Christian Ahlmann and Blueberry help Germany to gold in Abu Dhabi

The Al Forsan International Sports Resort in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates was the setting for the first leg of the Longines League of Nations last weekend. This new format replaces the iconic Nations Cup and consists of four qualifiers in which the 10 best countries in the world compete against each other for a place in the grand final in Barcelona.

Victory during this first qualifier of the year went to Germany, where Christian Ahlmann was part of the team with 13-year-old grey mare Blueberry, a daughter of HH Conrad de Hus Z and Creve Coeur from the breeding farm of Haras de Hus. Ahmann and Blueberry already drew attention last month in Abu Dhabi with a 4th place in a 1.45m class and made their debut at the highest level last weekend. That debut was an instant success, as they managed to produce a flawless performance in the first round. The second and decisive round went so well for the German team that Ahlmann and Blueberry did not even have to start as the last combination. They finished with a total of 8 penalty points, beating Ireland with a total of 12 penalty points and Sweden with a total of 20 penalty points.

Christian Ahlmann: "I was very happy with my round and it was the first time Blueberry jumped a 1.60m course with me, so I didn't know exactly what was going to happen today. So we had a super round, everything went as it should and I'm very happy with that!"

Besides the gold with the German team, Ahlmann also managed to achieve another success last weekend with our 10-year-old chestnut stallion Otterongo Alpha Z, the son of Darco and Hedjaz from the breeding farm of Jozef Poets. The concourse started very well for the competitive duo on Thursday, as they managed to finish 4th in the 1.45m opening class against the clock after a clear round. On Sunday morning, they also appeared at the start in the 1.50m-high Al Shira'aa Challenge, in which they managed to finish 10th.  

Silver at the Longines League of Nations thus went to the Irish team, and in it there was an important role for Richard Howley with the 13-year-old gelding Consulent de Prelet Z, a son of Consulent Z and Fuego du Prelet bred by Svo Trans Feka, with whom Howley managed to win both the Oslo and Helsinki World Cups earlier this winter. Howley and Consulent de Prelet Z once again confirmed that good form by staying clear in both the first and second rounds.

Furthermore, Howley also managed to produce a cracking performance with the 9-year-old grey stallion Zodiak du Buisson Z, a son of VDL Zirocco Blue N.O.P. and Dutch Capitol who was bred in the Netherlands by Haras Du Buisson. During the opening day on Thursday, Howley and Zodiak du Buisson Z were the winners of the 1.50m GP Qualfier, where they were more than a full second ahead of the competition with a clear jump-off in 38.94 seconds.