Irish victory in Aachen
At precisely 9.30 am the first rider, Luciana Diniz (Portugal), kicked off the opening jumping competition, the NetAACHEN Prize. She tested the challenge that the course designer, Frank Rothenberger, had set the riders with the Hanoverian stallion, Lacontino. She took the course at a steady pace and after a clear round she finished 22nd in the overall listing of 90 show-jumpers, who competed in the NetAACHEN Prize. The rider, who was born in Brazil, then put the experiences gained from her first ride to good use with her second horse, Licapo, with whom she jumped clear in a time of 62.39 seconds, which meant second place. The Irish rider, Dermott Lennon, who knocked 0.48 seconds off her time, won the competition on a 9-year-old Irish mare with the melodious name, Loughview Lou-Lou. The US-American, Laura Kraut, ranked third with Dona Evita, also clear in a time of 62.77 seconds.
Dermott Lennon comes from Bandridge, Northern Ireland, where he runs a training and sales yard. The 42-year-old’s biggest victory to-date was winning the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera with Liscalgot.
The best German participants were Thomas Weinberg on Escobar and David Will (Pfungstadt) on Lenny Kravitz, who came joint fourth after both jumping clear in a time of 63.15 seconds. Thomas Weinberg, son of the internationally successful show-jumpers Peter Weinberg and Helena Stormanns, had the shortest journey to the Soers. He lives in Kohlscheid, just a few kilometres away from the showgrounds, where the 24-year-old rider runs a training and sales yard together with his father, Peter. Thomas Weinberg won individual silver at the European Championships of the Young Riders in 2008 with the meanwhile 12-year-old gelding, Escobar.
The correct tip came from Laura Kraut: The Brazilian rider, Alvaro Miranda, wins the STAWAG Prize with the fastest clear round. Ludger Beerbaum best German in fifth place.
Miranda Wins the STAWAG Prize
“When Alvaro entered the ring, I said to our Chef d’Equipe, Georg Morris, this is the winner.” Laura Kraut should have placed a bet, because her tip was dead right. The Brazilian rider, Alvaro Miranda, won the STAWAG Prize on Ad Norson. Behind the Irish show-jumper, Billy Twomy on Tinka’s Serenade, came Laura Kraut (USA) on Teirra. Last year’s winning pair from Switzerland, Steve Guerdat and Jalisca Solier ranked fourth, followed in fifth place by the best German rider, the reigning German Champion, Ludger Beerbaum (Riesenbeck) on his 12-year-old stallion, Chaman.
“The course built by Frank Rothenberger was nice to ride. And Ad Norson is indeed a very fast horse,” said the Brazilian rider, who was overjoyed about his victory in the STAWAG Prize, which is endowed with 42,200 Euros in prize-money in total. Furthermore, the competition is a qualifier for the Prize of the AachenMünchener on Saturday, as well as for the Rolex Grand Prix, the “Grand Prix of Aachen”, on Sunday. Europe has long since become the home of the Brazilian rider, who now lives in the Netherlands. “I moved to Europe in 1995 because the equestrian sport opportunities are much better here than back home in Brazil. It wasn’t easy at the beginning, because my family still lives in Brazil. But in the meantime I love my life here in Europe,” commented Miranda, who is married to the Greek show-jumper, Athina Onassis.
He has been riding the 12-year-old stallion, Ad Norson, for five years. “He was brought to me as a 5-year-old and I have trained him up to Grand Prix level myself,” reported Miranda. Ad Norson descends from the best French bloodlines, his sire is Quidam de Revel and his dam’s sire is Grand Veneur. The duo reached the finish line 0.22 seconds faster than Bill Twomey (Ireland), who had saddled the 14-year-old Anglo-European mare, Tinka’s Serenade, and 1,01 seconds faster than Laura Kraut with the 11-year-old KWPN mare, Teirra. In total 26 of the 61 competitors jumped clear in the STAWAG Prize.