Highlights from Friday's CSIO5* 1.60m RWE Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia at CHIO Aachen 2024

As a qualifier for Sunday’s Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen – one of the four Majors in the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping – Frank Rothenberg put the 48 horse-and-rider combinations to the test in Friday’s CSIO5* 1.60m RWE Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a tricky and tough fourteen-fence course where the triple combination at 12abc was the biggest challenge.

In an action-packed competition, Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs and Commissar Pezi (Commissario x Böckmann’s Lord Pezi) ended up taking the top honours ahead of Italy's Lorenzo de Luca (ITA) and Denver de Talma (Vigo Cece x Canturo*Bois Margot) in second and the host nation's Patrick Stühlmeyer and Drako de Maugre (Kannan x Fusain du Defey *HN) in third.

With this photo special, we take a look back at the RWE Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia.

All photos © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping. No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.

“I really felt like we were fighting together today, Commissar Pezi and me,” Fuchs said after the victory. “He performed really well here yesterday as well – in the Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup – and jumped great, but I did not ride so well so therefore we had a rail down. But last year he was on the winning team for Switzerland where he was double clear, and the year before – his first time in Aachen – he was also clear in a big class, so he really loves it here; he enjoys the atmosphere and he loves the big jumps. I am very lucky to have him.”

“It was good for me that I could watch Daniel, he did a few leave-outs that I wasn’t even sure yet that I would be doing so I got the confirmation when he did them,” Fuchs explained about his jump-off tactics. “My horse is very quick in a ring like this, and very careful so I can really go for the fences. I had a good leave-out to the second-last – the wall – and then I got a forward distance to the last fence so I had a nice jump-off, I could not really do much more. But, when you are at a show like this here in Aachen, where all the best riders in the world are, you never really know if it’s enough and everyone can beat you who comes after you in the jump-off, so it was a very long-jump-off for me today."

Lorenzo de Luca and Denver de Talma clearing the wall that caught a few out, to eventually finish second.

Patrick Stühlmeyer and Drako de Maugre have had a great week in Aachen so far. After finishing 6th in the Turkish Airlines-Prize of Europe, they took third in the RWE Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Thumbs up from Stühlmeyer.

For Harry Charles, it did not end so well. Bandit pulled a shoe, and the two had a scary fall when the 9-year-old stumbled as the pair landed coming out of the triple combination.

The result: Two fractures in Harry's wrist and arm. Wishing you a quick recovery Harry!

The always stylish Scott Brash and Hello Valentino had a splash in the open water and were kept out of the jump-off.

A happy Katrin Eckermann after another clear round with Iron Dames Cala Mandia NRW. The two eventually finished 11th after four faults in the jump-off.

Norway's talented Jenny Krogsæter is making her Aachen-debut this week.

Willem Greve thanks Minute Man after a four-fault round, plus three time penalties.

Thibeau Spits and Clear Heart flying over the open water.

Janika Sprunger and the lovely Orelie delivered a clear round...

...to join the jump-off.

It goes up and down in this sport. This time around it was not to be for Richard Vogel and Cepano Baloubet, who had to see three rails fall to the grass at Soers.

Nathalie Dean and the bouncy little rubber-ball Acota M impressed with a clear first round.

A big smile from Dean!

We LOVE Major Tom!!

Denis Lynch and Cordial jumped clear to join the jump-off, where they had to see a rail fall to the ground. The two eventually finished 9th.

Teamwork...

...makes the dream work.

Rene Dittmer and Corsica X jumped clear in the first round, but in the jump-off a rail on the Allianz-upright fell to the ground and the two had to settle for 7th.