When Emanuele Gaudiano rides against the clock, his fellow competitors have to watch out. The Italian rider is well-known for his fast rounds. And the STAWAG Opening Jumping Competition at the CHIO Aachen 2016 was no exception. With his 11-year-old gelding, Kentucky v. Neerhof Z, he secured himself the victory in the penalties/time competition with a lead of almost four seconds. His secret? “I try it every time! Whereby Kentucky v. Neerhof Z is in fact his speed horse. In total, he has brought five horses to the CHIO with him for the big tasks later this week.

The German aspiring young show-jumpers also put in very good performances in the competition. Especially Maurice Tebbel. The 22-year-old former Junior European Champion came second with his just 9-year-old mare, Camilla PJ, in his debut ride in Aachen “It is every rider’s dream to compete in Aachen one day. And it is absolutely fantastic when you succeed in doing so at such a young age!” For him the CHIO is the highlight of the season. Tomorrow, he will be competing in the Prize of Europe. “And then we will have to wait and see if we can qualify for any of the following competitions.”

The placements of further German youngsters also included Patrick Stühlmeyer (26) with Caramba in fourth place, Christian Kukuk (26) with Carilot in sixth place and Laura Klaphake (22) who ranked eighth with Silverstone.

The German Olympic candidates such as Ludger Beerbaum, Daniel Deußer, Christian Ahlmann, Marcus Ehning and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum used the STAWAG Opening Jumping competition as a warm-up competition for their cracks. They all jumped clear, but took their time, which meant they didn’t make the top rankings.

The national coach, Otto Becker, was very pleased with the CHIO prelude: “The conditions are top, the footing was super and the weather can stay like this!” Last, but not least, he was happy with the performances of his squad members, particularly the youngsters: “We always try to give the young riders a chance to prove themselves. And, of course, it is fantastic when things turn out this well!”