Leg 5 of Major League Show Jumping Season 6 got underway at Tryon International with the $181,170 5* 1.55m Qualifier presented by VOGEL Equestrian, where World No. 1 Richard Vogel (GER) secured the opening victory of the week aboard eight year old Diatasio (Diaron old x Centadel).
Course designer Nick Granat (CAN) set a 1.55m track featuring 13 obstacles and 16 jumping efforts. Of the 37 combinations that entered the arena, 13 produced clear first rounds to qualify for the jump off.
Laura Kraut (USA) was the first to navigate the course without fault aboard her Tokyo Olympic partner, Baloutinue (Balou du Rouet x Landor S). However, Kraut elected not to return for the jump off, leaving 12 combinations to contest the shortened course.
Mark Bluman (ISR) and Genial De B'Neville (Kapitol d'argonne x Talent platiere) were first to return for the jump off, but trouble on the rollback to the penultimate fence resulted in four jumping faults and an additional two time faults, bringing their total to six and taking them out of contention for the opening day victory.
Shane Sweetnam (IRL) was the first rider to deliver a double clear performance, partnering with Pia Maria H (Kasanova de La Pomme x Tangelo van de zuuthoeve), his winning mount from the Season 6 opening Team Competition. The pair stopped the clock at 38.09 seconds, establishing the early benchmark and ultimately securing third place.
With Sweetnam holding the lead, Vogel entered the arena determined to challenge the time. Aboard Diatasio, the German rider delivered a fast and faultless round, crossing the timers in 36.82 seconds. The performance shaved more than a second off Sweetnam's time and proved unbeatable, securing Vogel the Qualifier victory.
Despite Diatasio's young age, Vogel emphasized the importance of understanding his horse and carefully managing each performance.
"I think it's very important with Diatasio only being eight years old to really listen to your horse in each of those rounds and try to do as much as you can without doing too much," Vogel explained.
Reflecting on Diatasio’s performance, Vogel highlighted the gelding’s confidence and natural ability.
"He felt very confident today. He has a lot of quality, so confidence is very important to him," Vogel said. "He's an outstanding horse. We are very lucky to have him."
Nicholas Dello Joio (USA) and Cornet’s Cambridge also produced a competitive double clear performance, stopping the clock at 37.62 seconds to claim second place and split Vogel and Sweetnam on the podium.
