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Until Richard Vogel has finished the course, no one else can be sure that they have secured the victory. This happened to Denis Lynch today in the Prize of Handwerk.

As the sixth pair to go, the Irish show-jumper Denis Lynch and his 12-year-old Cornet Obolensky son, Cornet’s Iberio, took the lead in the Prize of Handwerk with a clear round in 62.33 seconds and headed the field almost till the finish. But then Richard Vogel and the Belgian-bred Corydon son, Phenyo van het Kayserbos, competed as the fourth last pair and crossed the finish line in a time of 61.43 seconds to clinch the victory. Third place went to a further speedy, Irish rider, Shane Sweetnam with Irandole du Flot (62.82).

It is only the third competition together for Richard Vogel and his just nine-year-old Phenyo van het Kaiserbos. Nevertheless, Aachen fitted perfectly into the plan for them. “We haven’t been a pair for very long. But I am totally impressed with him, because he has made huge progress in such a short space of time and I have great hopes for him. There are thank goodness jumping competitions like these in Aachen (the Prize of Handwerk), that aren’t too high, i.e. at 1.45 metre level, which place the focus more on the speed rather than the height. That is great for Phenyo in his current training status. It allows him to get used to the atmosphere of such shows and in such arenas. He has never jumped here before, so we are overjoyed that he performed so well today and that we were able to concentrate on the time and not just on the fact that we had to try and stay clear.”

He hadn’t gone all out to win though. He simply wanted to make sure his sports partner had the best possible experience in his first round in Aachen: “Phenyo is naturally very fast. We just tried not to take the turns too wide. A slightly higher basic tempo is better for him, because he perhaps doesn’t naturally have the biggest scope. So, I’d say it suited him down to the ground and he had more fun than if we had gone at a slower pace. Because it might have struggled slightly at the oxers otherwise.” Not that this means he doesn’t think Phenyo won’t be suitable for even greater tasks in the future. “In general, we have high hopes for him, and think he will perhaps be able to jump here in higher classes next year or the year after.”

It was already Richard Vogel’s third top placing in three classes at the CHIO Aachen 2024. Yesterday he came second with two other horses, and today he claimed the victory with Phenyo. “We’d like the week to carry on just like this,” grinned Vogel, adding straight away: “We won’t manage that, but up till now things are going very well. All of the horses are in top form, are jumping superbly and I will try to ride as well as possible and not let my horses down. Then, I think we may able to win one or two rosettes here.”

If anyone can judge what distinguishes a four-legged star, then definitely Ben Maher. The British Olympic gold medallist hopes to have found one in the OS Stallion, Corlander, whom he won the opening round of the Sparkassen-Youngsters-Cup with today.

Philipp Weishaupt and his Selle Français mare, Grace de la Claye (out of Utrillo van de Heffinck) put in a fast round in the 1.45 metre two-phase jumping competition that kicked off the Sparkassen-Youngsters-Cup: 39.29 seconds. Richard Vogel and his KWPN gelding, Levi Noesar (out of Zirocco Blue), were one hundredth of a second faster, 39.28 seconds. Anyone, who thought the time couldn’t be beaten, was taught otherwise, when the Olympic gold medallist, Ben Maher and his beautiful OS stallion, Corlander (out of Cornet Colbert) sped round the Soers. The clock stopped at 38.96 seconds. No one was able to top that. Vogel and Weishaupt finished in second and third place respectively.

Ben Maher wasn’t surprised. He has been riding Corlander since last November and took him to Florida with him in the spring to prepare him for the green season, where he already came second in a national 1.50 metre Grand Prix. Otherwise, Maher has only competed at international level with him once before. “He is a very talented, balanced horse. He doesn’t have to jump too much,” he explained. Maher has high hopes in the stallion. “I don’t just think because of today that he is right for Aachen, but he has a huge range with his scope and stride.” He added that he has people, who keep a look out for good horses for him and they scouted the Cornet Obolensky grandson for him from the Lewitz Stud, when he was still under the saddle of his former rider, Krzysztof Ludwiczak from Poland. “Hopefully, we have found the next star. I hope we can live up to that.” If he carries on like today…

The CHIO Aachen is once again the venue of the Finale of the German U25 Trophy of the Stiftung Deutscher Pferdesport and Holger Hetzel, Prize of Holger Hetzel. And once again the winner of the first round comes from Schleswig-Holstein and is called Hannes Ahlmann.

