AUSTRIA’s Max Kühner landed one of the biggest victories of his career when winning the first Rolex Grand Slam Major of 2021, the €700,000 1.60m Rolex Grand Prix at The Dutch Masters in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, last Sunday.

The first five-star of the year in Europe was widely welcomed by riders and seven of the top 10 in the world lined out over Louis Konickx’s course in hope of becoming the next Grand Slam live contender.

A total of 43 started over the 1.60m track. All eyes were on Martin Fuchs, who was the live contender following his Rolex Grand Prix win at the CHI Geneva in December 2019, however, he finished with eight faults aboard his current European champion mount Clooney 51.

Just eight progressed to the jump-off, while USA’s Laura Kraut was denied her place by a heart-breaking time penalty. Germany’s Philipp Weishaupt, a winner of two Rolex Grand Slam Major Grands Prix in the past (Aachen 2013 and Spruce Meadows 2017), was first to go against the clock and set the standard with a clear round in 33.71 seconds aboard Coby 8. His lead was short-lived however, as Germany’s Christian Kukuk and his 11-year-old grey gelding, Checker 47, went next, stopping the clock in 33.57 seconds.

With none of the following four riders able to better Kukuk’s performance, the Grand Prix’s fate lay with Brazil’s Marlon Modolo Zanotelli and Kühner. The penultimate partnership to go, Kühner and his 10-year-old gelding Elektric Blue P set off at blistering pace, taking the first fence at an angle and taking every risk after that. His bravery paid off when he broke the beam in 32.52 seconds to go into the lead with just one left to go.

It was an anxious wait while Zanotelli and VDL Edgar M took it on and they came close, but not close enough, finishing in a time of 32.69 seconds to slot into second place. Kukuk had to settle for third place while Weishaupt placed fourth and Dutchman Willem Greve finished fifth with the only other clear round.

Big aim

Delighted with his performance, Kühner commented: “The Rolex Grand Slam has always been a big aim for me, so I’m very happy that it worked out today. I bought Elektric Blue [Elektric Blue P] when he was a two-year-old. I saw him do one free jump on a video, and I said I like him, and the auction was already running, so we bought him.

“He’s always done everything very well, he was always a very good horse, and he never disappointed me. He has unbelievable possibilities, as jumping is quite easy for him. He has a good character and likes to do the sport. At home he gets bored quite easily, so we have a special programme for him. We hack him and drive him to where he can climb a little bit in the mountains.”

Speaking about where he goes from here as a live contender, Kühner added: “Spruce Meadows and Aachen in September was already on my schedule. It’s still far away, but we will try to make a plan as early as possible. We will aim to take Chardonnay to Calgary, as he finished third in the last CP ‘International’, presented by Rolex in 2019, where he jumped very nicely. And maybe we’ll take Elektric Blue to Aachen.”

Win for Lynch

Tipperary native Denis Lynch won Saturday’s 1.45m at the Dutch venue. From a startlist of 27, eight made it through to the jump-off, where Lynch and the 14-year-old stallion Cristello (Numero Uno x Voltaire) were the best of four double clear rounds in 33.45 seconds.

USA’s Laura Kraut slotted into second place with Constable II (0/0 33.58), while Portugal’s Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida finished third with GB Celine (33.67).