5:03 p.m.
—time for a high-flying performance. Richard Vogel and United Touch S take the stage. The Aachen crowd cheers every rider, but the stadium falls completely silent only when the Germans ride. And that’s exactly what happened here. A slight touch with the hindquarters at the triple jump. But today, Vogel is riding the stallion exactly the way he wanted to yesterday. Flawless!
And because Vogel made the mistake of revealing that he used to play the train trombone, the director sends him a motivational song for the days ahead. As if he needed it …
5:00 p.m.
: For once, McLain Ward and High Star Hero weren’t heroic today; the bar fell for the U.S., which had finished third just yesterday. Now it’s Abdel Said and Quaker Brimbelles Z’s turn, and they deliver a ride that could have won them a jump rope contest. An important clear round for Belgium!
4:58 p.m.
For anyone wondering why Scott Brash chose to bring the still relatively inexperienced Hello Mango to the World Championships out of all his top horses—this round provided the answer, which can be summed up in three letters: WOW!
With this flawless ride, they take the lead in the individual standings.
4:54 p.m.
Things are getting exciting for France! Julien Épaillard and Fringan de Vesquerie, yesterday’s winners, take to the course—and finish with eight faults. This sends him plummeting down the rankings, and Sophie Hinners moves up another spot.
4:51 p.m.
It seems that farrier James Kann Cruz had fitted Cruz with a lucky shoe, because on the final steep jump—by far the most error-prone jump of the competition—the horse wobbled. But everything stayed in place. Zero faults for the winners from Falsterbo.
4:48 p.m.
Four faults for Harrie Smolders—bad luck for him, but good news for Sophie Hinners, who moves up to third place as a result. Now James Kann Cruz is back in the saddle.
4:42 p.m.
. Back to some beautiful rides. Pergiorgio Bucci and Hantano keep Italy in the running with a flawless round. Actually, it would now be Shane Sweetnam’s turn with James Kann Cruz—another horse Sophie Hinners would have liked to ride in the individual final—but he lost a stirrup during the warm-up. So first up are Harrie Smolders and Mr. Tac for the Netherlands. Unfortunately, a steady downpour has now set in again. Nature needs it! But couldn’t this wait until Monday …?
4:37 p
.m.
The bell has already rung, but Abdullah Al Sharbatly is still at the other end of the court, apparently busy trying to get Dubai du Cedre—or Diriyah, as it’s now called—to play straight.
I don’t even want to look. Behind me, I hear my French colleagues say, “C’est horrible.” No wonder—they still know the horse from her days with Julien Épaillard. Despite her rider’s rough, uncoordinated handling, this powerful mare is giving it her all, kicking out her hind legs over every obstacle. Some in the stands are shaking their heads, while others are enthusiastically celebrating the clear round. At any rate, Alsharbatly is patting the mare on the neck for her superb performance.
4:33 p.m.
Today is the Swedes’ day! Peder Fredricson and Alcapone des Carmille deliver the team’s fourth clear round with a perfectly executed course.
4:29 p.m.
Jason Smith and the incredibly talented Picobello van’t Roosakker are the last pair representing Switzerland. They can ride without any pressure. After all, all of their teammates have already scored a clear round. That’s just as well, because the two of them knock down the very first pole—after having a “round” yesterday as well. When this horse has even one knockdown (and today, three more due to time), you can definitely say it’s not his weekend.
4:23 p.m.
Now it’s a flurry of zero-round scores. Number 42 comes from Andreas Schou and Napoli, who secure the third-best result for Denmark.
4:20 p.m.
: A Mexican fiesta in Aachen as Fernando Martinez Sommer and his KWPN gelding Joep by Otangelo cross the finish line without any faults. The fans had come prepared—anyone can wave flags, but wigs in national colors are for the advanced. But Sommer’s focus is on Joep for now; he gratefully strokes him with both hands and kisses his neck, while the gelding from the Soers trots off as if he doesn’t understand all the excitement.
4:16 p.m.
No tears for Argentina, just joy—Ignacio Maurin and Conchado ride a clear round, and Maurin breaks into a sort of tango on horseback out of joy, cheered on by the audience, who are happy to be swept up in his excitement.
4:10 p.m.
Daniel Deußer said after his ride:
“Basically, I have to say, Otello still felt good. It’s always a little funny when he enters the course like that, not showing any emotion. But once he gets going, he just gives a little more.”
The fact that he gave the spectators a brief moment of suspense right at the first obstacle doesn’t change that. “That’s just kind of his style of jumping—he lets the tips of his toes hang down a little like that. But that’s not a ‘wake-up call.’ That’s just how he jumps.”
