While the U.S. team had to settle for silver in the Mercedes Benz Nations Cup on Thursday, American riders picked up wins in two major classes on the schedule on Thusday and Friday.

Kent Farrington is currently No. 1 in the world rankings and is well known for his fast jump-off performances, and his ride in the Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia at Aachen on Friday was vintage Farrington.

Where others hesitate, Farrington puts his foot down. And with the 16-year-old gelding Uceko, he has a horse that suits such tactics perfectly.

“He has a big canter stride and can take any obstacle at full speed,” was how Farrington described the advantages of his grey gelding. “That is why grass arenas like this one suit him well.”

Kent Farrington and Uceko. Photo by CHIO Aachen/Michael Strauch

And so the actually rather small and non-conspicuous gelding claimed his first big victory in Aachen in the Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia. In the second round the time on the clock stopped for the pair at 46.65 seconds. If Farrington has his way this was just the start—after the subsequent press conference, he asked the Show Director, Frank Kemperman, to leave his name sign up on the podium for the next competitions to come.

Those watching the live feed might have noticed McLain Ward pull up Rothchild late in his Round 1 trip in the class. After Rothchild struggled at an oxer and landed a bit uneven, Ward hopped off and led the game chestnut out of the ring. “He had an injury to his pastern and he’s resting comfortably in his stall,” Ward said.

Second place in the highlight in the jumping stadium on the CHIO Friday, went to German rider Christian Ahlmann, which was a nice consolation for his otherwise modest start to the show. On Wednesday, he and his 17-year-old horse Taloubet Z—like several other pairs—fell victim to the storm that exploded over the grounds. Taloubet was so shocked that he refused the water jump twice, which is totally untypical for this Galoubet A son, with whom Ahlmann has more or less won everything. “It was such a shame! He is in great form; he’s like a young horse. And I had so much been looking forward to this weekend!”

Third place went to the German Champion Simone Blum at her Soers debut, the clock stopped just 6/100s of a second behind Ahlmann. After her top horse, the 10-year-old Askari daughter DSP Alice sustained an injury at another show, Blum’s first appearance in Aachen was up in the air. So, she was all the more lucky that she was ultimately able to compete here and collect third.

See complete results of the North-Rhine Westphalia class.

The day before, U.S. rider Beezie Madden picked up a win of her own in the STAWAG Prize. Madden and Breitling LS, crossed the finish line almost 3 seconds faster than her fellow competitors. “I love Aachen, it is always an honor to ride here. And winning here is something very special,” commented Madden.

Beezie Madden and Breitling LS in the awards ceremony. Photo by CHIO Aachen/Michael Strauch

The currently extremely successful, Felix Haßmann, who had saddled his Westphalian-bred stallion Balzaci, whom he steered to two grand prix victories at the last two shows, followed in second place after jumping clear in 68.59 seconds.

Third place went to a further rider from the USA, Laura Kraut, with Whitney, an Indoctro daughter, who crossed the jumped clear in 69.86 seconds.

See full results from the STAWAG Prize. 

IMPORTANT LINKS:  What You Need To Know  |  Schedule  |  Live Results  |  Direct link to Aachen stream on ClipMyHorse.tv  |  Aachen’s main site