Laura Kraut (USA) and Emeraldo won’t forget the Prize of StädteRegion Aachen in memory of Landrat Hermann-Josef Pütz 2025 in a hurry. And not only because they won it.

Just as the US American team Olympic gold medallist of 2008 and two-time team silver medallist, Laura Kraut, approached the first obstacle with her aspiring youngster, Emeraldo, in the Prize of StädteRegion Aachen, it started raining cats and dogs. The pair didn’t let themselves get put off, they not only jumped clear, but also finished the course at the speed of lightning. The clocked stopped at 31.98 seconds – the new best time. “After leaving the arena, I joked that I had only ridden so fast, because I wanted to get out of the ring,” Kraut said, laughing again as she got ready for the prize-giving ceremony – dry again in the meantime.

The class was interrupted after that until the weather had calmed down again. But today nobody else was faster than Kraut and Emeraldo fleeing from the rain. Second place went to the Netherlands, to Kevin Jochems and Prada di Costa M (32.40). Just nine hundredths of a second behind them was Richard Vogel. Under the top three again, this time with the Zirocco Blue son, Levi Noesar, whom he won the Sparkassen-Youngsters-Cup with last year.

Asked about her nine-year-old winning horse, Laura Kraut raved: “He is simply wonderful! Every time I jump him, he tries to do everything right. He simply has a remarkable attitude towards everything – including thunderstorms, as I now know,” she laughed. The pair still have plenty on their agenda this week. On Friday, the Emerald son is due to compete in the RWE Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia. It will be his first 1.60-metre class.