Ingrid Klimke and SAP Asha P Take Hold of German Eventing Championships at Luhmühlen

Ingrid Klimke and Asha P at Houghton Hall in 2019. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Time and technicality made for a championship-caliber competition across the country at Luhmühlen today where the German riders are competing for the federation’s Eventing Championship CCI4*S title. While Ingrid Klimke took the early lead with the veteran competitor SAP Hale Bob OLD, a dislodged pin and some extra time would push the pair down into 11th place following the second phase. And so it would be the younger SAP Asha P who would step in to fill her stablemate’s vacated top position on the leaderboard.

The 9 year old German Sporthorse mare, whose record suggests a quick turn of foot, came home just outside of the time allowed for a two day score of 24.9. The pair will not have a rail in hand looking ahead to tomorrow’s show jumping; Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz were one of just two clear inside the time to move into second place on a score of 26.6.

SAP Asha P, owned by Ingrid and Dr. Andres Lauber, was the 7 year old champion at the Young Horse Championships at Le Lion d’Angers in 2018 and has aptly stepped up the ladder since then. Ingrid describes the mare as having a nice ground-covering gallop and a good mix of laid back cool-headedness and confidence. This mare has had a couple of rails dotting her international show jumping career, so the pressure will be on for tomorrow’s finale to bring home the top honor and improve on her second place finish here in 2019.

Time proved not to be an issue for 2014 WEG individual gold medalist Sandra Auffarth and the 11 year old Selle Francais stallion Viamant du Matz, owned by Nikolaus Prinz von Croy. This pair turned in the quickest round of the day to move from fifth into second place. Viamant du Matz has not made the time often in international competition but proved he was up to the task today, never looking bothered at the intensity of the questions. Buschreiter reports that “Mad” has been perhaps a bit slower to mature than his famous stablemate and WEG champion Opgun Louvo, and that the extended break imposed by the coronavirus pandemic may have paid off well for the stallion.

A quick and clear round also proved to be influential for Australia’s Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos, an 11 year old Selle Francais gelding owned by Paula and David Evans with whom Andrew finished fourth individually at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, Nc. This pair collected the second of the two double clear rounds to move from ninth into third on a score of 28.7.

Ingrid Klimke and Sandra Auffarth each have another horse inside the top five; Let’s Dance 73 (28.7, but with time on cross country to slot in below Andrew Hoy) will be in fourth position overnight, while Ingrid with Equistro’s Siena Just Do It (32.5) will be in fifth place.

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH, in second after the dressage, ran into trouble on course at the D element of fence 16, where the pair found themselves off their line after catching the front legs on the C element to pitch them off balance. It was a fraction of a mistake but enough to cost the pair 20 penalties and some time and push them down outside of the top 20.

Meanwhile in the Junior Championship CCI2*L division, Ingrid’s daughter Greta Busacker will retain her lead aboard Scrabble 15, adding nothing to her dressage score of 24.4. Looking to the CCI3*L, Michael Jung will keep his lead on Star Connection FRH (21.0) and have a rail in hand for tomorrow’s show jumping finale.

You can view photos from the day and more details on the CCI4*S division in this report from Buschreiter. And don’t forget to sign up for ClipMyHorse.TV to watch this event live and on demand.

Timetable – CCI4*S:
Show Jumping: Following CCI2*L, which begins at 9:30 a.m. local / 3:30 a.m. EST on Sunday October 4

German Eventing Championships at Luhmühlen: [Website] [Schedule] [Live Scores] [Live Stream]