It marked the second day in a row that Germany claimed top spot in the WEC Grand Arena following Andre Thieme’s victory in Thursday evening’s $350,000 J.P. Morgan Grand Prix CSIO5*-LLN.

Held in a format that saw the top 10 riders from the opening round return for the “winning round,” jumping clear didn’t automatically guarantee qualification. Twelve clear rounds had already been posted by the mid-way break, and another five went clear in the second half, making time the determining factor over the track set by Irish course designer Alan Wade.

The top 10 came forward based on reverse order of standing in the opening round. As the second rider to return, Marie Demonte (FRA) was clear in a time of 38.89 seconds riding Epona du Quesnoy, a 12-year-old Selle Français mare (Ogrion des Champs HN x Nabab de Reve) owned by Haras de Gabkcal, to move to the top of the leaderboard.

Her performance was quickly eclipsed by the next rider, however, as Dittmer proved he could go clear faster, setting a new leading time of 37.53 seconds riding Cody 139. That put the pressure on the rest of the contenders, with mistakes being made and rails falling throughout the course.

Hunter Holloway (USA), a frequent competitor at WEC, had the advantage of going last and came the closest to catching Dittmer. Leaving all the rails in place, Holloway pushed Pepita Con Spita through the timers, but her slower time of 38.27 seconds left her in second place with the 15-year-old Westphalian mare (DSP Con Spirit x Come On) owned by Hays Investment Corp.

It was a true international podium with Dittmer taking the win for Germany, Holloway flying the American flag in second, and Demonte claiming third for France.

“There were some really fast ones behind me, so I definitely had to do the best I could,” said Dittmer of returning third in the order. “My horse turned well and, luckily, it worked out in the end. He’s naturally really fast. He’s still a bit green, so in a jump-off, he doesn’t look for the next jump through the turn right away. Sometimes I still have one too many strides in the turns with him in the jump-off, but he’s super fast. He’s quick over the jumps, and his canter is naturally fast.”

Dittmer began riding Cody 139 at the end of 2024 and built the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Casall x Quidam de Revel) owned by Cerrin Döhle up to the international level. His home stable is near Hamburg, and he spends his winters based out of Wellington, FL. The rest of the year, he racks up frequent flyer miles traveling to compete in North America approximately every two weeks.

Of being selected for the German team at Longines League of Nations™ Ocala, Dittmer said, “It definitely means a lot to me. Last year, I was on the team at Hickstead, went double clear, and we won the Nations Cup there. It was an amazing experience. Now, getting the chance to jump on a League of Nations team is an even bigger thing for me. I’m really proud that Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker picked me for this. We’re really excited for tomorrow night, and I hope we can keep it going the way it has been for the Germans this week so far.”

Winning Round Results