The home side came out on top in Luhmühlen CCI4*, presented by DHL, this morning, when Ingrid Klimke showjumped clear to keep first place.
The showjumping time of 88 seconds proved tight, but Ingrid rode in her customary forward style without a trace off nerves to finish fault-free on Madeleine Winter-Schulze and the Germany Olympic equestrian committee’s FRH Escada JS.
“She’s the best horse I’ve ever had and tries so hard,” said Ingrid. “At Badminton I was thrilled for William [Fox-Pitt, who won while Ingrid was second] because he had his whole gang and I only had five people — here I have everyone, so to win Luhmühlen means more to me.”
The top five all showjumped clear to hold their places. Jonelle Price took second for New Zealand on Faerie Dianimo, Germany’s Michael Jung (La Biosthetique-Sam FBW) was third, with Christopher Burton (Graf Liberty) fourth for Australia and Kiwi Mark Todd fifth on NZB Campino.
“It’s extraordinary how good the top ones are — lower down you saw jumping and time-faults, but then the leading ones all come out and jump clear and it’s nice to be one of them,” said Jonelle.
New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell, sixth overnight, had an expensive round with Kaapachino, taking out fence eight and all three parts of the treble at 10. He also had five time-faults to fall 10 places to 16th.
Things also didn’t go quite to plan for Britain’s Coral Keen, who dropped from 11th after cross-country to 17th. Riding Total Equestrian Construction and her father Steve’s Wellshead Fare Opposition, she lowered fences 4b, eight, nine and 10c.
Nicky Roncoroni (video interview below) finished best of the British — she put in the first clear in the time today with her mother Janey’s Stonedge to move up from 17th to 12th.
“I walked the track and thought it was the biggest course I’d ever seen at a horse trials, but he jumped his socks off,” she said.
Willa Newton also cleared all the fences with her father Joey’s Newmarket Vasco One and her four time-faults still allowed her to rise two places to 13th.
“It’s a bit frustrating to have the time-faults, but he jumped really well,” said Willa.
Britain’s Emily Lochore was first into the arena today for Britain and had just one time-fault on Hexmaleys Hayday, moving up a place to 24th.
Full report from Luhmühlen in the magazine this week, out Thursday, 25 June.
