For the show-jumpers it is one of the highlights of the entire CHIO Aachen week: the Allianz Prize. Ben Maher made sure on Saturday that the Union Jack could also be hoisted in the afternoon after the SAP Cup at midday.

The ten best pairs from the first round go through to the Winning Round of the Allianz-Prize. The riders start in reverse order according to their individual results from the first round, i.e. the best rider from round one is the last to go in round two. And that was Richard Vogel, the meanwhile most feared opponent for all of the show-jumpers.

The rider from the USA, McLain Ward and Callas had secured pole position in a time of 37.01, when Ben Maher entered the ring with Exit Remo. Maher was hungry for success. “The horses have actually jumped well so far, but I had picked up faults in the big classes. My owners are here, so I wanted to do my best to clinch the victory.” With this approach, he succeeded in steering his 15-year-old KWPN gelding (who is incidentally out of the same dam as Judy Reynolds’ (IRL) 2016 Olympic dressage horse, Vancouver K) round the course clear and in a faster time than Ward. The clock stopped at 36.54 seconds. Maher could only wait and hope that it would suffice. And it did.

Richard Vogel had saddled Cydello for the Allianz-Prize, the 10-year-old Hanoverian-bred Cascadello son, which one can meanwhile describe as being Vogel’s third horse after United Touch S and Cepano Baloubet. He has come second twice this week alone. Today, he picked up his third silver rosette after jumping clear in 36.90 seconds. McLain Ward and Callas finished third, whilst Ben Maher was delighted to have achieved his goal.

Whereby it hadn’t been that easy: “Normally Exit Remo has a very big stride. But I already noticed when I approached the first fence that he didn’t really want to go as fast as I wanted him too. So I had to push him. Which to be honest wasn’t a good feeling. But I cut a tight turn in front of the second obstacle, which hadn’t been my plan at all. But sometimes doing the unexpected turns out to your advantage and I think that is where I gained the time compared to the second place.” For Maher it was a special victory: “Every time you ride into the ring in Aachen for a class like this, it just as important as riding into a Grand Prix anywhere else. For me, my owners, my family –  they are all here – so it was fantastic!” But the week is not over yet. “I hope the same happens tomorrow,” he commented.

Of course, both Richard Vogel and McLain Ward will do their best to prevent this. Vogel’s plan for tomorrow in the Grand Prix, that he is saddling his nominated Olympic horse, United Touch S, for: “To stay on the podium.” Ward will be riding Ilex, a horse that he hasn’t had for very long, but who is a “big jumper that could match Vogel’s stride in a battle”, he joked referring to the huge stride of United Touch S.

Birgit Rosenberg summed it up in a nutshell: “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see these riders here again tomorrow.”