Elmlohe: Bernadette Brune and San to Alati Qualify for the Final of the Nuremberg Burg Cup

Bernadette Brune and San to Alati FRH secured their spot in the finals of the 2026 Nuremberg Burg-Pokal in Elmlohe. The dark chestnut Hanoverian got off to a strong start with a trot sequence characterized by fluidity and elasticity. At a walk, the Secret son moved well. In collected walk, he appeared balanced and maintained a steady rhythm. The first walk pirouette was nearly textbook-perfect; in the second, the stallion briefly veered off course.

San to Alati – so flexible

Particularly noteworthy: Throughout the entire test, the stallion barely swished his tail even once. During the right-hand canter pirouette—which could have used a bit more bend—the Hanoverian briefly stiffened his back. The left-hand pirouette was more fluid, though slightly larger in scope. The stallion seemed to “steal” a change between the two traverses at a canter from his rider, arriving slightly ahead of the mark. In the four-jump flying changes, the horse maintained a straight body. However, one would have liked to see him a bit more secure on the line.

For a fraction of a gallop stride, San to Alati nearly veered off course on the short side while galloping, but quickly returned to his rider. The triple changes were straight, dynamic, and precisely on the line. The pair also executed one of the core—and at the same time most challenging—elements of the test—holding on the center line followed by a turn-in and transition to medium trot—with exceptional confidence and fluidity. With a score of 74.415 percent, Bernadette Brune secured victory in Elmlohe with this ride and a spot in the final.

Haase’s Highlights

Franziska Haase, who placed second, presented her horse Alissimo by Asgard’s Ibiza with freshness and verve. The performance featured several highlights. The flowing, well-crossed trot half-passes, the canter pirouettes, the confident and perfectly straight series of changes to four or three canter strides… A ride that, had the field been less competitive—there were several high-potential horses competing in Elmlohe—would certainly have deserved a gold ribbon (73.951). The same actually applies to the pair in third place: Laura Strobel and Füchtels Highlight OLD by Floriscount, who finished three points behind Haase. They executed the lively gaits with dynamism, both on the straight and in the lateral movements, and performed the technical exercises with precision (73.805).

Schneider and First Romance: 74.2 percent

Things had been a bit quiet around First Romance for quite some time. Now the horse from Baden-Württemberg is back. Riding with Dorothee Schneider, he won the Grand Prix Special (74.235) in commanding fashion. A slight wobble in the 15 single changes prevented an even higher score—for now. The pair had also led the field during the victory lap in Kranichstein. Another son of Fürst Romancier, Fürst Enno, took second place (72.569) under Juliane Brunkhorst.

Piaff Award Presented to Pia-Carlotta Gagel

Pia-Carlotta Gagel stood out from the competition with similar confidence in the Piaff Development Award. Her horse, Riccio, performed by far the best piaffs of the competition, with some very fluid transitions into the passage. The two-time changes were also a highlight of the performance. The reward: 72.737 percent and a clear victory.

Elisabeth von Wulffen took second place riding Triple A, a son of Totilas. The pair scored 71.658. Riding Vis a vis, the 2025 U25 European Team Champion placed third (71.184).

Results from Elmlohe