News

Martin Fuchs takes some good advice

Mar 4, 2017

It was a magnificent win for Martin Fuchs in the CSI 5* class this evening. He beat nine other riders in the jump-off including Daniel Deusser and Christian Ahlmann who are ranked 1st and 2nd respectively in the Longines FEI World rankings.

Riding aptly named Chaplin, the Dutch bred stallion is clearly quite the showman and the pair pulled of a superb jump off round to finish on 36.91 seconds. Speaking after his victory the Swiss rider explained that he was advised by his father Thomas Fuchs and his uncle Markus Fuchs (both former international show jumpers) on where he could save time. “They told me where I could take less strides and tight turns” he said. Fuchs was also 12th on this horse in yesterday’s CSI 5 speed class. “I will be riding my other horse Clooney 51 for tomorrow’s Grand Prix so I hope it goes as well as this.”

Second place went to Belgium’s Niels Bruynseels on the talented mare Gancia de Muze. It looked like he had done enough after scoring a jump off time of 37.47 until the 24 year old Fuchs knocked him off his temporary lead. Third place went to another Belgian rider, Pieter Devas with the Dutch bred Apart who was the last rider to go in the jump-off and benefited from watching some of the other rider’s tactics.

An attractive prize of 154,000 euros tempted riders to use their top string horses so spectators were treated to an exemplary display of horsemanship and athleticism. The classconsisted of one round with a jump off for riders going clear. Riders could not draw breath once during the first round which measured a full up 1m 55. The last fence of the first round, an imposing upright and measuring 1m58, caught a number of riders out.

40 riders contested the first round but only ten riders qualified for the jump off to fight it out for the top prize.