of whom finished on eight faults after both rounds. However, since the collective time from round two decides in the case of a tie, the representatives of this year’s CHIO partner country came second, because they were slightly faster than the Belgians.

 

The Swiss chef d’équipe, Michel Sorg, said on behalf of his team: “It is a dream come true winning the Nations’ Cup here in Aachen. It is the dream of all fans of this sport.” I have had so many chances to come here, but standing here today in the middle of the arena with the winning team was fantastic and I still haven’t really taken it in yet.” Of course, he had thought about the starting order carefully, he chose Steve Guerdat with Venard de Cerisy as the first to go because he is an “experienced, strong rider”, who fulfilled all the expectations set in him by jumping double clear.

 

The next to go was the also extremely experienced Niklaus Schurtenberger with his Holstein-bred mare, C-Steffra. They got off to a promising start by only knocking one pole in the first round. However, round two didn’t go well for the pair at all: 23 faults.

 

The next pair: Edouard Schmitz with Gamin van’t Naastveldhof, who came second in the Turkish Airlines-Prize of Europe yesterday. They picked up eight faults in round one – the scratch result. Then, they jumped clear. “After the first round I got kicked in the butt, which was exactly what I needed,” stated Edouard. He didn’t get any further, because Martin Fuchs exclaimed: “My dad kicked you in the butt!” Because he has been training the 23-year-old Edouard for six years already. Edouard laughed and nodded.

 

Martin Fuchs as the final rider – that was also well thought-out by Michel Sorg. Because it was all down to Martin Fuchs. If he stayed clear – victory. Four faults – Jump-off. Eight faults – still a jump-off, but without Switzerland. The pressure was no problem for Fuchs: “I had a really good feeling. He jumped super in the first round. Steve helped me warm up before the second round and he said just do everything the same as before, so I entered the ring with lots of confidence. But I was a little bit nervous on the last line…” But the ten-year-old Holstein-bred gelding, Commissar Pezi, didn’t let himself be distracted and also flew over the last Mercedes obstacle.

 

Tim Gredley, who rode for his country among others in 2006 at the FEI World Equestrian Games, aged just 20 at the time, spoke on behalf of the British team. He said he was delighted to have the honour of jumping with these guys, because it had been a long time since he jumped at that level. But that he now had a horse, namely the Belgian-bred stallion Medoc de Toxandria, who was suitable for top level sport. And that he wasn’t disappointed even if his scores of nine and six faults hadn’t counted today. “The team spirit was great and I was really happy to be part of the team!” His fellow team members comprised of Ben Maher with Dallas Vegas Batilly and Scott Brash with Hello Jefferson, both of whom jumped double clear, and Harry Charles with Romeo, who collected eight faults in the first round and then jumped clear.

 

Like the Brits, the Belgians picked up all their faults in the first round, whereby Nicola Philippaerts and his super mare Katanga van het Dingeshof jumped double clear. “We were a little unlucky in the first round,” analysed Koen Vereecke, who had saddled Kasanova de la Pomme this evening (four and zero faults). “The tension is slightly higher in the second round. They all jumped very good in the second round. Even if it didn’t suffice to win. Perhaps next time.” Because as Martin Fuchs summed up in a nutshell: “It is the coolest Nations’ Cup one can win, here in front of such a huge crowd!”

DSP Alice says adieu

29.06.2023 23:37

Thunderous applause. Standing ovations. And a few tears…


Thunderous applause. Standing ovations. And a few tears in the eyes of her rider: Their joint journey came to an end for Simone Blum and her “soulmate horse”, DSP Alice, on Thursday evening at the showgrounds of the Aachen Soers.

On Thursday evening, DSP Alice and Simone Blum stood under the gleaming floodlights of the Main Stadium in Aachen for the last time. The place they association with so many unforgettable memories. The chestnut mare with the irrepressible desire to win had always felt particularly at home on the Holy Grass at the Soers. Her fantastic triumph in the Mercedes-Benz Nations’ Cup in 2018 was proof of that. And also in the following year she significantly contributed towards Germany taking second place in the traditional international game of the show jumpers at the same venue after jumping double clear. 2019 was also the year in which DSP Alice was distinguished with the Halla Challenge Trophy as the most successful horse of the CHIO Aachen after coming fourth in the Rolex Grand Prix.

But this is just an excerpt out of the long list of merits with which the Askari daughter catapulted her rider to the top of the rankings of the world elite within the shortest space of time. 40,000 spectators watched mesmerised as the highlights of her career flickered over the big screens. One of the highlights of which was without doubt winning the gold medal at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon in 2018. “Thank you for everything, Alice!” Simone Blum finally whispered into the microphone with a shaky voice, before sending her “soulmate horse” off on a final lap of honour accompanied by the thunderous applause of the crowd in Aachen.

