‘COLERO’ gave his rider, Switzerland’s Felix Vogg a tremendous birthday present – the first five-star victory of his career! Just like the cross-country course, the show jumping of the Longines CCI5*-L proved to be very influential. Only the top two riders stayed clear and within the time allowed. With a very fresh and smooth round, Felix Vogg (SUI) and ‘Colero’ held onto their dressage score of 29.0 points. Kirsty Chabert (GBR) and Jonelle Price (NZL) completed the podium.
It was Felix Vogg’s week. He laid the foundation for Sunday’s win on Friday with a super dressage test, which was rewarded with 29.0 points. Vogg and ‘Colero’ then mastered the demanding cross-country and show jumping courses clear within the time.
A brilliant dressage test on day one had put British rider Bubby Upton with ‘Cannavaro’ into the lead (24.9), which she maintained after the second day. At that stage, Lauren Nicholson (USA) and ‘Vermiculus’ were in second place (26.7), closely followed by Tim Price (NZL) and ‘Vitali’ (27.1).
23-year-old British rider Upton was over the moon with ‘Cannavaro’s’ performance: “I’m so proud of him, he has struggled so much with the dressage, but he has the biggest heart and tries ever so hard. He is the gift that keeps on giving.”
Due to a fast and clear cross-country round, Vogg went into Sunday’s final jumping competition with his dressage score of 29.0 points. With 29.1 points, Tim Price (NZL) and ‘Vitali’ were hot on his heels in second place. Followed by Oliver Townend and ‘Dreamliner’ with 29.6 points.
Mike Etherington-Smith’s demanding cross-country course shook up the leaderboard. In total, nine horse-rider combinations managed to stay clear and within the time allowed.
Felix Vogg, was over the moon after his round: “He went really well. He’s not a Thoroughbred, so he sometimes needs to be reminded that we need to keep going. He listened to me all the way round and I couldn’t have asked for a better effort. My goal for the season was to be among the top five here in Luhmühlen – and now I’d obviously really like to win.”
Tim Price was also full of praise for his horse’s round: “‘Vitali’ was super. He’s so talented and even though he does notice the crowd and can be a little impressed by the atmosphere, he’s still focused on the questions and always alert and attentive, which is exactly what I’m looking for in a horse.”
Oliver Townend and ‘Dreamliner’ had the the fastest cross-country round of the day (10:48) and completed
the podium ahead of the final day: “’Dreamliner’ is maybe not the most athletic horse, but has a really great attitude, he’s so genuine and always wants to stay inside the flags. I’m so fortunate to be riding him.”
Swiss rider Vogg proved to have nerves of steel: “When I rode into the (show jumping) arena, I just focused on keeping calm and tried to blank out everything else. That took the pressure off me and also off the horse, which was important. Even with a pole, the result would have been a personal highlight. He can jump fantastically and he showed that today.”
In the award ceremony, the 32-year-old thanked everyone who contributed to his win: “Many thanks to the audience, the horse’s breeders and the organisers. This victory is extraordinary for me!”
Kirsty Chabert was the only other rider to finish the Longines CCC5*-L on her dressage score – her biggest achievement so far: “‘Classic’ has been fantastic this whole week. She gave me a phenomenal round cross-country and she’s a very, very good jumper. It’s a team effort and we go out of our way to keep her in her happy place and then she rewards us by going above and beyond.”
Jonelle Price’s week was off to a rocky start: “I was a little frustrated with our dressage result. ‘Faerie’ is brilliant but also a right little madam. It’s her fourth time in Luhmühlen and she’s already 17, so you’d think she knows her job but the dressage was hard work, we had a few mistakes and during today’s prize giving I couldn’t
help but think ‘what if…’. On the other hand, she gave me lovely rides in the cross-country and show jumping phases and she’s always trying to do the right thing. She’s an incredible nice little mare and deserved a podium finish. She’s also quite pretentious, so I’m sure she enjoyed the prize giving today and thinks she has won.”
Highlight for Jung
Meanwhile, Michael Jung won the CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy and the German Championship at Luhmühlen with ‘Highlighter’. Silver went to Dirk Schrade, bronze to Sandra Auffarth.
