A Great Performance by Big Ben Propels Gerrit Nieberg to First in the €300,000 Longines Grand Prix of Hamburg CSI 5*

By Jumper News on 21 21America/Sao_Paulo May 21America/Sao_Paulo 2023

Hamburg, Germany – May 19, 2022 – Gerrit Nieberg (GER) and Ben seem to rise to the occasion, shining their brightest while competing on home soil and under the spotlight of a major event. Winners of the €1,500,000 Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen CSI 5*, the dynamic duo delivered again, this time claiming top honors in the €300,000 Longines Grand Prix of Hamburg CSI 5*.

Forty-four combinations entered the grass arena to tackle Frank Rothenberger‘s (GER) first round course but only twelve of them managed to clear all the 1.60m obstacles and cross the finish line within the time allowed of 84 seconds to advance to the jump-off. The odds favored the host nation as seven combinations from the host nation were amongst the finalists. However, it would be a tough task since both Martin Fuchs (SUI) and Ben Maher (GBR) were in the mix to contend for the coveted title.

With another great performance by “Big” Ben, Gerrit Nieberg (GER) galloped towards victory in the decisive round, blazing through the track on the 12-year-old bay Westphalian gelding (Sylvain x Quincy Jones) before charging through the finish line in flawless fashion, being time in 46.63 seconds.

After missing about 3 months of competition, which caused him to drop from the top 10 in the world rider ranking for the first time in a long time, Ben Maher (GBR) had already finished second in the $500,000 Grand Prix CSI 5* at the Royal Windsor Horse Show CSI 5* and the British rider duplicated the feat. This time he rode Dallas Vegas Batilly (Cap Kennedy x L’Arc de Triomphe* Bois Margot) towards the second fastest time amongst four combinations who registered a clean scorecard, securing the second spot on the podium in 47.22 seconds.

Perhaps the most nation with the most consistent at the event, Ireland had another top-three finish. Michael Duffy (IRL) guided Che Fantastica (Check In 2 x Pablo) towards bronze honors in 50.64 seconds.

Final Results – €300,000 Longines Grand Prix of Hamburg CSI 5*

1) Gerrit Nieberg (GER) & Ben – 0 / 0 – 46.63

2) Ben Maher (GBR) & Dallas Vegas Batilly – 0 / 0 – 47.22

3) Michael Duffy (IRL) & Che Fantastica – 0 / 0 – 50.64

full results

COURSE MAP

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