Eventing

Aachen was always a top venue for him, as winner of the SAP-Cup his name is eternalised on the legendary winners’ board twice. On Saturday afternoon the Riding Master, Ingrid Klimke, officially retired her partner in success, Hale Bob OLD, from the sport at the CHIO Aachen 2023.

There couldn’t have been a more fitting setting: The best of the SAP-Cup of the CHIO Aachen 2023 lined the way as one of the stars of their sport entered the Holy Grass of the Aachen Soers one last time: SAP Hale Bob. Led by his long-standing rider Ingrid Klimke and his groom Carmen Thiemann, the 19-year-old gelding returned to the venue where he had always been so successful in his career. His name is eternalised twice on the legendary CHIO Aachen winners’ board. In 2017 and 2019 he carried his rider to the victory in the SAP-Cup. And the accomplishments the pair have notched up at international championships in the course of their joint career is long since equestrian sport history: Ingrid Klimke thanks “Bobby” for the first individual title in her career: In 2017 the pair claimed the European Championships title in Strzegom, Poland. Two years previous to that they made their championship debut at Blair Castle, Scotland: Team gold, fifth in the individual classification. In 2016 they flew to Rio de Janeiro. The silver medal with the team at the Olympic Games was followed by individual bronze in 2018 at the World Championships in Tryon (USA). Then, at the European Championships in Luhmühlen in 2019: Double gold! The pair picked up their last medal in 2021 at the European Championships in Avenches (SUI). Aged 17 at the time, “Bobby” finishing fifth in the overall ranking, the pair greatly contributed towards the German team picking up the silver medal.

After 70 international eventing competitions, that Hale Bob OLD has competed for Klimke’s yard, the end of his sporting career came to an end earlier than expected. At the test event for the World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy last year, he sustained an injury on the cross-country track and never returned to the sport. But a horse of his calibre can’t retire from the sport without a fitting ceremony. And that is what happened on Saturday afternoon in Aachen’s Main Stadium. With his ears pricked, “Bobby” listened to the speech of his long-time rider, who described him as being her biggest tutor. “Thank you Bobby, for all the unforgettable moments, that you have bestowed upon us,” stated Ingrid Klimke, whilst her former top horse chomped happily away on a carrot that Henrike Paetz, Director Strategic Global Sponsorships SAP, had brought along for him. And then he paced out of the arena to the thunderous applause of Aachen’s crowd. He is on his way back to the spacious fields in Münsterland, where he will enjoy his well-deserved retirement with the rest of his four-legged friends. Take care “Bobby“.

Excitement pure through to the very last rider in the SAP-Cup 2023! Who is going to win –USA, Germany or Great Britain? The concluding phase, the cross-country course, was the decider at the CHIO Aachen 2023. Ultimately, Germany won the team classification and Yasmin Ingham (GBR) was celebrated as the individual winner.

The team of the chef d’équipe, Peter Thomsen, finished first on an overall score of 104.9 minus points, ahead of the USA (108.2) and Great Britain (136.6). It was an open race between the three teams up until the last rider. The USA were in the lead, but only with a few time faults in hand. Will Coleman and Off the Record, the winners of the individual classification in 2021, were the last to go for the US team. They were doing really well until the Turkish Airlines Complex, where they had a run-out, dashing the dreams of the American team’s first victory at the Soers.

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH then set off on track. Will Coleman’s 20 minus points had put Germany in the lead. Malin Hansen-Hotopp with Carlitos Quidditch, Christoph Wahler with Carjatan S and Sandra Auffarth with Viamant du Matz all rode home clear, but had picked up time faults. None of the pairs had managed to stay within the time until then. But Jung and Chipmunk had to come as close to the best time as possible if they wanted to defend their lead against the Brits. Provided that the last rider of the British team, Tom McEwen with JL Dublin delivered the expected result.

Michael Jung and Chipmunk put in an immaculate round: 2.8 time faults, the third best cross result after Christoph Wahler with Carjatan S and Yasmin Ingham with Banzai du Loir, who had each only collected 1.6 penalty points for the time. Now it was down to Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. To cut a long story short: The Brits’ dream of winning also ended with a run-out at the Turkish Airlines Complex.

