The CSI2* Grand Prix today was the crowning glory of the tournament weekend in Ocala, which national coach Otto Becker is unlikely to forget in a hurry. 27 pairs were on the starting list for the 1.45 meter jumping competition with jump-off. Richard Vogel was the only German. He took the opportunity to give the Witt family’s nine-year-old Holstein stallion Cardentos another taste of competition. The two have been a team on the course for almost exactly four weeks. Ocala was the third show weekend for the pair, and they took their fourth win together.
1.5 seconds ahead
Eight pairs had made it into the jump-off, six of which remained penalty-free for a second time. But whether with or without a knockdown – no one would have come close to Vogel or Cardentos’ time anyway. With a time of 35.46 seconds, the pair took a full one and a half seconds off the next placed pair.
The pair after them were US rider Samantha Schaefer and James Bond HX, who crossed the finish line after a penalty-free 36.96 seconds. The “HX” in the name of the twelve-year-old Darco grandson by Douglas stands for Stal Hendrix as the breeder.
In third place was another rider from Europe with a young horse: Nicola Philippaerts with the nine-year-old Bamako de Muze son Rolex ter Leydonck. It was also the fourth top three placing for the pair this spring in Florida at the events in Ocala and Wellington.
This means that the German show jumpers won both Grand Prix and the League of Nations stage this weekend in Ocala.
You can find all the results here.
