In 2019, Andre Thieme (GER) and Contadur (Conteros x Kolibi) won the Falsterbo Derby for the first time and today they repeated their victory.
Next to Thieme, it was only Johnny Pals (NED) and Carlotta (Conthargos x Balou du Rouet) that cleared the Derby track. Thieme went first in the jump-off and took risk using proper speed but had to see one fence fall on his way around the shortened track – finishing in 49.82 seconds. It was all down to Pals, but when the Dutch rider played it a bit safer and still had a pole down, he had no chance to match he time and stopped the clock on 52.35 seconds.
“I came here because I know I have a derby horse; he already won the Derby the last time he was here in Falsterbo,” Thieme said after his win. “I was really hoping I could win again. Yesterday I did a warm-up class and I had four time faults, so I was really only concentrating on this class today. He didn’t look left, he didn’t look right, I had the feeling he had done it a million times already. I have to say I was very happy with my first round; he was in a very good shape and my plan worked. I was hoping that nobody else would go clear, because I know this class and it is never many clear rounds – but then Johnny Pals also jumped clear and I had to go in a jump-off. I know Contador I very fast, so I tried to go quick, took the risk and had one down. Then Pals also had one down and when I saw on the score board that he finished second, I was really happy.”
“I did not have to do much ahead of the derby here,” Thieme explained. “Contadur went to Hamburg for the derby and ahead of it there is a real derby training, and this is only two months ago – he is still in great shape and remember all the derby jumps so I did not have to do any extra training.”
Thieme praised the audience in Falsterbo: “The audience is of course extra loud when a Swedish rider enters the arena, but they are also very fair and if there is a clear round they give it all. When we won the derby the last time it was extra, extra, not only for me, but also for my family. That is why we decided that every time we come here, we do a family vacation, so we have a house here in the neighbourhood. For me it is one of the best horse shows of the whole year, not only because of the facilities and the crowd, it is also because my family loves it here. Falsterbo is always a fantastic memory for me. Falsterbo is all about the feeling you get when being here.”
Emanuele Gaudiano (ITA) was the fastest four-faulters to take the third-place riding Nikolaj de Music (Kannan x Nabab de Reve), followed by Hessel Hoekstra (NED with Helsinki (VDL Zirocco Blue x Indoctro) – who did a fantastic round and was clear all the way to the very last oxer. Fifth place went to Wilm Vermeir (BEL) with Linguini de la Pomme (Marius Claudius x Tinka’s Boy), who also had four faults.