Chester Weber ahead of Boyd Exell in the Prize of Martello Immobilienmanagement GmbH & Co. KG

29.06.2023 19:21

Close decision in the exciting dressage competition for…


Close decision in the exciting dressage competition for the four-in-hand drivers in the Prize of Martello Immobilienmanagement GmbH & Co. KG! Not even a tenth of a point separated the two leading teams.

The victory in the dressage of the four-in-hand drivers in the Prize of Martello Immobilienmanagement GmbH & Co. KG went to the US-American master driver, Chester Weber, on a score of 38.85 minus points. Just seven hundredths of a point behind him: The record holder in Aachen victories, Boyd Exell, for Australia (38.92). Third and four place are occupied by the two Dutch teams of the Chardon family. Father Ijsbrand picked up a score of 42.38 minus points and his son Bram was awarded 48.38. The best German team was Mareike Harm and her quartet in fifth place on a score of 49.11 minus points.

The Prize of Martello Immobilienmanagement GmbH & Co. KG is the first in three competitions for the individual and team classifications in the Nations’ Cup of the four-in-hand drivers. It was the first time that Chester Weber was able to win in Aachen. Boyd Exell has on the other hand already had his name eternalised on the winners’ board in Aachen ten times.

After the dressage, the Dutch team is in the lead in the team classification. It would be their 18th victory in the Boehringer Ingelheim Nations’ Cup. It is easier to say in which year they didn’t win: 2006. The Belgian team won that year, in 2023 they are lying in fourth place after the dressage on a score of 105.75 points. The Dutch team are currently topping the rankings (90.76), followed by Australia (92.96), who only have two drivers, and Germany (101.02).

In the Prize of schwartz Group on Saturday, the four-in-hand drivers will set off on their cross-country course, the Marathon, which is being built by Alexander Flocke from Rhineland for the first time this year.

Second victory for David Will in the STAWAG-Prize

29.06.2023 18:56

Unbelievable! Another start-to-finish victory for David Will at…


Unbelievable! Another start-to-finish victory for David Will at the CHIO Aachen 2023, this time with Zaccorado Blue in the STAWAG-Prize.

 

When David Will and the ten-year-old Holstein-bred gelding, Zaccorado Blue by VDL Zirocco Blue, crossed the finish line of the 1.50-meter jumping competition against the clock, the STAWAG-Prize, the clock stopped at 59.72 seconds. None of his following 34 fellow riders were able to match that time. Not even those who didn’t jump clear like Will. Hans-Dieter Dreher and his Selle Français gelding, Vestmalle des Cotis, came the closest with a clear round in 60.88 seconds. Third place went to the rider from Colombia, Roberto Teran Tafur and his Irish mare, Wakita, with whom he also came third in the Prize of StädteRegion Aachen yesterday. Today, the pair took 62.22 seconds to finish the course.

 

Two jumping classes, two start-to-finish victories – how does one do that? David Will: “Well, when you go first, you don’t know what is going to happen, so you have to risk everything.” Full risk, full gain. Will thinks a lot of the ten-year-old, Zaccorado Blue: “I have had him since he was about two. He is one of my best horses. But I don’t quite think he has reached his full potential yet.” That means he is a perspective 5-star Grand Prix horse. “That is the goal for the second half of the season,” confirmed Will.

 

His own goal is to hopefully qualify for the ROLEX Grand Prix on Sunday tomorrow in the RWE Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia tomorrow with My Prins van Dorperheide.

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera BB enchant in the Prize of Family Tesch

29.06.2023 18:40

Even if the judges scores were otherwise not…


Even if the judges scores were otherwise not exactly uniform, after Jessica von Bredow-Werndl’s test in the Grand Prix, the Prize of Family Tesch, all of judges were unanimous: That was top! The top of the field to be exact.

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and her 16-year-old Trakehner mare, TSF Dalera BB, won the Grand Prix, the Prize of Family Tesch on a score of 82.304 percent. Second and third place went to the partner country Great Britain, thanks to Charlotte Dujardin with Imhotep (79.782) and Charlotte Fry with Everdale (78.913).