4:06 p.m.
‘s Chris Pratt of Canada and the KWPN gelding Ideaal ES, from Edward Schep’s successful breeding program, deliver the 39th clear round.
4:00 p.m.
This is the fifth time that Norwegian rider Geir Gulliksen—a youthful 66 years old—has competed in a World Championship, and he now rides alongside his own children on the team. Things didn’t go quite as planned for him and Island V G yesterday. Today, they had only one fault—at the Sparkassen steep jump with a water mat underneath.
3:50 p.m.
Welcome back from the break for today’s final round. Charlie Bays and his colorful chestnut, Ninety Stone Pullman, kick things off for South Africa and knock a piece off the Aachen Printen—in other words, the bar falls. And so does the one on the final steep jump. Nevertheless, he and his teammates have made a good impression in Aachen, and the crowd is cheering them on.
3:25 p
.m.
You certainly can’t say that Daniel Deußer and Otello de Guldenboom are boring! But as Marcus Ehning said, “A good horse has to be allowed to make an impact, too.” In that case, Otello is one of the best horses in the field—at least in the first third of the course. Then the pair really get into their groove and bring home Germany’s third clear round.
So one thing is already certain: GERMANY IS STILL ON TRACK FOR GOLD!!!
3:21 p.m.
I had just said to Jan, “If he rides that one right, the horse won’t make a mistake,” when the last pole came down for Belgium’s European team champion Thibeau Spits and his magnificent Impress van’t Kattenheye …
3:17 p.m.
The U.S. fans in the Aachen stands are jeering. Lillie Keenan and Fasther take the field. They had a bit of luck, but in the end, the score remains 0-0 for the two of them, and the boos from the stands are ringing in their ears.
3:13 p.m.
Antoine Ermann and Floyd de Pres have half of France on the edge of their seats. With a few high-speed jumps, the pair made it to the finish line without any faults, after Willem Greve (NED) and Grandorado had previously incurred a knockdown.
3:09 p.m.
: Julio Arias Cueva and Filou du Manoir for Spain; Saudi Arabian veteran Ramzy al Duhami with Untouchable; Thodore Boris on Cazan Z for Israel, Giacomo Casadei and the distinctly waddling Marbella du Chabli for Italy—none of them made it to the finish line unscathed.
Then it was Cian O’Connor and Chatolinue PS’s turn. Things didn’t go well for the pair yesterday, but today they did. Even as he cleared the final jump, the Irishman let out a cry of triumph. His 35th clear round.
2:55 p
.m.
The defending Swedish champions follow Switzerland’s lead. Wilma Hallström—who, since her marriage to former Beerbaum stable rider Eoin McMahon, has also taken the surname McMahon—and her one-eyed superstar mare Cicci BJN deliver the team’s third clear round with the Tre Kronor on the saddlecloth. And, moreover, the 34th of the entire competition.
2:52 p.m.
Switzerland is mounting a comeback! Following Steve Guerdat and Martin Fuchs, 21-year-old Gaetan Joliat, riding Chelsea Z, delivers the third clear round for the Swiss team.
2:46 p.m
.
The entire grandstand is rooting for Luciana Diniz and Vertigo du Desert. Collective clicking of tongues, mimicking kisses, holding their breath, and exhaling in relief. And groaning as the bar falls at the Mercedes Steep, the final obstacle. Diniz has already raised her fist in triumph when she realizes the commotion from the spectators; she looks around and hides her face in her hand, which was just clenched into a fist. But then she pats Vertigo. He truly gave it his all here.
And she’s not the only one who had bad luck in the final. The same thing happened to Uma O’Neill and Luigi d’Eclipse, representing New Zealand.
2:44 p.m.
What an impressive performance by Caroline Rehoff Pedersen from Denmark, who once placed second in the Derby, here in Aachen! She rode a clear round yesterday with her horse Polonis L, and did it again today. That’s her 32nd clear round.
2:41 p.m.
Eugenio Garza Perez carefully approached every single obstacle with Contago (Cornet Obolensky again!). The reward: a scratch result for the Mexican team yesterday, and a clear round today!
2:38 p.m.
Austria continues to be plagued by bad luck. Yesterday they posted a sensational clear round; today, with twelve faults, that round is currently the team’s worst result.
2:34 p.m.
Down Under is going wild! Thomas McDermott and Oaks Ventriloquist by Vivant cross the finish line with a clear round, delivering Australia’s second clear round and its third without a fence-down. Things are going great!
2:31 p.m.
