Christian Ahlmann is on a winning wave, and today it was the crowds in Neumünster that witnessed the German rider surf to another Grand Prix victory. This was Ahlmann’s third Grand Prix win since the start of the year, and a back-to-back victory too as he also went to the top in last weekend’s CSI4* Grand Prix in Braunschweig. The victory also brought Ahlmann’s total of big 2016-wins up to six.

Needless to say, Ahlmann came into today’s Grand Prix full of confidence after also having won Saturday’s 1.50 class presented by PSI aboard Epleaser van’t Heike (For Pleasure x Nabab de Reve). His partner for Sunday’s Grand Prix was the experienced 14-year-old stallion Codex One (Contendro I x Glueckspilz), the winner of the Longines Grand Prix in Basel back in January. 

Coming in to the jump-off, Christian had to beat the very fast target time set by Dutch rider Gert-Jan Bruggink on Vampire (Marome x Voltaire): 34.04 seconds. 

And it was a trademark-Ahlmann-round that lived up to every expectation of those filling up the seats in the Holstenhalle. A spectacularly tight turn to the vertical leading into the double set as the jump-off’s third fence made the audience gasp for air, and when yet another equally precise turn came on the vertical set as fence six - well, Ahlmann made it clear that he showed no mercy for his competitors. Clearing the final upright, the crowds exploded into a standing ovation for Ahlmann who had stole the win with an unbelievable performance pushing the time down to 33.99 seconds. 

It was a good day for the Germans as Denis Nielsen finished third with the 10-year-old impressive stallion DSP Cashmoaker (Calido I x Corrado I). Sweden’s Peder Fredricson had yet another successful weekend, and ended fourth with H&M All In (Kashmir van het Schuttershof x Fortune) after being third in the Grand Prix in Braunschweig last week. Fifth was Austria’s Max Kühner on Chardonnay 79 (Clarimo x Corrado I). 

Text © World of Showjumping // Picture © Stefan Lafrentz.