Christian Ahlmann and Clintrexo Z jump to bronze in the CSI4* GP of Hohen Wieschendorf

While enjoying the magnificent CSIO of Rome at five-star level, Christian Ahlmann was in action at home last weekend and more specifically at the four-star Hohen Wieschendorf competition in Hohenkirchen. There he successfully competed the younger stallions Querido VG Z and Codex Diaz Z, among others, as well as the 15-year-old grey stallion Clintrexo Z, who had been out of the sport for quite some time due to circumstances. Ahlmann and Clintrexo Z, the son of Clintissimo Z and Rex Z who was born and raised at Zangersheide Stud Farm, immediately jumped a clear round in the 1.45m class on Friday, but did not shine until the CSI4* GP on Sunday afternoon, however. In a jump-off for which 11 combinations managed to qualify, Ahlmann and Clintrexo Z once again managed to ensure a flawless round and this performance eventually earned them ^3rd place in the standings.

Christian Ahlmann: "Clintrexo was out of the sport for quite a while without us really being able to say what the problem was. I am all the happier that he feels so good now and is enjoying himself again. I have been building him up for the past five or six months and this Grand Prix today his first big test."

On Friday, Christian Ahlmann also managed to jump into the spotlight with our 9-year-old stallion Dourkhan Hero Z, the son of Don't Touch Tiji Hero and Zandor Z who was bred by Luc Henry. During the 1.45m Medium Tour, Ahlmann and Dourkhan Hero Z managed to stay clear in both the^1st and^2nd phases, which was good for ^9th place in the standings.

However, in addition to the four-star competition, Hohenkirchen also saw jumping at two-star level, and during the CSI2* GP on Saturday evening we got a Zangersheide horse at the head of the standings. Indeed, it was German rider Laura Klaphake who managed to claim victory with the 8-year-old mare Ladoklahoma VDL Z, a daughter of Mr. Blue and Baloubet du Rouet who was bred in the Netherlands by VDL Stud and with whom Klaphake was also good for ^eighth place in the 1.40m class on Wednesday during the opening day. At the CSI2* GP Klaphake and Ladoklahoma VDL Z were one of six combinations to go clear in the first round and thus qualified for the jump-off. In it, they once again managed to keep all the bars in the scoops and with a finishing time of 43.52 seconds, they were more than a full second ahead of the competition.

Another notable combination in the CSI2* competition was German rider Armin Schäfer with the 12-year-old stallion Drops Van Overis Z, a breeding product of Gerald Lenaerts and Sigrid Gielen of Studfarm Overis who combined the blood of Darco with that of Ahorn Z. Schäfer and Drops Van Overis Z immediately added the 1.40m class to their record on Wednesday during the opening day and a day later they proved too strong for the competition in another 1.40m class.

Before the start of the CSI2* GP on Saturday, the final class for the 7-year-old horses was still on the programme, in which both Angelique Rüsen with the chestnut mare Eclaire Z (Epleaser Van 't Heike Z x Stakkato - B: W. Vestjens) and Christian Ahlmann with the grey stallion Codex Diaz Z (Codex One Z x Cornet Obolensky - B: Hof Brüning) managed to jump into the prizes. Both were unerring in both the first round and the jump-off and this earned them a ^5th and ^6th place in the rankings respectively.z