Michael Jung and Kilcandra Ocean Power. Photo courtesy of Stuttgart German Masters.
We’re well into the thick of indoor cross-country derby season, and no one’s embracing the format more than Herr Michael Jung. Fresh off a plane from catch-riding in Canada’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair edition, he zoomed over to his local, the Stuttgart German Masters, where he roundly won the class for the ninth consecutive time. Not only that, but he did so by a margin of nearly ten seconds. That’s just showing off now, Michi.
His ride in the class was Kilcandra Ocean Power, the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding with whom we saw him tackle CHIO Aachen earlier this year. Though still relatively inexperienced, the smart chestnut obviously enjoys an atmosphere: he entered the ring as the last horse of the evening to a great swell of support from the audience, and duly delivered the goods to trounce the til-then leaders, Cathal Daniels and CDS Cairnview Romolu. His 44.52 second round put the Irishman into second place on his still very respectable 53.43, while Sweden’s Sofia Sjoborg – who has been based previously with both Michi and Cathal, and has obviously picked up a thing or two along the way — took third place with a classy 53.64 second effort aboard the Dutch Warmblood Eastbourne.
“It’s great that the German Masters are taking place again and it’s a great pleasure to ride here,” says Michi. “Thanks to my supporters I have great horses at my disposal. Kilcandra Ocean Power gave me a great feeling today and was a blast to ride!”
18 total competitors, representing five countries, took part in the competition, which also saw the return of Ingrid Klimke‘s former Seven-Year-Old World Champion Weisse Dune, these days a specialist in these classes, who finished in a close sixth place. You can check out the full results here.
So how did Michi do it? Inside turns, baby, all the way — with some fine rollbacks that show exactly why he’s also a formidable Grand Prix show jumper in his own right. Check out his round in full (and take notes, because some of those turns are pure artistry. The music? Less so.)
The top five in the hotly-contested 2022 Stuttgart German Masters Eventing Derby.
