Aachen, Germany—July 17

The Aachen CHIO will always be more than just a horse show to Philipp Weishaupt.

It’s the place he first met his girlfriend, American show jumper Bliss Heers five years ago. It’s the place he got on one knee to propose on Saturday. And today it’s the place he won the Rolex Grand Prix against some of the world’s best show jumpers.

Philipp Weishaupt picked up only two time faults across two rounds to win the Rolex Grand Prix with LB Convall. Photo by Tiffany van Halle.

Going into it the class Weishaupt didn’t expect to come out with the win with LB Convall. The German pair picked up two time faults in the first round, and Weishaupt admitted that he didn’t spent a lot of time fretting about preparing for the second round. Instead he chose to wander around CHIO Aachen village with his fiancé.

Perhaps that relaxed mentality paid off. Weishaupt went clear in the second round, and when Martin Fuchs on Clooney 51 and Gerco Schröder on Glock’s Congac Champblanc N.O.P., who were tied for the lead on a single time fault, both faulted in the second round, the victory was his.

Weishaupt, who works for the Beerbaum Stables, has begun his journey towards the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping and hopes his success will continue at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Canada this September. A victory there would be even more sweet since it was at Spruce that Weishaupt did his homework for the Rolex Grand Prix in Aachen.

McLain Ward was the top-placed American with HH Azur. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

McLain Ward was the top-placed American, dropping a single rail in the first round aboard HH Azur before going clear in the second round. Right on his heels was Beezie Madden, who jumped to a four-fault score over two rounds with Cortes ‘C’.

Full results can be found here.

Philipp Weishaupt has officially begun his quest to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Philipp Weishaupt gallops through the timers with LB Convall. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.