Here’s a lesson that rider Richard Vogel learned the hard way in the Rolex Grand Prix Sunday at Aachen—don’t celebrate your victory until you’re sure you’ve won.
Richard Vogel celebrates victory a moment too early.
The German, a real star in the show jumping at the International Equestrian Festival this year, was on his way to claiming the featured class aboard the fabulous United Touch S as they rose over the last jump. While his horse was landing with what would be the fastest time (38.64 seconds), he raised his arm in triumph and gave a thumbs up. Except that a rail was falling at the Rolex vertical even as he did so.
“I didn’t take all the risk to the last and I was still quite sure the time was good enough and then he was over the fence in front, but not behind yet. He touched it lightly behind and we had the rail,” said Richard, noting before the pole hit the ground, “I was sure the luck was on our side.”
Richard, who won the show’s style award, wound up third, behind runner-up McLain Ward of the U.S. on Ilex (clear in 41.02) and German rider Andre Thieme (0/39.77), who was overcome with emotion as he realized he just had earned the prestigious title. The first thing he did was repeatedly kiss his horse, DSP Chakaria, saying “I love her just like my wife.”
(His wife doesn’t mind that when she gets a winner’s check, he noted).
“She’s a lifetime horse for me,” he said of the 14-year-old Brandenburg mare (Chap 47 X Askari 173).
Although he’s the former European champion, Andre is very modest. So when it came to a class that is “every rider’s lifetime dream,” Andre confided, “I thought I’d never have a chance, ever.”
Andre Thieme enjoys his victory gallop.
His victory came because “I turned really short and aggressive” to the next-to-last fence” he recounted, but as he headed to that fateful Rolex vertical, he kept thinking “I’m not going to get there. But somehow, I got there and she cleared it. I think the risk to the last two jumps and her quickness made it in the end happen.”
He couldn’t ask for anything more than what he achieved in front of a cheering crowd of 40,000.
“If I would be two years older, I’d probably say `I’m done now,’” the 49-year-old rider mused.
For his part, “I thought this morning that if I was ahead of Richie, it was good enough,” said McLain, who is buddies with Vogel.
“This grand prix has eluded me.”
McLain Ward and Ilex. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
As he watched Andre go and saw that he had beaten Ilex’s time, McLain briefly put his head in his hands and then, in a gesture of sportsmanship, gave Andre a thumbs-up.
McLain learns he has lost the class, but gave a thumbs up to Andre a moment later.
This was only the second jump-off experience McLain has had with Ilex, who will be his mount for the Paris Olympics. The 11-year-old Dutchbred gelding (Baltic VDL X Chin Chin) was ridden by Fabio Leivas Da Costa of Brazil until McLain started showing him in February.
“I believe in his stride and his step,” said McLain.
“He did everything exactly the way I planned. In hindsight, I could have done eight (strides) to the last pretty easily. You always kick yourself a little bit. Andre took a great risk and it paid off and that’s great sport.”
McLain placed high in the classes he entered and was awarded a trophy for being the best-placed jumping rider over the course of the show, but didn’t win a competition. He noted, though, that “it probably would have been a very good Aachen” if Richard “hadn’t had the week of a lifetime.”
You can see why Richard Vogel won the style award at Aachen. (Hubert Fischer photo)
Aachen was the first leg of the Rolex Grand Slam for Andre. Next up is Spruce Meadows. Anyone who wins three legs in row gets a 1 million Euro bonus. Only one rider, Scott Brash of Great Britain, has ever done it.
Spruce Meadows hosts the next leg of the Rolex Grand Slam this September.
The Aachen grand prix drew 40 starters, with 18 qualifying for a second round over a different route designed by Frank Rothenberger. Only four then made the tiebreaker.
In its detailed form guide, EquiRatings gave United Touch S a 7 percent chance of winning, along with Baloutinue, the mount of the USA’s Laura Kraut, and Dallas Vegas Batilly, ridden by Britain’s Ben Maher. That horse won the Halla Trophy for being the most successful jumping horse of the show. EquiRating’s highest win chance of 11 percent was Leone Jei, ridden by Martin Fuchs of Switzerland. He wound up fourth with 4 faults. Neither Chakaria or Ilex had their win chances rated.
Finishing twelfth with a knockdown in the first round and a clean trip in the second round was Laura with Baloutinue. She will be McLain’s teammate at the Olympics, along with Kent Farrington (who wasn’t at Aachen).
“It’s a nice set-up to Paris,” said U.S. Coach Robert Ridland, who was happy to end on a good note after his team failed to qualify for the second round of the Nations Cup on Thursday.
Asked if thought he might be named to the fourth spot on the German team in the Olympics, Andre said no, noting that chance was gone when he didn’t produce a clear round in the Nations Cup. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He had been so tense worrying about making the Games team that it affected his performance.
“I wanted it too much,” he explained.
“My wife said I was not the same person.”
When he finally gave up on the hope, “something changed and I felt relieved, I felt myself again.”
So he had a beer.
“I can live with being number five for the Olympics,” he said.
The show, which drew more than 370,000 visitors over 10 days, ended with its traditional, “Farewell to the Nations.”
Everyone in the stands waved white handkerchiefs while the riders, some on foot and some on horseback, joyfully waved back (and drivers with two four-in-hands did the same) to the traditional tune about leaving, “Muss I Denn” played over and over.
There’s nothing like Aachen anywhere else on earth.
click here for results of Rolex Grand Prix
