Text © World of Showjumping

Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs and the 11-year-old gelding Commissar Pezi (Commissario x Böckmann’s Lord Pezi) were the pair in command in 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 with a tricky and tough fourteen-fence course where the triple combination at 12abc was the biggest challenge. 

The first pair to post a clear round was no. 13 into the ring; Patrick Stühlmeyer (GER) and Drako de Maugre (Kannan x Fusain du Defey *HN), who also were double clear in Wednesday’s Prize of Europe. A jump-off was secured when Natalie Dean (USA) and Acota M (Toulon x Quattro 7) cleared the track too, and joining in were Daniel Deusser (GER) and Gangster V.H Noddevelt (Eldorado vd Zeshoek x Careful), Denis Lynch (IRL) and Cordial (Casall x Chicago Z), Martin Fuchs and Commissar Pezi, Katrin Eckermann (GER) and Iron Dames Cala Mandia NRW (Capistrano 2 x Valentino 240), Lorenzo de Luca (ITA) and Denver de Talma (Vigo Cece x Canturo*Bois Margot), Rene Dittmer (GER) and Corsica X (Connor 48 x Corofino II),  Janika Sprunger (SUI) and Orelie (Emerald x Nabab de Reve), as well as Kevin Staut (FRA) and Dialou Blue PS (Tailmormade’s Diarado’s Boy x Chacco-Blue).

Jumping in reverse order of their time in round one, Deusser was the first of the ten riders to return for the jump-off. With an efficient round in 45.22 seconds, the German rider was quick but left the door open for improvement.

Next in the ring, Fuchs wasted no time aboard the wonderful bay gelding with whom he won last year’s Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup in Aachen, not once pulling back to stop the clock at 43.06 seconds – a time that looked more or less impossible to match. 

“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."

However, today, no one could beat Fuchs. Closest came Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca and Denver de Talma who as third-last out stopped the clock at 44.35 seconds. Patrick Stühlmeyer, who followed two riders after Fuchs, finished third with a time of 44.52 as the best German rider. Deusser eventually had to settle for fourth, while with one rail down in the jump-off in 43.97 seconds, Natalie Dean completed the top five.

“I really felt like we were fighting together today, Commissar Pezi and me,” Fuchs said. “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’s the best show in the world so to be winning in front of this fantastic crowd is a great feeling,” Fuchs said about taking his first individual victory at the historical venue at Soers.