CHI Al Shaqab: Success for Carl Hester in the Grand Prix, Friday's main jumping competition with second place for Janne Meyer-Zimmermann

Team silver and seventh place in the Grand Prix Freestyle – those were the last competition pictures we saw of Fame and Hester. But the now 16-year-old Bordeaux son has not forgotten anything, it seems. They set the best mark in the 13-strong starting field with 75.848 percent. All five judges saw Carl Hester and the bay KWPN gelding in first place.

The Grand Prix of Carl Hester and Fame

Incidentally, it was Fame’s first ever appearance outside Europe. He looked fresh and focused. However, the gelding is always tight in the poll and one wished for more frame, both in the extensions and in all the movements. On the brown’s plus side were supple traversals, a better swing through the body in the trot extensions than we have seen from the gelding before, and his powerful passage.

The halt prior to backing up was successful, but not closed. The gelding tilts significantly when backing up. Fame uses the strong walk to take a closer look at his surroundings here in the large arena in Doha. Here we wish he would drop his neck from the withers even more. The canter is confident and supple. Only at the beginning of the single changes does it seem as if there is tension. But then Fame and his rider get into the flow and they succeed without mistakes.

Sandra Sysojeva (POL) and her mare Maxima Bella secured second place with 74.283 percent, followed by Nadja Aaboe Sloth for Denmark with Favour Gersdorf and a score of 72.565 percent.

German riders also competed in the test. Evelyn Eger and the twelve-year-old mare Dancing Darkness by Dancier scored 68.392 percent. That meant seventh place. Leonie Laugks and her 20-year-old Sternenwanderer received 66.543 percent, eleventh place.

Janne performs with High Level

The most important event in the course on Friday was a time trial over 1.50 meters. There was no getting past Belgian rider Pieter Devos. In the saddle on Jarina J, he secured victory with a clear round in 59.58 seconds.

Janne-Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann and High Level were delighted with second place. The eleven-year-old mare by Livello seems to feel at home in Doha. She has been there since the beginning of the year and has only allowed herself a total of three faults in eleven rounds of the course. This was not the case on Friday evening, she remained clear. 59.72 seconds was the second-fastest round of the 33-strong starting field.

Khaled Almobty took third place for Saudi Arabia with Spacecake thanks to a clear round in 59.82 seconds.

The two other German pairs in this test also finished in the top ten. Christian Ahlmann and the eight-year-old Diamant de Semilly son Diamantino came fourth, followed by Hans-Dieter Dreher with Vestmalle des Cotis.

The results of the CHI Al Shaqab can be found here.