In Leipzig, Germany, the first 5* class of the day delivered an instant home win, with a dominating black-red-yellow top five as well. The 1.50m course was jumped best and fastest by Richard Vogel who, in the saddle of the 11-year-old Holstein stallion Caracho (Cassilano), gave the audience value for money.
Nineteen of the starters managed to qualify for the jump-off of this "Championat of Leipzig", including many German combinations. In the end it was Richard Vogel who led the lap of honour with the gold around his neck, after he was the only one with a clear round under 34 seconds aboard the bay stallion Caracho. Fellow countryman Tim Rieskamp-Goedeking, who needed to go in third, was thereby relegated to silver. Riding the 14-year-old Westphalia stallion Coldplay (Chacco-Blue), he stopped the chrono at 34.05 seconds. An all-German podium did not materialise, as Yuri Mansur snatched bronze for Brazil by finishing just 25 hundredths behind Rieskamp-Goedeking with the 10-year-old SBS gelding Hellix du Seigneur (Curby du Seigneur).
With an equally large difference on the clock, Maurice Tebbel placed fourth in the saddle of the nine-year-old Oldenburg stallion Chacco's Light (Chacco's son), a good second ahead of Carsten-Otto Nagel and the 12-year-old Holstein gelding GK Curacao (Clarimo).
Photo: © Tomas Holcbecher for Equnews