Edited press release from CHIO Aachen

A total of eleven horse-and-rider combinations made it to the jump-off in the Sparkassen Youngsters Cup Final at the 2023-edition of CHIO Aachen, and best of them were Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) and the 8-year-old mare Pandora van de Kruishoeve (Cidane x Elvis ter Putte). 

As the last pair in the jump-off, Jens Baackmann (GER) and his 8-year-old Holsteiner Lorenz 86 (Livello x Clarimo) had the chance to challenge Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) and Pandora van de Kruishoeve (Cidane x Elvis ter Putte) but it wasn't meant to be. Philippaerts and his BWP mare had simply been too fast with their 46.56 seconds, while for Baackmann and Lorenz the clock stopped on 47.97 seconds – leaving them to second place. Third place went to Rene Dittmer (GER) and the 8-year-old Westphalian mare Cavallina (Coupe de Coeur x Comme Il Faut) in 48.54 seconds.

Nicola Philippaerts' Pandora van de Kruishoeve is a daughter of the KWPN-stallion Cidane – who is a Heartbreaker x Ramiro Z son – out of a dam by Elvis ter Putte. She has been with the Philippaerts-family since she was six, and has been competed by both Nicola and Stijn Timmermann who according to Philippaerts has done a fantastic job training the mare. Nicola himself rode the mare at the FEI World Breeding Jumping Championships last year. But no matter who was in the saddle, Pandora van de Kruishoeve has always been consistent. “I think she is a very good horse," Philippaerts said after their win in the final. "She jumped super today which shows that she is not impressed by a big place like Aachen. I hope she will be a good horse for the future.”