Sophie Hinners’ comments on her ride: “Iron Dames Singclair jumped great and was super focused. We were able to stick to our plan again; we intended to throw in an extra gallop stride here and there. We had a bit of luck at the DHL jump—I could even hear the crowd cheering there.”
And then she admitted that the triple wasn’t planned at all: “Actually, I had a little more space than I’d intended. My goal was to ride ten gallop strides from the steep jump to the triple. In the end, they turned out to be almost a bit too long, but he jumped fantastically. I tried to hold him back a little, especially at the steep jump. But he always jumps that so easily, especially the oxer coming out of it. All you really have to do is sit there and wait until he’s finished with it.” Sure! It’s that simple …
2:21 p.m.
No more zero-point rounds yet, but Erynn Ballard nearly fell off Fave d’Authit, after which the Canadian decided to withdraw.
2:13 p.m.
Alessia Arrigo Zazadze tries to pull off a Sophie Hinners for Turkey and has her horse Dawson take a big jump into the triple combination. But the plan backfires—the middle bar falls. Another mistake at the triple bar follows.
Anyone watching the 11-year-old Kirocco, ridden by Ricardo Benzinho Karle Da Costa for Portugal, doesn’t wonder whether horses actually enjoy jumping. You can see he’s having fun. A flawless round—a crucial one for the team!
2:05 p.m.
Welcome back to the next group. Ronnie Healy and Cornet’s Mandarino are up first for South Africa (Note to self: Be sure to count how many Cornets are jumping here!). They cross the finish line with two knockdowns and two time faults, but Healy can’t stop stroking the gelding’s neck gratefully.
1:34 p.m.
What an brilliantly ridden round by Sophie Hinners and Iron Dames Singclair!!!! Where the oxer entry into the triple combination had sapped the momentum for other pairs, Hinners opted for a slightly longer takeoff distance, landed right on the mark to the centimeter, and Singclair was able to carry the momentum all the way through. You can’t get any more perfect than that.
And for those who want to know how Singclair and Sophie found each other—we spoke with his breeder and trainer yesterday and learned, among other things, why Peder Fredricson didn’t want to keep him. Read the feature on Iron Dames’ Singclair.
1:31 p.m.
A bitter defeat for Belgium! Two turnovers by Pieter Devos and Casual …
1:30 p.m.
Top round of the World Cup Finals: Third-place finishers Katherine Dinan and Out of the Blue! A clean run for the U.S. The spectator stands are rocking!
1:23 p.m.
Four faults for France’s Olympic bronze medal-winning “Dream Team,” Olivier Perreau and his homebred horse Dorai d’Aiguilly. Shortly afterward, Olympic team champion Harry Charles of Great Britain had the same result with newcomer LT Holst Freda.
1:15 p.m.
Italy’s Emanuele Camilli and Chacareno PS record their second clear round, raising a victory fist at the finish line. Ireland’s Bertram Allen and Conquest de Rigo, on the other hand, knock down a fence as early as the second obstacle.
1:10 p.m.
: David Wills’ team from Saudi Arabia is delivering a strong performance. After the speed round, they were in tenth place; now Khaled Al Mobty and Diana du Plevau are riding a clear round, following a knockdown by Abdulrahman Alrajhi and Ventago earlier.
1:04 p.m.
: Defending champion Henrik von Eckermann has his horse “Minute Man” in top form. He may not be “King Edward,” but he, too, shares a visible bond of trust with his rider, who gives him an encouraging pat on the neck as he rides in. Their round—a masterpiece of precision and flow. Zero faults.
1:01 p.m.
Martin Fuchs and Conner Jei also had a knockdown yesterday. Today, they’re keeping us on the edge of our seats. In the 180-degree turn leading up to the Turkish Airlines oxer at number eleven, the Holsteiner starts to slide badly but manages to stay on course and demonstrates his full jumping power. He hesitates slightly over the triple bar but clears the distance. The final vertical is no problem. Clear round at the finish.
12:56 p.m.
What a feat by Marlon Modolo Zanotelli and Jana Wargers’ Dorette. Just yesterday, the pair were eliminated because they jumped over the flags at the wall instead of between them (presumably about 2 meters high). Today, the 17-year-old daughter of Dollar Du Murier once again demonstrated her full potential and more than made up for yesterday’s slip-up. Zero faults—and that after all the back-and-forth with Mansur and the association.
12:53 p.m.
And what did Marcus Ehning have to say about his ride? He was completely satisfied, even though he wobbled just a little bit at the last steep jump.
“Well, I think it was a pretty perfect round up to that point. It definitely felt amazing! We made it a little exciting at the very end, but you can’t win anything without a little luck.”