Michael Jung (GER) was the only rider to finish on his dressage score of 25.6 points. He could even have afforded a rail in the show jumping phase without jeopardising his lead, but Jung kept his cool and finished the competition with an excellent clear round.
“I am overjoyed. ‘Highlighter’ has come a long way. To win the German Championship title with him now means a lot to me. He has been going strong all season and I am so proud of him. He has done so well all week and wasn’t fazed by the enormous crowd at all. He’s so cool,” said Jung.
The runners-up of the CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy, Dirk Schrade and ‘Casino’ also had a great week. Schrade could not afford a single time fault, a fact he managed to ignore before he went into the ring: “’Casino’ is simply a great jumper. I was a little worried that he would be impressed by the atmosphere because there were so many spectators on site, but he jumped really well, and was absolutely focused on his job.”
Sandra Auffarth was also very pleased with her nine-year-old ‘Rosveel’, who was only competing in his second four-star season.
Dressage
German rider Hanna Knüppel took the lead after the first dressage day in the CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy. William Coleman (USA) and Vanessa Bölting (GER) were in second and third place.
Knüppel’s performance with the nine-year-old ‘GEKE Equigrip’s Levinio’ was rewarded with strong applause. The 25-year-old scored 27.0 points and thus led the starting field after the first dressage day.
Knüppel was very happy with her horse’s performance: “He presented himself so well today and really seemed to soak up the atmosphere here in the big arena.”
Chef d’Equipe Peter Thomsen was very pleased with the performances of his protégés: “I am thrilled that three up-and-coming German riders did so well today. They made perfect use of the stage that was set for them today.”
For a long time, it looked as if no one would come close to the excellent performance of the first starters of the day, William Coleman (USA) and ‘Off The Record’. With 28.2 points, the pair lay in second place at the end of the first day. In third place with 28.6 points was another German rider; Vanessa Bölting and ‘Ready to go W’ secured a super starting position for the following days.
With an expressive dressage performance on day two, William Coleman and ‘Chin Tonic HS’ took the lead in the CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy with a score of just 24.6 points. The two German riders, Michael Jung with ‘Highlighter’ (25.6) and Dirk Schrade with ‘Casino’ (26.4) were in second and third place respectively.
On a day that promised exciting sport, Coleman succeeded best in convincing the jury with his 10-year-old Holsteiner ‘Chin Tonic HS’. The audience agreed and celebrated with thunderous applause.
Coleman was very pleased with the result: “My horse went in the ring and gave me a really honest effort. He’s still a little green and can be affected by the atmosphere. That’s why we brought him here, it’s all part of the education. He was very attentive and kept listening, that way he was able to show his quality.”
Multi-champion Michael Jung once again managed to secure an excellent starting position before cross-country day. He was close on Coleman’s heels by just one point.
Jung said: “That was not our best dressage, but I am still very happy. My horse is getting better and better overall, so I am still pleased with our test. I set myself a target of 25 points and we just about managed that.”
The dressage podium of the CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy was completed by Dirk Schrade and ‘Casino’.
Michael Jung on course for gold
Following the cross-country, Michael Jung (GER) and ‘Highlighter’ were in the lead with 25.6 points. Jérôme Robiné (GER) with ‘Black Ice’ (29.0) and Dirk Schrade (GER) with ‘Casino’ (29.6) were in second and third place.
Michael Jung was one of only three riders who managed to stay clear within the time allowed: “’Highlighter’ did a great job. He is super fit and we were able to keep up our pace before and over the jumps, that’s how we stayed within the time, which was quite difficult today. He’s so fit that the heat didn’t get to him at all. The cross-country course was super, the ground was really well prepared.”
With another fast round and only two added time faults, Jérôme Robiné and ‘Black Ice’ worked their way up the leaderboard into second place: “The last competitions went very well for us, but I still wouldn’t have expected to be in second place after the cross-country. The course was quite intense, with a lot of questions and I had to make sure to keep him balanced. Now I’m obviously very pleased.”
Dirk Schrade and ‘Casino’ only added 3.2 points to their dressage score and were in third place.
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