It was her first time competing at the international Redefin Equestrian Festival and she came away with the best possible result: 28-year-old Swedish rider Nicole Persson won Sunday’s Deutsche Kreditbank AG Grand Prix with the 15- year-old gelding Lexington (Andiamo x Dageraad), comfortably seeing off her competitors. “I hadn’t quite expected that,” admitted Persson with a smile.

Persson was the only competitor to remain free of faults in the jump-off in this 1.55 competition. “I was also just a little bit lucky…,” said the Swedish rider. “I didn’t approach the final jump quite right, but Lexington pulled it off”.

For many years, Nicole Persson worked and trained at the sports stables of Marcus and Johannes Ehning in Borken before becoming self-employed just under two years ago in Ibbenbüren, Osnabrück. Nicole Persson proudly shared the news of her prestigious win, which is worth 12,500 euros of the total prize money, with horse owner Judith Gölkel.

Second place went to Danish World Championship competitor Sören Pedersen and Tailormade Chaloubet (Chacco-Blue x Baloubet du Rouet) with whom Pederssen won the 2015 Sommerstorf Grand Prix. “I’m really pleased with the result - I have several Schockemöhle horses from the Lewitz, such as Chaloubet,“ said Pedersen who had the fastest time in the jump-off, but on the expense of a rail down. 

Tournament director Paul Schockemöhle also had cause to congratulate his colleague Philip Rüping. The horse trainer from the Mühlen sports stables claimed third place in the Deutsche Kreditbank AG Grand Prix with Copperfield (Contendro I x Drosselklang II). 

Fourth and fifth place went to Sweden, courtesy of Peder Fredricson and Rolf-Göran Bengtsson.

Source: Press release from Comtainment // Picture © Stefan Lafrentz