It was the first time Jessica von Bredow-Werndl competed here in Aachen since 2019 and it was the first time she headed the lap of honour with the mare that carried her to Olympic gold, the European Championship title and double World Cup gold. “For me it is not as much about winning, but instead about the development,” she emphasised. With Dalera the development has been going in one direction for years: upwards. In the first salute, the mare was slightly restless, she lifted her left hind leg while her rider was greeting. “That is an energy thing,” believes Jessica von Bredow-Werndl. “She can hardly wait for us to start.” But she has a plan for Saturday when the decision in the Nations’ Cup falls in the Grand Prix Spéciale. “Otherwise I don’t make a big deal out of it,” the 37-year-old double Olympic gold medallist said. If Dalera dances in the coming classes like she did after today’s first salute, that shouldn’t be a problem. The first mark may have been low, but then one highlight followed the next. A test full of the harmony that has allowed them to win everything there is to win. Her goal is clear: To see her name eternalised on the winners’ board in Aachen for the first time.

Charlotte Dujardin doesn’t stop raving when she talks about her ten-year-old KWPN gelding, Imhotep. Which is no surprise since today was just the third Grand Prix test since Dujardin returned to the sport after having a baby and it was the first time in Imhotep’s life that he has competed in Aachen. “My goal was to compete here and here I am, I came second and am absolutely delighted with Imhotep. How he coped so well with the atmosphere here, at the biggest, best equestrian show in the world. He is an inexperienced horse, he hasn’t done many Grand Prix tests yet, he is ten years old and it is such fun riding him! He is so full of energy and has so many highlights. He is the horse with the best piaffe I have ever sat on. All I have to do is sit there and keep him in balance.” I have so many expectations for the future in him: “He is the horse with the best movements I have ever sat on.” And that is coming from the woman who claimed three Olympic gold medals as well as the European and World Championship titles and also won here in Aachen with Valegro. Valegro’s horseshoe is already embedded in Aachen’s Hall of Fame. Perhaps there will also be a plate bearing the horseshoe of his stablemate Imhotep soon.

Charlotte Fry travelled to Aachen as the reigning World Champion, albeit with her Olympic horse, Everdale, instead of her World Championship horse, Glamourdale. The 27-year-old hadn’t given it a thought as to whether she would make it under the top three today. But she admitted “when I saw the starting list, I thought, okay, that is in principle the same as a championships: Everyone is here and the level is so high… I know what Everdale is capable of. But for everything to go right on day X and in the arena in Aachen, that is something different. So I couldn’t have been happier today. I was actually a bit emotional after the test because he felt so super and I am looking forward to the next class.”

That will be the Grand Prix Spéciale, the MEGGLE-Prize, which is also the final competition in the Lambertz Nations Cup. Germany are currently in the lead with an interim score of 235.413 points, ahead of Denmark on a score of 228.608 and close behind them Great Britain on 228.565 points.

Start-to-finish victory for David Will’s family horse Dax in the Sparkassen-Youngsters-Cup

29.06.2023 17:13

David Will and his seven-year-old Holstein-bred gelding, Dax,…


David Will and his seven-year-old Holstein-bred gelding, Dax, were the first to go in today’s second class, the Sparkassen-Youngsters-Cup. As the last horse crossed the finish line, the pair were still in the lead.

The course designer, Frank Rothenberger, had built an alternative for the riders in today’s course in the Sparkassen-Youngsters-Cup: They could either ride parallel to the pond over Aachen’s double water jump or take the longer route with a wider turn into the final combination. David Will didn’t have think about which track he was going to take with his seven-year-old Holstein Dinken son, Dax, for long – the shorter route, of course! The clock stopped at 60.28 seconds. And because the pair’s ride looked so relaxed, nobody realised at the time how quick they really were. As it turns out, they crossed the finish line three seconds faster than the pair that came second – the French rider Megane Moissonnier and her Westphalian-bred mare Safira S Gold by Stakkato Gold. They took 63.67 seconds. Third place went to the Netherlands to Kim Emmen and the eight-year-old KWPN mare, Kandiama by Andiamo Z (64.55 seconds).

Other riders had also tried to ride the fast line, but many horses were still quite impressed by the two water obstacles and then the pond next to them. Dax doesn’t mind such things, says David Will: “This horse simply makes everything possible. He gallops into the Soers in Aachen, feels at home, jumps over a double water as if it were the most normal thing in the world. For his seven years, that’s really extraordinary.” This primal confidence is no surprise. Will reports further, “He’s a true family horse. He’s my brother’s, and we’ve had him since he was a foal.” Will is convinced that Dax has everything a jumper needs for the big sport. “He has absolutely the right attitude and phenomenal potential!”

