GERMANY’s Marcus Ehning scored an emotional third win in the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen on Sunday afternoon infront of a packed home crowd at the incredible venue.

Following victories in 2006 (Nolte’s Kuhengirl) and 2018 (Pret A Tout), Sunday’s victory in the €1.5 million class came aboard Elmrock BV’s 12-year-old stallion Stargold when the pair were last to go in the jump-off and one of only two combinations to keep a clean sheet over three rounds, earning the top prize of €500,000.

The German maestro punched the air and then dropped to the stallion’s neck with tears in his eyes after beating teammate Daniel Deusser by fractions of a second.

“Stargold is such an amazing horse. Today was our day. I had a good feeling all week. He likes the stadium, he was in super form the last two weeks. To win the Grand Prix of Aachen is unbelievable!” he commented afterwards, adding: “We will celebrate a nice party. It can never get old [wining here], this crowd and the way it went by going last, it was incredible.”

It was a very expensive sixth tenths of a second for Daniel Deusser riding Stephex Stables’ 13-year-old mare Killer Queen VDM; they were just slower in 45.73 seconds to win €300,000. “I am very, very happy with the performance of my horse today. We had three really fantastic clear rounds. I thought the jump-off was good for my feeling. I tried to put a bit of pressure on Marcus. I have mixed feelings, of course I would like to be standing on the winning podium, but even if I had ridden a second faster, Marcus would probably have done the same,” Deusser commented.

Third place also belonged to Germany when Philipp Weishaupt posted the fastest round of the jump-off (43.36) with the nine-year-old Zineday, but they had four faults at the Mercedez Benz oxer, leaving them in third place.

Also through to the third round jump-off, Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa finished fourth with Major Tom, picking up four faults, just ahead of Mexico’s Eugenio Garza Perez and Contago in fifth.

HH Azur retired

McLain Ward was aiming to complete the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping with HH Azur, having won in Geneva and ‘s-Hertogenbosch, but they faulted at both the second and third fences before opting to retire. After the class, Ward called time of the wonderful 17-year-old mare’s career.

Writing a tribute to the mare on social media, Ward said: “I knew this day would come but somehow you always were able to reach deep inside and achieve greatness time and time again. You have given all of us so much but it’s time to say goodbye to our sport and retire in good health. Your wings carried all of us whose lives you have touched on an incredible journey. You are the very definition of a queen. It was a privilege to have been the one to ride on your wings, to be your partner and to be part of your life.”

Daniel Coyle win

On his first trip to the hallowed Aachen turf, Derry’s Daniel Coyle won Wednesday’s 1.50m two-phase Prize of StädteRegion Aachen with Ariel Grange’s 13-year-old mare Legacy who was runner-up in the five-star Grand Prix of Rotterdam just three days earlier.

From 47 starters, the pair were the fastest of 27 clear rounds in 29.53 seconds, earning €6,550. He beat France’s Simon Delestre and I Amelusina R into second place (30.14) while Colombian rider Roberto Teran Tafur guided the Greg Broderick-bred BP Wakita (Pacino x Cruising) into third place.

“If I ride well, she jumps good so the pressure predominantly lies on me. But that is how it should be,” commented Coyle. “All of my friends were already here, at least to watch. I haven’t even been here as a spectator before. They always told me that it is a super show. But we visit so many fantastic shows that you don’t ever think you will be that impressed when you come somewhere new. But they have everything you can possibly imagine here: Wow!”

Beerbaum bows out

Ludger Beerbaum called time on his phenomenal career on the final day of Aachen, bowing out before 40,000 spectators. A career that began in 1985 in Dublin with his first appearance on the German Nations Cup team, he represented his country 133 times and that was followed by an unbelievable 24 Championship appearances.

He has won 20 international medals, 12 of them gold and among them individual Olympic gold in Barcelona in 1992. He retired from Nations Cup riding in 2016 and after riding the Aachen Grand Prix for an incredible 35th time, he decided it was time to step away from the saddle.