Frankfurt, Germany – December 22, 2024 – The Grand Prix of Hessen goes to the Netherlands! Jur Vrieling (NED) won the Grand Prix of Hessen at the International Festhallen Reitturnier Frankfurt (IFRF), presented by Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG (DVAG).
It was a very demanding course, only four of the 48 international starters remained clear in the 1.55 meter competition, 14 others completed the world ranking course with one drop.
With the eleven-year-old mare Helwell du Chabus, he remained clear in the jump-off in 36.77 seconds. Only Maximilian Weishaupt (GER) managed another ‘clear round’ in the jump-off, this time with the 13-year-old DSP Omerta Incipit, he was 29 hundredths of a second slower and came second.
Third place went to the only female rider who had qualified for the jump-off of the four best, Teike Friedrichsen (GER). With 35.85 seconds, the 26-year-old was the fastest of all, but had a drop – that meant third place. The 2017 Frankfurt winner, Gerrit Nieberg (GER), was to be the first starter in the jump-off and also had the youngest horse, nine-year-old Ping Pong van de Lentamel. With a one down in 39.89 seconds, the pair finished in fourth place.
“The horse jumped abnormally,” said winner Vrieling, impressed. “I’ve competed in five Grand Prix’s with her so far and she’s always been in the top five, that’s enormous.” The Dutch championship rider has only been in the saddle of his winning mare since the end of August and admits: “This mare’s head is also incredible, At home she is the sweetest horse there is. Despite the brevity: I already have a special relationship with her. I think you have to have that.”
The 13-year-old Omerta has been in Weishaupt’s stable for eight years, is still owned by her breeder Karl Gruber and is definitely a special horse for the 34-year-old Weishaupt: “I’m extremely lucky to have such a great horse, but “The horse wasn’t so lucky with the rider today,” said the second-placed self-critically. “I started out as well as I imagined, but then I had a ‘backward distance’, made the wrong decision and took one more canter jump – that was the mistake.”
She didn’t expect this success at all. Teike Friedrichsen (GER) was very happy with third place, her mare Greece and the tournament and explained: “The hall is not that easy for jumping, there is not so much space and the spectators are practically sitting at the same height as us, but Greece has that didn’t matter at all. She felt very comfortable here in the hall last time and again this year.”
Olympic champion Richard Kukuk (GER) had one down in the first-round course, but delivered the fastest four-fault lap in the saddle of the nine-year-old Chacco Blue son Chageorge and thus came fifth in the Grand Prix.
The Most Successful
As last year, Teike Friedrichsen (GER) was honored as the most successful female rider of the tournament, in 2023 under the name Teike Carstensen. For this she received a special honorary award from the law firm Bögner, Hensel and Partner.
The most successful show jumper of the tournament was the Dutchman Jur Vrieling (NED), not least because of his victory in the Grand Prix. For this, Vrieling received the special honorary award of the Golden Lion of the City of Frankfurt from the Hesse Prime Minister Boris Rhein. Vrieling went home very satisfied and explained: “I think Frankfurt is an unusually great tournament and, if I’m allowed to, I’d love to come back next time.”
Final Results – €105,500 Grand Prix of Hessen CSI 4*, presented by Deutschen Vermögensberatung AG
1) Jur Vrieling (NED) & Helwell du Chabus – 0 / 0 – 36.77
2) Maximilian Weishaupt (GER) & DSP Omerta Incipit – 0 / 0 – 37.06
3) Teike Friedrichsen (GER) & Greece 5 – 4 / 0 – 35.85
Source: News Release (translated & edited) from the Internatioanales Festhallen Reitturnier Frankfurt
Photos: © Schafhof Connects / Lukaz Kowalski
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Categories: CSI 4*, English, Jumper News Nederland
