Max Kühner wins the London 2025 World Cup stage

Irishman Alan Wade was responsible for setting up the London courses and presented the 37 pairs with a number of challenges. In the end, he came up with an almost ideal result: ten pairs managed to complete the course without a knockdown. The fact that only five were able to make it into the jump-off was due to the short time available, which claimed five victims.

Donald Whitaker and his super mare Millfield Collette, with whom the Dagobertshausen-based Briton was part of the second-placed European Championship team in La Coruña in the summer, kicked things off in the jump-off. The Cornet Obolensky daughter just flew over the course – perhaps a little too far at times. Whitaker had therefore left the door wide open. The time: 35.52 seconds.

Max Kühner and his twelve-year-old Irish horse by Pacino were the next pair. Kühner had set his sights high. He had already explained after the normal course: “He has a lot of temperament and is easily influenced by this great atmosphere in London. But today he was really with me, he sort of spoke to me … I knew what he wanted and he listened to me. I had a really good feeling in this round.” So it was with this feeling that they went into the jump-off. And here, too, Cooley Jump the Q listened very carefully. Kühner caught the ideal line and the ideal distance at every single obstacle. His wiry gelding jumped carefully, efficiently and clear. The time: 33.94 seconds. New lead. Beatable? As it turned out, no.

Futile attempts

Robert Whitaker and Vermento managed to take four hundredths of a second off Kühner, but he paid for the risk with a knockdown. Cian O’Connor (IRL) and Chatolinue PS were also clear, but significantly slower at 37.24 seconds. Pénélope Leprevost (FRA) also had a knockdown with Baloubet de Talma. So it was clear: the winner of London was Max Kühner. Donald Whitaker came second and O’Connor third.

Winner in the flow

Max Kühner and Cooley Jump the Q have been a team for years. He has trained the gelding from the ground up. Accordingly, he was not only happy that he won, but above all about how:

“EIC Cooley Jump the Q was really with me today. I could feel what he wanted and he listened to me so I could ride fast and we were still always well connected… it was a really good feeling today!”

Whitaker in luck

The runner-up, Donald Whitaker, was more enthusiastic: “It’s incredible. I’ve been coming here all my life, I’ve always wanted to do this, and okay, I didn’t win, but it’s probably as good as winning! I’m absolutely thrilled. She gave it her all again and just fights for every second,” he paid tribute to his wonderful gray mare.

O’Connor with a new horse and a clear goal

Cian O’Connor was already overjoyed because he has only been riding the twelve-year-old Chatolinue PS for three months. The OS gelding, bred in Lewitz, was brought into the sport by Philip Rüping and was last ridden by the Italian Riccardo Pizzani. In September, he then became the property of O’Connor’s Karlswood Stables. O’Connor sees him as a World Championship hope for Aachen and the results prove him right. London was already the second third place in a big 1.60 meter jumping competition during their short partnership after the Trophee de Geneve in Geneva 14 days earlier.

He says: “We have a big goal next year with the World Championships, and we haven’t played many indoor tournaments yet, so I’m really, really happy with him.”

The World Cup stand

London was the sixth of 13 World Cup stages in the Western European League. Max Kühner’s victory catapulted him to the top of the rankings. He has 45 points. Two-time winner Willem Greve is hot on his heels with 40 points. European champion Richard Vogel is third with 36 points.

18 riders from the Western European League will qualify for the final, which will take place in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2026. The rule of thumb is: if you want to be in the final, you should have collected at least 40 points by Leipzig in January and then add to that.