We were actually really in the zone. I might have leaned forward just a tad too much on the third-to-last element. There were a lot of mistakes on the triple bar. I think I should have had just a little more confidence at the end there. I just didn’t think we’d make another mistake right then. And then everything was maybe a touch too far forward. But a good horse has to be able to touch the bar, too.”
He has praise not only for his horse, but also for the course designer:
“I think Frank (Rothenberger) came up with a very, very good mix today, since there are still a few weaker riders out there. Tomorrow will certainly be even more challenging. There have already been a few riders with zero faults, but the steep jumps in particular are very high. A lot happens on the last one, too, so I think it’s appropriate. And when the pressure kicks in, it won’t get any easier for the last riders.”
12:50 p.m.
, Mexico is going wild!!! The spectator stands are jumping and cheering. Patricio Pasquel and Chakkalou PS crossed the finish line with just one time penalty—after Carlos Hank Guerrero and Shaq Attack had a knockdown.
12:47 p.
m.
Austria seems to be lacking that little bit of luck this week. Max Kühner had two knockdowns with EIC Cooley Jump the Q, both yesterday and today. That brings the total to four for Katharina Rhomberg and Colestus Cambridge, who have otherwise performed so exceptionally well this season that we recently featured them in a profile.
12:45 p.m
.
After Edwina Tops-Alexander completed her 19th clear round on her 16-year-old KWPN gelding Fellow Castlefield, Argentine rider Juan Bautista Pidutti Hortas and Ninvaro PS racked up a total of twelve penalties.
12:36 p.m.
You don’t win Spruce Meadows for nothing (even if it’s been a while). Sameh El Dahan and Oscar A finish the course with just four faults for Egypt.
Shortly afterward, Cornet XL also managed to guide his rider, Shaikha Latifah Ahmed Almaktoum—who was still getting used to riding—across the finish line with just one knockdown.
12:32 p.m.
A strong performance by the first Colombian rider, Roberto Teran Tafur, on Dez’ Ooktof, an 18-year-old son of Colandro, who carried his rider to the finish without a knockdown. The pair was just a bit too slow, resulting in one penalty point. A strong start for the team!
12:25 p.m.
Otto Becker’s comments on Marcus Ehning’s first ride: “The course is difficult but fair. You can tell by the number of clear rounds—you simply can’t afford any mistakes.” Naturally, he was all the more pleased that Marcus Ehning also finished with a clear round. Theoretically, “only” three riders need to finish without faults today and tomorrow, and Germany will be world champion.
12:24 p.m.
Part two of the team competition begins, starting with the teams that have only three riders competing: South Africa, Portugal, and Turkey.
The performance by Tamara Rueda and Callaho Liantos from Lisbon is definitely worth watching, and with just four faults, they’re in the clear. Duarte Seabra, riding the Westphalian Diarado gray Dourados, and Derin Demirsoy were less fortunate, with nine and five penalty points, respectively.
11:54 a.m.
Rhythmic clapping in the stands, then silence. Ehning takes the arena. A brief moment of bated breath at the two Sparkasse and Printen steep jumps. Already over them. No problems on the triple. Then the final line—everything looks good. But at the last steep jump, it gets really tight. The crowd collectively holds its breath. And what does Coolio do? He clears it with ease. Wow, Ehning!!! Hearts in mouths in the stands. Then deafening cheers. And with that, we head into the first break.
11:50 a.m.
: Laura Kraut lets Baloutinue stand still one more time. Drop the ballast again? No need—let’s go. A few seconds later, they cross the finish line clear of faults, and the noise level in the spectators’ stands swells to a level last heard on Saturday evening during the freestyle. It’s the 16th (!) clear round.
It always looks a bit wild when Nicola Philippaerts rides his spirited Katanga through a course, but once again it’s clear just how well the two of them work together: a clear round for Belgium.
11:42 a.m.
: Nina Mallevaey proves that she is not ranked number eight in the world and the top woman for nothing. She rode a flawless round for France on her Diamant de Semilly daughter, Dynastie de Beaufour. Incidentally, this 13-year-old mare is the horse Sophie Hinners would love to ride in a horse swap if the old World Championship format—in which the top four riders swap horses—were still in place.
Next up: a brief lesson in excellent show jumping from Ben Maher and Point Break, the world’s best son of the recently deceased Action-Breaker, who once impressed in this very stadium. The pair were in eighth place after yesterday’s speed jumping competition.
11:40 a.
m.
