The City of Leipzig Championship was decided just moments ago. In the 1.55m course, counting for the Longines Ranking, several top riders secured a spot in the deciding phase. What followed was a true race against the clock, with a Swiss winner as the final outcome.
Steve Guerdat came out on top in Leipzig, guiding Is-Minka (Mylord Carthago HN) to victory. The Swiss rider stayed faultless in the first round and set the pace in the jump-off with a sharp clear in 36.13 seconds, leaving the competition at a clear distance.
Second place went to the home nation Germany thanks to Gerrit Nieberg, who produced another double clear with IB Queen (Quasimodo Z). His jump-off time of 38.58 seconds was strong, but not enough to match Guerdat’s pace.
Belgium claimed an excellent third place through Rik Hemeryck and the BWP gelding Navarro van het Eelshof (Jappelloup vh Dauwhof). They were once again clear in the jump-off and stopped the clock in 39.62 seconds.
Just off the podium was Simon Delestre. The Frenchman kept Golden Boy DK (Diamant de Semilly) clear in the jump-off and posted 40.14 seconds, securing fourth place in a tight jump-off where the margins remained small. Jur Vrieling completed the top five with Iron Wish RW (Iron Man van de Padenborre), bred by the Spits family. He also delivered a faultless deciding round and finished in 40.23 seconds, a strong result considering the partnership is still very new.
