“It is always nice to win, but to win in Aachen is all the more special” – Belgium’s Koen Vereecke said after he left the ring as winner of the VBR-Prize. It is his third visit to Aachen, but the first time he has claimed the gold rosette.

His partner in success was the ten-year-old BWP mare, Oilily de Muze by Vigo d’Arsouilles. It was her first time in Aachen and she was slightly overwhelmed by the Main Stadium in the first few days, Koen Vereecke reported. He thinks a lot of the mare, he brought her on very slowly and also gave her plenty of time to settle and get used to Aachen. “She was rather surprised on the first day and knocked a pole at the first fence. In the second class she picked up four faults towards the end of the course, but jumped very well. I wanted to ride her in a further competition, so that she can get used to the atmosphere.” The result was first place in the VBR-Prize, a 1.50-metre two-phase jumping competition.

Oilily was one of eight horses to jump clear and she reached the finish line just under a second faster than her fellow four-legged friends. Philipp Weishaupt finished second with the ten-year-old Hanoverian-bred Mescorial PS by Messenger (28.39). The Swiss rider Romain Duguet came third with the OS mare, Stawita PS by Stakkatol, who like Mescorial was bred at the Lewitz Stud, hence the appendix to the name “PS” for Paul Schockemöhle.

It is the third time Koen Vereecke is competing at the CHIO Aachen, this was his first victory. “I always wanted to ride here one day and now we are here for the third time in a row,” he said proudly. What is so different about Aachen compared to other shows? Koen Vereecke explained that it is the crowd. “That is the most impressive thing. Everyone here comes to see the horses, the riders and the horsey people. They even applaud when one has a fence down. They feel with the riders. That is what impresses me most about Aachen.”