On the way to Tokyo: Michael Jung and Chipmunk
A wonderful cross-country day in glorious sunshine - the Olympic and European Championship qualifier on the grounds of the Baden-Wuerttemberg Main and County Stud could not have ended more beautifully.
The man from the Black Forest must have a built-in clock. 6:28 minutes was the so-called best time for the cross-country course designed by Rüdiger Schwarz, after 6:25 minutes fischerChipmunk FRH cantered over the finish line under Michael Jung.
The overall result: 27.7 minus points. He also rode the ten-year-old Highlighter among the placers - 17th place. And finally, he had a third iron in the CCI4* fire. And some will rub their eyes in surprise - Michael Jung with a horse at the very end of the results list under "Eliminated", i.e. eliminated. The reason: The rider from the Black Forest with the extraordinary sense of time had simply skipped an obstacle. Something like that happens to the best. And for a man whose program in recent weeks has included victory in the three-star eventing in Radolfzell, his own wedding, victory in the prestigious Badenia in Mannheim - in the jumping saddle, mind you - and finally the rides in Marbach, a tiny moment of lack of concentration can happen.
Sandra Auffarth, who like Jung is a member of the championship squad and a candidate for a ticket to Tokyo - fourth after dressage and clear in the jumping - also "cracked it" and needed 6:33 minutes with Viamant du Matz for the three-kilometer ride with 28 jumps. Two penalties for exceeding the time limit meant a final score of 28.7 points and second place for the professional rider from Ganderkesee. She also took fifth place with Let's Dance, the 14-year-old Holstein mare.
Speaking of the professional riders: The championship of the German professional riders in the eventing saddle was also held during the CCI4*-S and therefore Michael Jung is also champion of the professionals - by the way for the seventh time!- and Sandra Auffarth vice-championesse. Championship bronze went to Dirk Schrade, a native of Gomadingen, who was in 28th place after the dressage with the Holsteiner Casino and took sixth place in the overall classification. With only 3.2 time penalties, his cross-country result was the ninth best. Apart from Michael Jung, only the Austrian rider Lea Siegl remained without a time fault with DSP Fighting Line, a 14-year-old son of the thoroughbred Ostermond bred in Bavaria. Behind her was the Australian Andrew Hoy, who lives in England, with the Anglo-Arabian Vassily De Lassos, also with an excellent cross-country result of only 0.8 time penalties.
European Champion Ingrid Klimke, another contender for a ticket to Tokyo, also remained without any obstacle faults in the cross-country. With her 17-year-old, experienced top horse SAP Hale Bob OLD, with whom she had taken second place after dressage, but who dropped the poles twice in the sand in the course, she finished in eighth place. And Ingrid Klimke for second: In the saddle of the mare Equistros Siena Just do it - twelfth place after dressage, clear round in the course - she finished ninth.
The competition went unhappily for the Belgian Karin Donckers, who has competed at every Olympic Games since 1992 in Barcelona. Her 15-year-old mare Grandioz, with whom the experienced rider won the CCI3*-S in Barocco d'Alva last December, injured herself when landing after jump 23, the Marbach Arch. The rider noticed this and got off the horse, which was clearly lame, immediately treated by a veterinarian and taken to a nearby clinic for further clarification and treatment. After dressage and jumping, the pair had been in 18th place.
Some more statistics: 84 pairs originally competed in the CCI4*-S, 70 were able to finish the competition. Of the 14 who did not finish, three had already dropped out in the show jumping, seven had withdrawn before the start to the cross-country, three gave up on the way and only one had to drop out. And so the cross-country course director, Rüdiger Schwarz, was also highly satisfied: "The obstacles had the real four-star dimensions, but the technical level of difficulty was not exhausted, so it was a friendly, motivating test. This proved to be just right, as many horses have only had one opportunity to start so far this season," said the long-time former national trainer of the youth eventers.
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Source: International Marbach Eventing press release
