What a jump-off in the RWE Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia! The time from the first round decided the starting order of the second round for the first time – a new rule that Jana Wargers took advantage of today.

Jana Wargers and her mare Dorette opened the RWE Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia punctually at 12.50 p.m. with a fast, clear round. Another 18 pairs jumped clear in the first round, but none of them were able to match Wargers and Dorette’ time, which meant they had secured themselves the pole position of the show-jumpers: Not first, but last to go.

Until then, Richard Vogel and the just nine-year-old Chaman son Cepano Baloubet had been in the lead. Nobody thought anyone would be able to beat the time they had set of 45.67 seconds. And then Jana Wargers and Dorette came and knocked almost two whole seconds off. In a time of 43.69 seconds they literally left Vogel trailing behind. How she did it? “I don’t really know myself,” the 2022 winner of the Mercedes-Benz Nations’ Cup in Aachen laughed and immediately added a song of praise for her “super speedy and careful” mare. The pair have only been together for six months. Holger Wulschner brought the 14-year-old Dollar du Murier daughter on up to top international level. Then, she was under the saddle of the Irish rider, Max Wachman, for a while before she came to Jana Wargers.

Richard Vogel and Cepano Baloubet have known each other much longer. Two years ago Vogel claimed the title of German Champion of the Seven-Year-Old Jumping Horses with the Wuerttemberger DSP gelding. At the time, Richard Vogel had won the German U25 Trophy of the Stiftung Deutscher Pferdesport, Prize of Family Müter in Aachen for the third time. This year is the first time he has competed in the Big Tour. On Wednesday, he came fifth in the Turkish Airlines-Prize of Europe, today he came second. What a great debut! Vogel: “We were already very successful in Wellington. But here in Aachen, at home, it is something very special, of course!” Incidentally, the pair won the Rolex Grand Prix in Wellington.

Third place went to Kevin Staut from France, who jumped clear in 46.41 seconds with the ten-year-old OS mare, Dialou Blue PS. Staut, who was one of the first pairs to go of the 17 starters in the jump-off (two withdrew),  said: “I watched the end of the jump-off from the stand. That was crazy! I was nowhere near the two of them, not even in the lap of honour, because I was frightened Richard was going to fall off because he was applauding the crowd. So, I thought I’d best keep my distance a bit… No, seriously, it was a fantastic afternoon!”