He looked like he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened: 22-year-old Guido Klatte Jr. (GER), from Lastrup in Lower Saxony, took victory in the €70,150 Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG Grand Prix CSI 3* with chestnut horse Qinghai. “I never thought for a moment that I would actually win here”, gasped the former Junior European Champion breathlessly as he hugged his horse. “Quinghai is king of the stables, he gets away with everything”, gushed Klatte about his star horse.

Guido Klatte Jr. (GER) & Qinghai

With clever moves and an eye for safety, the rider from Lower Saxony “curved” his way around the 1.55m course, guiding the 11-year-old chestnut Oldenburg gelding (Quidam de Revel x Cordalme) to victory flawlessly in 42.42 seconds.

Max Kühner (AUT) and Cornet Kahlua were the only other combination that registered two penalty-free runs, completing their second one without taking many risks, thus earning silver honors in 47.18 seconds.

Maurice Tebbel (GER) and Don Diarado (Diarado x Lord Lancer) rounded out the top three as the combination with the fastest jump-off time despite having four-penalty points, crossing the finish line in 40.59 seconds.

Second place rider Max Kühner (AUT) came out of the jump-off, which involved nine rider/horse pairings, rather less full of beans. “Cornet Kalua and I haven’t quite found ourselves at one over the past two days”, said Kühner with a mischievous smile, “in as far as my plan was to ride a good and fault-free round”. The fact that a number of young riders have achieved victory in Frankfurt is something the Munich-born Austrian competitor sees as a positive: “It’s important for the sport and just the way it should be.”

For Kühner, following the Frankfurt Festhalle Riding Tournament, there is still the prospect of competing at the World Cup tournament in London ahead of him before he can take a Christmas break. Maurice Tebbel (GER) was equally pleased with taking third place with his world championship horse Don Diarado. “He had a short break after the World Championships and has now jumped brilliantly in three indoor tournaments.”

Guido Glatte Jr (GER) & Qinghai during the awards ceremony

Well Motored-Up Again

Thanks to his brilliant round in which he kept, amongst others, 2014 double world champion Jeroen Dubbeldam (NED) and World Championship sixth-place rider Max Kühner (AUT) at bay,
the young German took home a brand-new Mercedes-Benz A Class, something both Klatte father and son were overjoyed about:

“I had an accident with the car a couple of weeks ago, so this has sorted that out.” Christmas holidays will have to wait.

Final Results: €70,150 Deutschen Vermögensberatung AG Grand Prix CSI 3*

Place / Rider / Country / Horse / Faults / Time

1. Guido Klatte Jr. (GER) & Quinghai – 0 / 0 / – 42.42

2. Max Kühner (AUT) & Cornet Kalua – 0 / 0 – 47.18

3. Maurice Tebbel (GER) & Don Diarado – 0 / 4 / – 40.59

4. Sören Pedersen (DEN) & Tailormade Chaloubet – 0 / 4 / – 43.42

5. Jeroen Dubbeldam (NED) & Roelofsen Horse Trucks Eldorado – 0 / 4 / – 43.56

6. Tobias Meyer (GER) & Corny – 0 / 4 / – 44.12

For full results, please click here.

Source: Press release from Festhallen Reitturnier

Photos: © Pferdefotografie Stefan Lafrentz by Stefan Lafrentz