Thirteen pairs had reached the jump-off in the second qualifier for the highlight of the CHIO Aachen 2026 – the Rolex Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. And for a long time, it looked like no one would be able to beat the time set by the Belgian rider, Abdel Said. Riding his 13-year-old mare, Wathnan Bonne Amie, he had set a benchmark that appeared to be as solid as rock. With a powerful, scopey canter, his equine partner virtually flew round the course – mastering the fences agilely and effortlessly, tight and precise in the turns. Not a single fault, not a moment of hesitation – the clock finally stopped at 39.59 seconds. Their lead seemed secure. For now.

Then, Lillie Keenan and her bay stallion, Kick On, entered the Main Stadium in Aachen – the pair that recently secured a respectable tenth place at the World Cup Finals in Texas. The vast arena fell silent. Concentration hung in the air, over the rider, the horse and the spectators on the grandstand. What followed was a textbook display of modern show jumping – fast-paced, yet characterised by impressive harmony. Always in rhythm, always in perfect stride, always in sync with one another. Kick On, his ears pricked attentively forward, seemed to be actively looking for the next fence. The duo negotiated the turn to the penultimate obstacle, the place so many pairs before them had lost their flow, with apparent ease. Then, came the final line, even before Kick On took off for the final vertical, cheers erupted from the grandstands.  Carried along by thunderous applause, the 12-year-old flew over the final fence with his rider. A glance at the scoreboard confirmed the result: 38.21 seconds. The lead and what a lead it was! But the suspense was not over yet: As the final competitor to enter the ring, the Argentine José María (Jr.) Larocca and his Contendro I son, Chris, stepped up to face the challenge of the decisive round. He, too, jumped clear, delivering a high-class performance in 40.10 seconds to secure third place.

“I really enjoyed the moment,” beamed a visibly happy Lillie Keenan following the prize-giving ceremony. “Now it is time to reset; tomorrow is a new day and I want to give my absolute best once again,” said the 29-year-old, already setting her sights on the Rolex Grand Prix. She will be saddling the KWPN gelding, Faster, for the class tomorrow – the very horse she finished sixth with in last year’s CHIO Aachen highlight event. “He is a very experienced horse. In my opinion, one of the best in the world. I think we have a very good chance, provided I do my job as well as I did today.”

Two further stars, who clearly feel very much at home at the Aachen Soers are Julien Epaillard and his twelve-year-old gelding, Easy Up de Grandry. Having already claimed the victory in the “Prize of the Soers” on the opening day, they once again proved to be the ones to beat in today’s “Prize of the CHIO Aachen CAMPUS.” With a round at breakneck speed, the Frenchman left his competitors trailing behind him by more than five seconds. Second place went to Daniel Bluman, riding for Israel, aboard his nine-year-old grey mare, Malina (0/74.95). Germany’s Sophie Hinners rounded off the podium in third place with Iron Dames Kaleni Jo (0/75.43).

At the end of the second qualification for the Youngster Tour, the Swiss national anthem rang out across the Main Stadium. In honour of the winner, Janika Sprunger, the Swiss cross was hoisted high above the stands. In the saddle of her aspiring young talent, Victory Music Z, the 38-year-old conjured up the fastest clear round on the Holy Grass, reaching the finish line in a time of 69.22 seconds. “Yesterday she was still very shy,” the beaming winner reported, referring to her eight-year-old mare. “But today she was a completely different horse.” The Austrian show-jumper, Max Kühner, came second with Cardi MT (0/69.72), followed by the crowd’s favourite – and previous day winner –Richard Vogel with United Call JPS (0/70.13). Tomorrow, on Sunday, the “Prize of Handwerk”, the final for the young horses is on the agenda. The class starts at 9:45 a.m. and guarantees pure excitement.