At the final obstacle, Delta Del’isle has to come to Giulia Martinengo Marquet’s rescue once again, but he navigates the steep wall with the star flawlessly, securing a clear round for Italy. Marquet looks around in disbelief and then showers Delta with effusive praise.
Things turn out differently for Ireland’s Darragh Kenny and Eddy Blue. They, too, ride clear all the way to the last obstacle on their way to the finish—but then make a mistake.
And the Dutch team also failed at the last obstacle—here, Michael Greeve and Denver. However, they also had two time penalties.
11:26 a.m.
Small in stature, big in jumping power—Spain’s Armando Trapote and his partner in crime, Tornado, are the twelfth clear-round pair after 40 rides.
Shortly thereafter, Daniel Bluman and Corbie V.V., a daughter of Cornet Obolensky, approach the double jump completely out of sync. They manage to save themselves over the first jump, but then the Israeli rider wisely takes the mare off the course and rides a volte. After that, they complete the course safely.
11:21 a.m.
: Steve Guerdat and Dynamix de Belheme delivered. The team was trailing in 13th place after the speed round. But the Olympic silver medalists from Paris ensured, with a flawless round, that they remain well in the running—at least in the individual standings—with just 0.86 penalty points so far. As they ride out, Dynamix takes a snack from the sacred turf.
And Petronella Andersson Odina van Klapscheut followed right behind her for Sweden.
11:12 a.m.
Zascha Nygaard and Patrick Stühlmeyer’s former German champion, Drako de Maugre, didn’t have the best day yesterday —they had a fall—but fortunately it was minor and happened after the finish line, where it no longer counted. Today, they delivered a fantastic clear round with plenty of drive and rhythm.
11:05 a.m.
, Jamie Winning, Kermond, Tulara, and Wat Colblensky thrill the Aussies with a round that has only one flaw: a time penalty. But José María Larocca and Finn Lente, the runners-up in the Rolex Grand Prix at the (TS)CHIO in May, run into trouble at the triple combination. It just doesn’t work out at all. Finn Lente scrambles over the takeoff but loses his rider in the process. The rider lies there briefly, probably from the shock. But with a little help, he’s able to get up and leave the course on foot. Finn Lente finds his groom at the exit and lets himself be led away obediently.
10:55 a.m.
: Kyle Timm and Casino Calvin deliver their third consecutive clear round, but Nayel Nassar and ESI Ali knock down their first pole.
10:50 a.m.
At 10:45 a.m., after a break, the team riders will continue in reverse order based on the results from the speed class. This means the Germans are last in all groups. The first two pairs have crossed the finish line, both with clear rounds. It doesn’t look like there will be much to separate the field. They were Jaroslaw Skrzyczynski on Komboy for Poland and Johan-Sebastian Gulliksen on Harwich VDL for Norway.
The Course
Course
designer Frank Rothenberger has arranged 13 obstacles with 16 jumps along the 560-meter course for the first round of the Nations Cup in the World Championship team competition. The maximum height is 1.65 meters (details on the course layout can be found here). Ludger Beerbaum described the course as challenging but fair, and initial impressions from the rides of the first 25 individual riders confirm his assessment. In fact, it’s very fair, judging by the results of the first 25 rides.
The First Rides
The individual riders kicked things off and delivered four clear rounds. The first of the day came from former world-class vaulting athlete Alexa Stais, who used to compete for her home country of South Africa and now rides for Cyprus. She is competing in Aachen with Cornflake CR, an 11-year-old son of Cascadello. Also riding clear rounds were Anastasia Nielsen of Monaco on ESI Rocky—who has previously won Global Champions Tour Grand Prix events— as well as Jordan’s Ibrahim Hani Bisharat on the 10-year-old KWPN stallion Lesther and Hungary’s Anna Simicska, who delivered a dream performance on the Holsteiner stallion Kansas by Kannan.
There weren’t any bad jumps. The ground seems to have held up exceptionally well in the rain. The mistakes were spread evenly throughout the course, though riders fell a bit more frequently on the final steep jump, which leads directly to the finish.
It’s great to see: Not only are there more nations represented than ever before, but those who are here are also making a positive impression. Take Dominika Gaalova from Slovakia, for example, who finished the course with her 10-year-old gray horse, Quarz du Coeur des Collines, with one knockdown and six time penalties. Where the rider misjudged the distance, the gray horse came to her rescue with tremendous ability and great courage. As the pair crossed the finish line, they cantered out calmly. The rider pulled a treat out of her pocket, gave it to Quarz, and then the gray walked off the course with a look of complete satisfaction on his face. Whenever it became clear that a horse was being pushed too hard, the riders were wise enough to give up in time.
