In a thrilling first round of The CSI5* Kingdom of Bahrain Stakes for The King’s Cup, it took eight combinations before the first clear was posted by none other than World No. 6 Martin Fuchs, riding his long-time partner, Commissar Pezi. At the halfway mark, the Swiss star remained the only rider with a clean scorecard, despite several getting agonisingly close. Among them were Show Ambassador Jack Whitaker, winner of The CSI5* Defender Stakes which took place on Friday, who finished fourth, and his uncle John Whitaker who eventually placed third. Both left all the fences standing but picked up a single time fault.
The 13-obstacle course proved to be a test of accuracy and scope and featured multiple demanding treble combinations and technical related distances. Even the most accomplished names in the sport, including triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Maher and World Top 10 rider Richard Vogel, couldn’t find a way through to the jump-off.
It was not until the third-last rider, Kim Emmen, entered the arena aboard 10-year-old mare Keavanta-C, that the crowd saw another clear - setting up a jump-off between the Dutch rider and Fuchs.
First to go, Fuchs laid down a typical masterclass in jump-off riding. With a daring sixpence turn back to the Rolex vertical and a stride out to the final fence, he stopped the clock on an impressive time of 35.19 seconds and left all the poles in place. Emmen followed with a strong effort but picked up four faults, handing Fuchs his second CSI5* victory of the week following yesterday’s win in The Pearl Stakes.
A delighted Fuchs reflected on the performance: “I’m very pleased with this win, Commissar Pezi jumped brilliantly - he is so fast - I took some tight turns and a stride out to the last, which helped put the pressure on and secure the win. Both my horses and I love coming to my Show. Every time my horses enter the Castle Arena, they feel very special, and we always have great support from the British crowd, which is why I love coming back every year.”
The opening CSI5* class of the day - The Defender Challenge Stakes - saw the 10 best placed athletes from the first round go through to a jump-off in reverse order of merit. With four faults in the first round, Ben Maher was first into the arena to go against the clock, jumping clear to finish on a total of four. Ireland’s Michael Duffy was the first to post a double clear, however it was Laura Kraut who really put the pressure on those to follow, taking over three seconds off Duffy’s time.
The penultimate rider into the arena, Daniel Deusser riding Bingo Ste Hermelle, briefly took over the lead, however it was Lorenzo de Luca who claimed the victory as last to go, knocking another 0.18 seconds off the time.
Speaking after the class, the Italian said: “I’m really happy with how he jumped, I know he’s really fast and careful, and being last to go I was able to watch a few, so I tried my best and it all worked out. This win means a lot, it’s such a good show, it’s always an amazing atmosphere and I love coming back year after year. I love the English crowd, thank you so much everyone.”