As the last pair to go, Hannes Ahlmann and his nine-year-old Holstein-bred Toulon daughter, Tokyo, overtook the entire field of the German U25 Trophy from the rear. After jumping clear in 73.64 seconds they relegated Henrike-Sophie Boy with Aquarell Sun (74.12) and Enno Klaphake with NC Verso Red Wine (77.29) into second and third place, respectively.

In the course of four qualifiers, the best five riders respectively won themselves a ticket for the CHIO Aachen. It is the second time that Ahlmann, the rider from Schleswig-Holstein, has competed in this class – and the second time he has won the opening round. “Naturally, it is always something very special to ride here on the Holy Grass!” the 23-year-old emphasised and added: “Of course, it is great that I managed to win the opening class again. But we now also hope to take the victory in the Finale as well!”

Ahlmann was one of the five riders to reach the jump-off last year. In 2023, he had saddled Nerrado and the pair came fourth. His sports partner this year, the mare Tokyo, has already carried him over 1.60 metre courses and jumped to victory in both qualifiers of the U25 trophy in Balve. Ahlmann’s hopes are thus entirely justified.

Holger Hetzel is co-sponsoring the German U25 Trophy for the first time this year. As a father too. Since his daughter, Laura, is also one of the finalists. She finished fourth today with her Westphalian-bred mare, Angel D’or.

The year 2024 not only marks 100 years of show history at the Aachen Soers, but also a decade of the German U25 Trophy. The series for aspiring young riders was staged for the first time in 2014. It was initiated by the national coach of the show-jumpers, Otto Becker, together with the co-trainer at the time, Heinrich-Hermann Engemann. The aim was to make it easier for the Young Riders to get a foothold on the senior-level circuit. It has long since become evident that the idea is working. The championship riders, Laura Klaphake and Maurice Tebbel also competed in the German U25 Trophy in the past, alongside the designated Olympic rider, Richard Vogel. The latter succeeded in winning the Finale in Aachen three times in succession and already rode to victory in the Big Tour at the Soers in 2023 already.

First time at the CHIO Aachen, first victory – things couldn’t have gone better for France’s Francois Xavier Boudant in the STAWAG Opening Jumping Competition.

The STAWAG Opening Jumping Competition lasted a good two hours. However, the decision already fell in the first few minutes. As fourth to go, Francois Xavier Boudant (FRA) and his Egoki took 0.46 seconds off the time of Richard Vogel with Cydello, who had been in the lead up until then. Boudant’s time of 62.62 seconds remained unbeaten up to the end. Vogel and his Hanoverian-bred Cascadello son finished second (63.08). Third place went to the Swedish rider, Petronella Andersson with the Belgian stallion, Ollister de Lys out of Hunter’s Scendro (63.41).

It is the first time that Francois Xavier Boudant has ever competed at the CHIO Aachen. “A super start,” he commented understandably about his debut victory. He owed this triumph to his ten-year-old, chestnut French-bred Catoki son, Egoki, whom he has been riding for “six or seven years” already. So, the pair know each other inside out. “I am taking part in the Speed Tour with him this weekend,” Boudant reported. That could be interpreted as a warning to his fellow competitors. Boudant has brought his top horse, Brazyl de Mezel, with him for the Five Start Tour, whom the French show-jumper represented France with last year at the Nation’ Cup Final in Barcelona.

Two days before the Mercedes-Benz Nations’ Cup, national coach Otto Becker has announced a change to his team. Hot Easy, the 12-year-old KWPN mare owned by Jörne Sprehe, is suffering from a hoof ulcer and will not be able to compete at the CHIO Aachen. Kendra Claricia Brinkop will now represent the German colours alongside Christian Kukuk, André Thieme and Jana Wargers at the international show-jumping competition on Thursday evening. The 29-year-old and her successful partner Tabasco de Toxandria Z were already part of the German teams that won the prestigious Nations’ Cup competitions in Rome (ITA) and La Baule (FRA) this year.