In a press conference the day before the 26th International Stuttgart German Masters Horse Show, horse show director Gotthilf Riexinger called World Champion eventer Michael Jung of Germany “the world’s most complete rider”. It turned out to be a prophetic statement.
Stuttgart turned into the “Michael Jung Festival”. Early in the week, the German three-day rider won the Indoor Derby, which is a form of indoor eventing, then went on to win two dressage classes which gave him the iWest Cup, or regional championship in dressage, with his gelding Roche. “I’m pleased that Roche didn’t lose form when I was away for the three weeks in Lexington,” said Jung, “and I’m pleased that my dressage horses are improving all the time.”
Then he pulled off a big surprise in the huge indoor jumping arena on Saturday night in front of the “Big Night” audience at the show.
Riding Der D?rer TSF, Jung won the show jumping speed class, defeating World Champion show jumper Philippe Le Jeune of Belgium on Leo du Prairial by almost 1.5 seconds. The audience erupted into a standing ovation for Jung. Third in the class was American Lauren Hough riding the mare Available Versace.
The stunned announcer was quoted as saying, “A win in eventing, two wins in dressage, a win in jumping – the vaulters will have to watch out next year.” (Stuttgart includes a vaulting competition.)
Jung, who manages a farm near Stuttgart in the Bavarian Black Forest town of Horb, commented on the controversy surrounding the removal of his WEG gold medal partner La Biosthetique-Sam FSW from his stable by the horse’s majority owner and a rumored sale of the horse to a foreign owner. At the press conference following his dressage win, he said that the thing that pleased him most of all was the fact that Sam “has been back with us in our stables since midday today.” The wrangling over the “kidnapping” didn’t seem to perturb the local hero in Stuttgart. “I can concentrate quite well and when I ride into the arena then I’m totally focused on my horse.”
For the fourth time in a row and the fifth time in all, Jung won the Indoor Derby, a form of indoor eventing, on the opening day of the show, on the Trakehner gelding Wallach Vincent TSF, who is only eight. Second was Frank Ostholt on Air Jordan. Other countries with eventers entered included Brazil (Ruy Fonseca), Sweden (Sara Algotsson-Ostholt, Hannes Melin), Great Britain (Alice Dunsdon, Nicola Wilson), New Zealand (Jocelyn Daniel) and Switzerland (Eveline Bodenm?ller). Ingrid Klimke also represented Germany.
Another familiar name from WEG excelled at Stuttgart. That would be World Champion Exell Boyd of Australia, who won the indoor driving competition.
About 60,800 spectators came to Stuttgart’s Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle over the five days of the show, which recorded a five percent increase in attendance over last year. The grand event’s main sponsor is Mercedes, which gives a new car as a prize in the showjumping. The Mercedes was won by Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum on Shutterfly…for the third year. What does she do with all those cars?
Please scroll down in The Jurga Report to read about the dressage competition at Stuttgart.
by Fran Jurga | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com Be friends withFran Jurga on Facebook.com
