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Marcus Ehning and Stargold write history in the CSI5* Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Grand Prix presented by Longines 2023

Saturday, 25 February 2023
CSI5* Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab presented by Longines 2023

Photo © CHI Al Shaqab. "Stargold is more of a star than I am," Ehning said humbly after he became the first rider ever to take back-to-back wins in the €410,000 Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Grand Prix presented by Longines. "I am very proud of him." Photo © CHI Al Shaqab.

 

Text © World of Showjumping

 


 

For the second year in a row, Germany's living legend Marcus Ehning and the 12-year-old Stargold (Stakkato Gold x Lord Weingard) won the CSI5* Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Grand Prix presented by Longines in Doha, Qatar. "Stargold is more of a star than I am," Ehning said humbly after he became the first rider ever to take back-to-back wins in the €410,000 Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Grand Prix presented by Longines. "I am very proud of him." 

Photo © CHI Al Shaqab. "You are only as good as your horse," Ehning said after winning the Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Grand Prix presented by Longines for the second time with Stargold. Photo © CHI Al Shaqab.

Out of the 39 horse-and-rider-combinations at start, the best 18 from round one moved on to the second round. Thirteen of them had jumped clear over Uliano Vezzani's (ITA) 1.60m track, while the others were carrying four faults. In round two, only seven pairs produced another clear: Christian Kukuk (GER) and Nice van'T Zorgvliet (Emerald x Heartbreaker), Niels Bruynseels (BEL) and Delux van T&L (Toulon x Landetto), Max Kühner (AUT) and Eic Cooley Jump The Q (Pacino x Obos Quality 004), Philipp Weishaupt (GER) and Coby 8 (Contagio x Escudo 19) and Mike Kawai (JPN) aboard Saxo de La Cour (Tlaloc M x Jalisco B) were joined in the deciding jump-off by Simon Delestre (FRA) and Dexter Fontenis Z (Diarado x Voltaire) as well as Ehning aboard Stargold. 

In the jump-off, Kawai and Saxo de La Cour were the first pair out, setting the standard with a clear round in 41.74. While Kukuk, Bruynseels, Kühner and Weishaupt were all determined to challenge the 25-year-old's time, none of them managed to do so without penalties. But then came Marcus Ehning and the stunning Stargold, who had already proven to be in form when taking the top honours in Thursday's 1.50m speed class. Stopping the clock on 41.74, the pair that won this Grand Prix last year, took over the lead and pushed Kawai to second, with only Simon Delestre and Dexter Fontenis Z standing in the way of a German victory. While the French former world number one gave it his best with his talented 10-year-old, the two crossed the finish line in 42.03, leaving them in the runner-up position behind Ehning, and pushing Kawai to finish third. With four faults each, Weishaupt and Coby 8 finished fourth in 40.89 followed by Kühner in fifth in 43.52 aboard Eic Cooley Jump The Q.

Photo © CHI Al Shaqab. "We have to remember he is only ten, this was one of his first really tough Grand Prix classes outside," Simon Delestre said about Dexter Fontenis Z after the pair took the runner-up position behind Ehning and Stargold. Photo © CHI Al Shaqab.

"Already on the first day, he was in a good shape, he was very fresh and could already win, so I had a very good feeling," Ehning said about Stargold. "However, I won already last year, so I thought it is not possible to do it again and I still can't really believe that I won twice in a row with the same horse. I am very proud of my horse."

"You are only as good as your horse," Ehning said when asked about his thoughts on the courses. "If you win last year, and I know my horse quite well, not even Uliano can shock him with one distance – long or short. If I ride well, I can manage, so that gives me a lot of confidence. I think today we had two very fair courses, at the end I think the crowd saw a very good jump-off, also with some faults, what I like when not everybody is clear. And for sure they had the right winner, so everything was fine," he joked. 

Photo © CHI Al Shaqab. "I am surprising myself, that I am here with these amazing riders, especially in a five-star Grand Prix, to be third," Mike Kawai said after placing third with Saxo de La Cour. Photo © CHI Al Shaqab.

"When I saw Marcus, for sure I knew he was fast," Delestre said. "There was only one place where I could not take all the risk with Dexter. However, we have to remember he is only ten, this was one of his first really tough Grand Prix classes outside, so the line with the nine strides going into the combination, I had to do ten because a few times when I have taken the first distance, I got too deep – so I knew I had to slow down at this place. For the rest, I did my best, but Marcus was faster."

"That is a hard job, I try to buy many good young horses and always have a group really behind [the top], so that it is just to re-organize," Delestre said about the talented string of horses he has coming up. "Without Cayman here, making such a good job here with these two ten-year-olds that are still new to this level, I am really, really proud of them," he said, referring to Dexter Fontenis Z and I Amelusina 51 R (Dexter R x Chin Chin). I Amelusina 51 R won two classes during the 2023-edition of Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab presented by Longines 2023, including Saturday's CSI5* 1.50m speed class, where Delestre took the win ahead of Jack Whitaker (GBR) and Equine America Valmy de La Lande (Mylord Carthago*HN x Starter) in second, followed by Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER) aboard Vestmalle des Cotis (Baloubet du Rouet x Landor S) in third. 



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