Team Austria – Katharina Rhomberg, Max Kühner, Chef d’equipe Angelika May, Gerfried Puck and Christoph Obernauer – won the second Longines EEF Series Nations Cup of the 2025-season in Gorla Minore, Italy. Photo © EEF/sassofotografie.
Edited press release from Longines EEF Series
Team Austria finished with four fences in hand to win the second leg of the Longines EEF Series Nations Cup in Gorla Minore (ITA) on Friday. Chef d’Equipe Angelika May chose a strong quartet of riders with championship experience, who showed their abilities by finishing on a completely clean sheet of zero with double clears for all four riders. Switzerland placed second with a team total of 16 penalties while Germany wound up in third – also on 16 penalties but with a slower time.
Following on from Lier (BEL) last week, this was the second leg of the Longines EEF Series but the first qualifying competition for the Southern region.
The challenging 1.50m course was set by Andrea Colombo (ITA) for this CSIO3* competition. This height of course is a new development for the Longines EEF Series which was previously smaller in dimensions but was well received by competitors many of whom are aiming for the FEI European Championships later this year. The competition consists of two rounds jumped over identical courses by each team and on this occasion a jump-off was not needed to establish the winner.
Austria was likely to be the team to beat, given the combined experience of their riders. The team included all three members of their jumping team who competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Gerfried Puck, Max Kühner and Katharina Rhomberg, as well as the Paris 2024 traveling reserve Christoph Obernauer who competed on the Austrian team at the FEI World Championships in Herning (DEN) in 2022.
Puck got his team off to a strong start with the 11-year-old Belgian bred gelding Equitron Ornaat V (Majeur de Brecey x Landetto). Puck was full of praise for the Longines EEF Series. “It is a very great competition for the upcoming riders and also for our team," he said. "I think it has been good to jump at 1.50m for the other championships like the Europeans, to get used to jumping at this height.”
Max Kühner and his mount EIC Daloubet flying to a double clear at the Longines EEF Series regional qualifier at Gorla Minore (ITA). Photo © EEF/sassofotografie.
33-year-old Rhomberg followed suit with a clean sheet on the impressive grey Colestus Cambridge (Colestus x Cambridge), who she has produced since a young horse. "My horse jumped very well today," Rhomberg said. "It was a technical course. Fairly built but not so easy to ride so we all had to ride well and luckily we did.”
Obernauer was also well mounted on his faithful companion Kleons Renegade (Quintero x Stakkato), with whom he contested the World Championships in 2022 and has ridden since the horse was four. “He is one of a kind for me – a super horse," Obernauer said. "These are top facilities here and my horses are jumping really good and from the first fence on I had a really good feeling today.”
51-year-old Kühner kept a cool head to jump last and produce two copy book rounds on the 10-year-old EIC Daloubet (Diamant de Semilly x Baloubet du Rouet).
Austrian chef d’Equipe Angelika May commented on the ‘very elegant old Italian style’ of course in Gorla. “I think this is a very nice competition and a very nice series and I’m very proud of my team.”
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