Second to fourth place at Strzegom Open II for Krajewski, Hansen-Hotopp and Wahler in CCI4*-S
German championship riders performed well in Strzegom, only the victories went to other nations
from Jan Tönjes 
Julia Krajewski and Nickel, here at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, completed their first 4* competition this year. And she was not the only German champion rider at the Strzegom Open II. Photo: sportfotos-lafrentz.de New Zealander Jesse Campbell has won the CCI4*-L, the most difficult competition at the Spring Open II in Strzegom, Poland. The widower, whose wife Georgie died in 2024 after a fall in Bicton, England, had led after the dressage with the Irish gelding Speedwell (25.5). In the cross-country, the pair remained four seconds above the ideal time, meaning that the French veteran Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe were ahead of them. After the 13-year-old, in whose saddle Nicolas Touzaint had won the team silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris, dropped a clear round by Speedwell in the show jumping course, Jesse Campbell could no longer be denied victory (27.1).
Julia Krajewski and Ero de Cantraie: End of the road
The field comprised 25 starters, including two from Germany: Pauline Knorr finished in 14th place with Aevolet M-A-F by Abke-Heraldik xx after a 33.8 dressage test and eleven penalty points after the cross-country as well as a throw-off and 0.8 time faults.
Julia Krajewski rode Ero de Cantraie at CCI4*-L level for the first time since November 2023. After finishing fourth in the dressage, the pair had to give up in the cross-country.
CCI4*-S: Five Germans in the top 10
Things went better for the Olympic champion in the CCI4*-S. With the Irish rider Tullabeg Platinum, she was only beaten by the New Zealander Samatha Lissington, who lives in England. Her Diarado daughter Delarado had worked her way up from seventh place after the dressage (30.2) to second place after the cross-country and also kept a clean sheet in the show jumping.
The twelve-year-old Irish rider by Krajewski, Tullabeg Platinum, incidentally a grandson of the Holstein Cornet Obolensky sire Clinton, was eighth after the dressage on the cross-country course and finished with 1.2 time faults. The pair remained clear in the show jumping.
Bad luck for Quidditch
Malin Hansen-Hotopp would certainly have wished for the same outcome in the Quidditch course. The 2025 European team champion was in the lead after dressage (25.5) and cross-country (27.9). But a knockdown meant she finished Strzegom in third place (31.9).
Another grey horse with a German champion rider in the saddle came fourth: Christoph Wahler’s intensive efforts to convey the German understanding of dressage to the French rider Gainsbourg de Bedon bore fruit: The Mylord Carthago son was fourth after the dressage arena (29.1). In the cross-country, the still comparatively young combination remained eleven seconds above the time and also finished the test with this result (33.5) after a clear round.
Two siblings in sixth and seventh place
Belgian rider Lara de Liederkerke followed behind Wahler with a special performance: she rode two half-siblings, Kiarado d’Arville by Diarado and Hooney d’Arville by Vigo d’Arsouilles – the latter Luhmühlen winner in 2024 – to sixth and seventh place. Their dam, Nooney Blue, was Lara’s first international championship horse – from the Junior Tour to the World Championships in Kentucky in 2010.
Nickel in eighth place
A knockdown in the course thwarted a possible fourth place for Julia Krajewski and Nickel (36.5). They were third after the dressage (26.5), but six time faults were added in the cross-country. With Maoin Hotopp-Hansen/Callfield (43.3/11th), Antonia Baumghart/Ris de Talm (47.1/12th) and Anna Siemer/Grazia (49.8/14th), eight participants from Germany finished among the 15 best. A total of 40 combinations competed.
Various pairs from Germany performed well in other competitions up to CCCI3* level.
Results overview Strzegom Spring Open II 2026
