The feature Jumping class of the day, The Longines Christmas Cracker was a 1.55m jump-off class, featuring seven of the top ten riders in the world as they vied for a piece of the €51,500 prize fund. Bernard Costa Cabral’s challenging course resulted in only seven combinations making it through to the jump-off against the clock.
First to go, Max Kühner, set the pace jumping clear in a time of 33.97 seconds aboard Up Too Jacco Blue (Chacco-Blue). Gerrit Nieberg, riding Ben (Sylvain) – the horse he rode to victory in the coveted Grand Prix of Aachen earlier this year – was faster down to the final vertical to take over the lead, 0.15 seconds quicker than Kühner. Conor Swail put up a good challenge for third aboard Vital Chance de la Roque (Diamant de Semilly), but ultimately could not match Nieberg’s performance.
Nieberg, whose father won The London International Horse Show Grand Prix in 2000, said: “This is my first time at The London International Horse Show, but I will definitely be coming back – it is an amazing feeling to win here, it’s a great Show. My horse was incredible, he is feisty so I have to try and keep him calm, but he always wants to keep the fences up.”
Ph. © Press Release London Horse Show