Frederic Wandres and Duke of Britain head the field in the HAVENS Horsefeed-Prize

28.06.2023 23:41

Frederic Wandres and Duke of Britain convincingly claimed…


Frederic Wandres and Duke of Britain convincingly claimed the victory in the CDI4* Grand Prix, the HAVENS Horsefeed-Prize, ahead of the World Champion from the partner country of this year’s CHIO Aachen.

 

Frederic Wandres and his 16-year-old British Hanoverian-bred gelding, Duke of Britain, were the eighth pair to go in the HAVENS Horsefeed-Prize, the CDI4*-Grand Prix. There were 28 pairs in total in the class, and the field of participants was star-studded. Wandres and the Dimaggio son notched up 76.935 percent, which none of the following pairs managed to top.

 

As the last to go, the British World Champion, Charlotte Fry, still had the chance to spoil Wandres‘ triumph. Fry had saddled the Belgian Negro son, Lars van de Honderheide. However, after receiving a score of 75.196 percent, the pair had to make do with second place.

 

The Danish rider, the team World Champion, Daniel Bachmann Andersen, was delighted to come third. And especially because he competed with a horse he has only been riding for a few months: the gigantic 12-year-old Westphalian-bred, Vayron by Vitalis, who he took over from Helen Langehanenberg. The pair seem to make the perfect combination. Third place in their first performance at Aachen with a score of 75.131 percent speaks for itself.

Yuri Mansur victorious for the first time in the Turkish Airlines-Prize of Europe

28.06.2023 23:23

The Brazilian Yuri Mansur won the Turkish Airlines-Prize…


The Brazilian Yuri Mansur won the Turkish Airlines-Prize of Europe on Wednesday evening under floodlight on a horse that he hopes will take him to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

However, the jump-off was opened by a Swiss rider: Edouard Schmitz with Gamin van’t Naastveldhof. The 23-year-old and his eleven-year-old Belgian Chacco Chacco son put in a round that made it clear they would be hard to beat. Every turn forward, all obstacles in a smooth manner, 42.43 seconds – it can’t really go much faster than that, you thought.

But then Yuri Mansur and the only ten-year-old Brazilian mare Miss Blue-Saint Blue Farm came along and beat the Swiss rider’s time by another 0.16 seconds. However, he was to remain the only one. Neither Alain Jufer (SUI) on Dante MM nor the three German pairs in the jump-off, Philipp Weishaupt with Coby, Richard Vogel on United Touch S and Gerrit Nieberg with Blues d’Aveline, managed another clear round, let alone one that would have been faster than that of Mansur. As the last competitor, Martin Fuchs still had a chance to win on the Holsteiner gelding Conner Jei. They had recently won the Rolex Grand Prix of Windsor, among others. In fact, the Connor son also jumped clear and Fuchs did what he could to break the time, but it was not enough. After 42.78 seconds the time stopped for him. Third place behind Mansur and Schmitz.

Yuri Mansur later revealed that he and Edouard Schmitz had been in the placings together all winter. “But he was always better than me then.” Today it was the other way round. And his mare had the biggest share in that. “She is a phenomenon! Actually, she is only nine years old, she will only be ten in September. As a young horse, she hardly did anything. Less than a year ago, I was still riding her in 1.30-metre jumping competitions.” And now she jumps from success to success. Among others, the pair was part of the second-placed Nations’ Cup team in St. Gallen (SUI). Does it mean anything to him that he won here in Aachen with a horse bred in Brazil? Yes, but in a way it was also funny, because at the beginning of his career he had brought many horses from Europe to Brazil, “and now towards the end of my career they are coming back”. End of the 44-year-old’s career? “I have a plan. I still want to ride the Olympic Games in Los Angeles and I hope she will be my horse for that. But after that I want to concentrate on my children’s careers.”

Edouard Schmitz has been training with the Fuchs family, i.e. Martin Fuchs and his father Thomas, for six years. “It is not empty words when I say that I owe everything to these two,” said the Swiss. These words have a beautiful ring to them for Martin Fuchs. So he could easily get over the fact that he was “only” third today. “Sometimes one is better, sometimes the other. We push each other and spur each other on. I think that’s very good,” said Fuchs. The next chance for a rematch is sure to come!

Double Olympic gold medallist Jessica von Bredow-Werndl at the CHIO Aachen: “Dalera always gives 100 percent and even more”

28.06.2023 22:46

It is the first time the double Olympic…


It is the first time the double Olympic gold medallist Jessica von Bredow-Werndl is competing at the CHIO Aachen again with her top horse TSF Dalera BB since 2019. We spoke to the 37-year-old about her expectations, her rituals prior to important competitions and her very special connection to her horse.