That meant not only the victory of the German team was certain, Yasmin Ingham was also confirmed as the individual winner. Because Tom McEwen and his Holstein-bred Diarado son – whom he claims is “possibly even more amazing” than his team Olympic gold medallist and individual silver medallist horse, Toledo de Kerser – had been the overnight leader after the dressage and jumping.

It was the first performance of the World Champion pair, Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Lour, here at the CHIO Aachen – and they claimed the victory straight away! “I am pretty speechless. I am very glad to be here representing my country. I am very lucky to be here riding.“ And obviously she is even luckier with her horse. “My amazing horse did everything right. His performance in each phase was immaculate. He did brilliantly in the dressage, there are a few areas I can still polish up, a few marks to grasp, but overall he performed brilliantly. I could have kicked myself after the show jumping. I rode too slowly, didn’t canter enough, I couldn’t fault him, but I was a bit frustrated with myself. I channelled that frustration so that I would impress in the cross.” And she certainly did that. Finishing on a total score of 27.1 minus points, she had a 0.10 lead over Michael Jung. Third place on a score of 33.7 went to the US American winner from Kentucky, Tamra Smith with Mai Baum, ahead of Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S, who worked his way up the ranking list to 22nd place thanks to a fantastic performance in the cross-country.

Michael Jung summarised his impressions of the cross-country course that was, as always, designed by Rüdiger Schwarz as follows: “The course was nice to ride, but the faster you ride the more risk you take which can lead to mistakes.“ Which was incidentally how both Will Coleman and Tom McEwen explained their run-outs. All in all, the riders were unanimous that the course had been fair, but demanding.

In the run-up to the competition, EquiRatings had drawn up statistics, which prove that this year’s field of participants at the CHIO regarding the previous performances of the horses was the strongest CCI4*-S line-up since the start of the recordings in the year 2015. According to the same statistics, Michael Jung and Chipmunk were the favourites to win, followed by Mai Baum with Tamie Smith and Banzai du Loir with Yasmin Ingham – all of whom ultimately came under the top three.

It promises to be an extremely exciting day tomorrow in the cross-country competition of the SAP-Cup. After the dressage and jumping, the British team Olympic gold medallist, Tom McEwen, is heading the field – but Michael Jung is close at his heels. The British team is also in the lead, ahead of Germany.

The jumping test alone completely shook up the rankings in the SAP-Cup after the dressage. Tom McEwen and his Holstein-bred JL Dublin had achieved the second best dressage result (24.3 minus points) and added no faults to their score in the show jumping. They have their team colleague, the World Champion gold medallists, Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir to thank for the fact that they are lying in first place prior to the cross-country, because after heading the field after the dressage on a score of 23.5 minus points, Ingham and her 12-year-old French chestnut gelding picked up 2 time faults in the ring, which brought their total up to 25.5 minus points, which is currently third place in the individual classification.

Not only Ingham’s fellow countryman, but also Michael Jung profited from Ingham’s time faults. He and his top horse,  fischerChipmunk FRH, are currently in second place, with only one tenth of a point separating them from McEwen and JL Dublin.

The Brits also rank first in the team classification on a total score of 80.8 minus points. In addition to McEwen and Ingham, Kirsty Chabert with Classic IV (31 minus points/11^th) and Gemma Stevens with Flash Cooley (35 minus points/22^nd) are flying the flag of the CHIO partner country.

Germany (89.1) and New Zealand (90.3) follow in second and third place respectively. Germany’s team comprises of Michael Jung, last year’s winners Sandra Auffarth with Viamant du Matz (31.1 minus points/12^th), Christoph Wahler with Carjatan S (33.60 minus points/19^th) and Malin Hansen-Hotopp with Carlitos Quidditch K (36.90 minus points/24^th).

Tim Price with Falco (26 minus points/4^th), Caroline Powell with Greenacres Special Cavalier (31.90 minus points/13^th), Jonelle Price with McClaren (32.40/17^th) and Clarke Johnstone with Menlo Park (37.10 minus points/26^th) are representing New Zealand this weekend and their team is currently in third place.