Just four days before his 26th birthday, Patrick Stühlmeyer got an early gift when he went to the top on home soil in the CSI4* Grand Prix of Wiesbaden & the Qatar Equestrian Federation. Aboard the 13-year-old Oldenburger stallion Lacan 2 (Lando x Contender), the German rider made it to the second round of this 1.60 competition as one of thirteen riders and managed to be the fastest against the clock.
"When the last one came around the corner, and he is really fast, I did not think I would win today. But, luckily for me he put the handbreak on a little," said Stühlmeyer referring to the winner of yesterday's Grand Prix qualifier Carlos Lopez on Admara 2 (Padinus x Murano) that eventually finished fourth.
It was an all-German podium in Wiesbaden as in-form Philip Rüping finished second on Copperfield 40 (Contendro I x Drosselklang II) just 0.18 seconds behind the winner. Holger Wulschner was third on BSC Skipper (Stolzenberg x Lord Liberty) a second behind Stühlmeyer on the clock, and like Rüping he had qualified in for the winning round in this third stage of the DKB-Riders Tour despite four faults in the first one.
Text © World of Showjumping (Translated from press release from Presse Wiesbadener PfingstTurnier) // Picture © WRFC/Lafrentz