German wins Rolex G Prix on home turf

AACHEN, Germany – Home favorite Philipp Weishaupt, riding LB Convall, thrilled the capacity 40,000 crowd to win the Rolex Grand Prix on the final day of the world famous CHIO Aachen, the highlight of the World Equestrian Festival, and the first equestrian Major of the year.

The Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping holder Scott Brash, riding Ursula XII took second place and Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya aboard Carlo 273 was third.

Under an overcast sky and humid conditions, 40 riders from 13 nations qualified for the Rolex Grand Prix, and were faced with a typically challenging course set by designer Frank Rothenberger. Rightly considered by both spectators and riders as the toughest Grand Prix in the world, the first round showed the sport of show jumping at its most challenging.

Reiterating the importance of the clock, only 13 riders completed their first round within the time allowed, but incurred jumping penalties. Three combinations jumped but picked up penalties against the clock. Separated by time faults, the first rider into the ring Weishaupt accumulated two, behind Gerco Schröder and Martin Fuchs with one.

The second round seemed like an entirely different competition with the 17 starters posting 11 clear rounds including a scintillating performance from Rolex endorser Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum riding Fibonacci 17, who also jumped double-clear during the Nations Cup competition earlier in the week, and Aachen favorite Marcus Ehning on board Pret a Tout, who was willed over every fence by the patriotic crowd.

But it was Weishaupt who turned up the pressure, with a fault-free second round leaving him in the driving seat. The atmosphere was electric as the crowds waited for the last two riders, Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs riding Clooney 51 and Gerco Schröder riding Glock’s Cognac Champblanc N.O.P. to enter the ring. But sport can be cruel, and with Fuchs’ horse refusing the final fence, and Schröder incurring four faults, Weishaupt and LB Convall were crowned the winner of the Rolex Grand Prix.