There hasn’t been a Rolex Grand Slam winner since Great Britain’s Scott Brash accomplished the mission in 2015. But as of Sunday, German rider Richie Vogel could be on his way with a victory in the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen in a follow up to taking the Rolex competition at the Dutch Masters in March. Now he’s pointing toward the Rolex class in September at Spruce Meadows and a 1 million Euro bonus if he makes that his third conquest in a row.
Riding the magnificent United Touch S, Richie was among only three riders from a starting field of 40 who were clear in two rounds and the jump-off of the class worth 1.5 million Euros ($1,740,000).
“We’re still breathless, still out of words. It’s a real childhood dream coming through,” a delighted Richie said after dismounting.
“Achieving it with such a special horse and such a special story behind the horse, the breeder and owner Julius-Peter Sinnack is here today, the whole team behind United Touch that takes care of him at home and at the shows and ride him at home when I’m not there. It’s a very special story behind the horse.”
The final act, played out before a packed house on the green lawn of a show that is both respected and revered, pitted Richie against his partner, Sophie Hinners, on the Swedish warmblood gelding Iron Dames Singclair and unexpectedly, an Argentine competitor, the well-respected Jose Maria Larocca Jr. with the Dutchbred gelding Finn Lente.
Though Larocca has Olympic mileage and at 57 is a true veteran of the sport, it was unexpected to see him on the podium when such big names as Scott Brash and his countryman Olympic champion Ben Maher as well as defending champion Marcus Fuchs of Switzerland didn’t even make it into the tie-breaker.
Sophie set a conservative pace of 51.62 seconds over the jump-off route set by Frank Rothenberger, the house course designer at Aachen. Richie went on to blow the doors off aboard his Westfalen stallion with a time of 45.57. It was left to Jose to try to beat that, and his game effort got him close in 47.36 seconds. The last Argentine to win the class at Aachen, Dr. Miguel Arrambide, did it in 1965, and Jose gave a valiant try to have his country take the honors again.
There was a moment of confusion before Richie started his final round, when he asked if a certain jump was part of the route. It wasn’t, so he refocused and got under way with determination.
“I really tried to lay down a good jump-off going in there as a Rolex live contender I really wanted to make sure i had the best time, I would rather risk a rail than being too slow and I’m just very happy at how amazing United performed,” he said.
Discussing the pressure he faced with a potential Grand Slam on the line, he remarked “It’s a nice pressure to have. The luck was on our side for sure.” But as he pointed out, “My grandpa said, `No one ever won with bad luck,’ so we’ll take it.”
Richie Vogel and United Touch played to a packed stadium.
United Touch, restive during the awards ceremony, dissed the magnificent Rolex trophy by knocking into the pedestal on which it rested and sending it to the ground. The silver cup was rescued with no harm done.
Two U.S. riders made it into the top 10, but a rail down with Greya in the second round put an end to the incredible winning streak enjoyed by FEI World Cup champion Kent Farrington, who finished eighth, two ahead of Laura Kraut and Bisquetta. Lillie Keenan, winner of Saturday’s class with Kick on, wound up eleventh with a rail and a slower time than her compatriots.
McLain Ward’s mount, High Star Hero, faulted with a mark on the tape at the water jump in the first round to finish twenty-first. The other two Americans competing at the show, Karl Cook and Aaron Vale, did not qualify for the grand prix. Click here for results