 

Jessica, how much are you looking forward to competing in the Deutsche Bank Stadium again this year?

I am mega excited. I was pregnant last year when the CHIO Aachen was on. I was here in person to support my brother and I stood at the entrance rather feeling rather melancholy. So I am all the more happier to be competing myself again this year.

You have brought your top horse Dalera with you to Aachen again for the first time since 2019. Is she in good form?

She is very well. This morning she bucked (laughs). I think she is delighted to be back here too.

What makes Dalera so special for you?

I know every time when I ride into the arena she will give 100 percent and even more. That always leaves me rather emotional, because it is not something that can be taken for granted. On the one hand she is very intelligent and gentle and then on the other she is like a rockstar. This combination is so incredibly nice and something very special.

You two have more or less won everything there is to win over the past two years. The only thing that is missing is an entry on the legendary winners’ board in Aachen. Is taking the victory in the Deutsche Bank Prize your goal this week?

Of course I have stood in front of that board so often and dreamt of being able to read my name on it one day. I don’t know if I will succeed in achieving that this year, but I will certainly try my hardest. And as far as Dalera is concerned, I know she always gives it her best shot.

You have won so many titles in the meantime. Many people believe it is quite matter of course that you win. Do you think that yourself?

No. I know how important it is every time to concentrate on the here and now and get everything together in the decisive moment. If everything goes the way I planned in a test, ideally everything always looks very easy. That often gives the impression that this really is the case. But it is not of course. A lot of work goes into it every successful ride. And it is always possible that things don’t go according to plan.

Tomorrow the Lambertz Nations Cup is on the agenda. How do you rate the chances of the German team?

Our team is very strong. But I know that the other teams are very strong too. Especially the teams from Great Britain and Denmark shouldn’t be underestimated. At the end of the day, the form on the day will be decisive as to who is on the top step of the winners’ rostrum.

Do you carry out any rituals before competitions?

Yes, loads. It starts in the morning already, first of all I always do my fitness exercises. Then, I take Dalera for a walk, then we ride at a walk or I let her jog a bit. Two and a half hours before the class I plait her main and tail and from then on everything is timed perfectly. We have a lot of rituals that give both me and Dalera a sense of security.

Which competition are you looking forward to most this week?

To the freestyle. First of all I hope we qualify, of course. But if we do, I am particularly looking forward to Sunday. Our routine is relatively new. During my maternity leave I occupied myself intensively with it – and I love the result. The music and the choreography, they fit together perfectly. And when I dive into this freestyle with Dalera  and we are really in “flow”, it really is like we are dancing.

Daniel Coyle wins the Prize of StädteRegion Aachen in memory of Landrat Hermann-Josef Pütz

28.06.2023 19:19

The Irish rider, Daniel Coyle, won the Prize…


The Irish rider, Daniel Coyle, won the Prize of StädteRegion Aachen in memory of Landrat Hermann-Josef Pütz, a 1.50-metre jumping competition in two phases on Wednesday afternoon – which came as no surprise to him.

After all, Daniel Coyle had saddled his best horse, Legacy by Chippendale Z. His 13-year-old Zangersheider-bred mare by Chippendale Z already proved that she is in top form last weekend in Rotterdam, when she came second in the Grand Prix. Today, there was no beating her. She sped around the second phase in the Prize of StädteRegion Aachen in 29.53 seconds and left France’s Simon Delestre with the KWPN stallion I Amelusina R (30.14) and the Colombian rider, Roberto Teran Tafur, with the Irish mare BP Wakita (30.74) in second and third place behind her. Daniel Coyle: “If I ride well, she jumps good. So, the pressure predominantly lies on me. But that is how it should be.”

Incidentally, it is the Irish rider’s first time in Aachen. “All of my friends were already here, at least to watch. I haven’t even been here as a spectator before. They always told me that it is a super show. But we visit so many fantastic shows that you don’t ever think you will be that impressed when you come somewhere new. But they have everything you can possibly imagine here: Wow!”

However, he is not placing his bets on Legacy for the Grand Prix, but on a young horse instead. “Normally I’d ride her in the Grand Prix, but not this week. I have a new horse that I want to bring on up to her level. That is why I will compete with him on Sunday. I hope that works out and he goes well. I haven’t had him long, only for six months. But he is making very promising developments.” He is talking about the 12-year-old KWPN stallion, Gisborne VDL by Zirocco Blue. What Coyle didn’t mention: He has already jumped clear with the grey several times in the Nations’ Cup for the Irish team. So, he has plenty of reasons for looking optimistically ahead to Sunday.

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