Press release from Jumping Verona, edited by World of Showjumping

It was a proud moment for Daniel Deusser (GER) when Otello de Guldenboom (Tobago Z x Caretino) secured a superb victory in the CSI5*-W 1.55m Equipe and Kask Speed competition which brought day one of Jumping Verona 2025 to a close on Friday. 

The 11-year-old stallion is son of the German rider’s previous star Tobago Z, who was retired in August of this year. And it seems Otello is more than ready to step up to the plate, with a thoroughly convincing win against the toughest of opposition. With his big ears pricked throughout the entire course, he carried Deusser through the finish in 63.07 seconds and couldn’t be caught.

It was British Olympic star Ben Maher who established the early lead with his Paris 2024 team-gold-medal-winning ride Dallas Vegas Batilly (Cap Kennedy x L'Arc de Triomphe) who crossed the line in 66.04 seconds, but Otello blew that away with his speedy run.

Once out in front the German rider proved unbeatable, although the flying Frenchman Julien Epaillard came close with Acatitia S (Clearway x Alcamera de Moyon), he had to settle for second place when stopping the clock in 64.20 while Portugal’s Duarte Seabra eventually pinned Maher back to fourth when Dourados 2 (Diarado x Cornet Obolensky) clocked 66.00 seconds precisely for third place.

“Otello and myself are now a team for almost three years," Deusser pointed out. “We started jumping 1.50m classes together, we grew together into the Grand Prix sport, and now in the last year and year-and-a-half he’s actually won quite a few classes. He’s naturally not the fastest horse but he’s very sweet and has a good character, and today I decided to make the turn to the yellow vertical, where nobody else except Christian Kukuk went inside. I was doubting about it when I was walking the course, but when I saw a couple of the combinations I thought this was the only place for me to save some time and it worked out and nobody else did it so I’m very happy today," said the double-Olympian who was also World Cup champion back in 2014.

Otello posted wins in Amsterdam and ’s-Hertogenbosch this year before winning the Grand Prix at La Baule. “He’s a very consistent horse. In the last while when he goes to the shows he performs very well and that’s also because of his very good character in the ring and I hope he stays like that," said Deusser – who now plans to ride him in Sunday’s World Cup qualifier.

“He has a day off tomorrow so I’m going to try with Pepita van’t Meulenhof in tomorrow’s big class," Deusser – who won the Italian leg of the FEI World Cup series in Verona back in 2018 and who now clearly has his eyes on the Sunday’s big prize once again – concluded.