Top field of competitors at the CHIO Aachen 2021

The best riders in the world will be battling it out in the Main Stadium for a place on the legendary winners’ board at the CHIO Aachen 2021 (September 10th-19th). Among others, all of the Olympic gold medallists from Tokyo are awaited at the Aachen Soers.

For example, Ben Maher from Great Britain has already confirmed his participation, he claimed individual gold in Japan with his outstanding horse, Explosion. Scott Brash, the Scottish show-jumper, is also on board. Brash is the only rider so far to succeed in winning the “Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping”. That was in 2015, after riding to victory in the Majors of Geneva (2014), Aachen (2015) and Spruce Meadows/Canada (2015). Austria’s top athlete, Max Kühner, is also in best form. He topped the rankings in the Rolex Grand Prix in `s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands earlier this year. “Making it onto the winners’ board in Aachen is my goal,” the Portuguese rider, Luciana Diniz, explained. She has narrowly missed out claiming the victory in the Rolex Grand Prix after coming second in Aachen twice. She is now hoping to finally have her name engraved on the winners’ board in 2021. Daniel Deusser can also tell a tale about finishing second in Aachen twice. The current number one in the world rankings heads the field of German competitors. The old master Ludger Beerbaum, Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann will also be in action at the Soers.

In the dressage, all eyes will be on Isabell Werth and Bella Rose. The most successful rider of all time will be retiring her “favourite horse” from the sport in Aachen. But beforehand the motto is “going for gold”! Because the record winner would like to celebrate her 14^th (!) triumph in the Deutsche Bank Prize. “Of course, we want to show what we are capable of one last time in Aachen,” Isabell Werth stated.  The spectators can eagerly look forward to the CDI Tour too: The Olympic gold medallist, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, will be performing with her “Ferdinand” in the HAVENS Pferdefutter Prize on Thursday and in the Grand Prix Freestyle on Saturday evening.

Talking about Saturday evening: It is going to be spectacular in the Main Stadium: The eventing Olympic gold medallist, Julia Krajewski, will be competing in the “porta Cup”, the fast-paced combination between show jumping, eventing and a four-in-hand carriage race – and she will be taking on many of her famous colleagues, because as well as the team gold medallist, Laura Collett (GBR) and the individual silver medallist Andrew Hoy (AUS), Ingrid Klimke who has in the meantime recovered from her recent fall, will endeavour to defend her title from 2019, which she claimed with her team comprising of the Swiss show-jumper, Pius Schwizer, and Jerome Voutaz, the four-in-hand driver from Switzerland.

Ingrid Klimke is also competing in the SAP Cup. The spectators are especially looking forward to the cross-country competition on Saturday morning. The rider from Münster is the record holder here, she has already won the cup three times, most recently in 2019 with Hale Bob. However she is facing tough competition. In addition to Michael Jung and Sandra Auffarth from Germany, Jonelle and Tim Price from New Zealand (number 2 and 7 in the world rankings, respectively) Collet and Hoy will also be setting off on the cross-country course next to the showgrounds in a bid to claim the winning ribbon.

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