Ben Maher claims a five-star win and leading rider at the prestigious Aachen premier event
Monday 07 July 2025
Ben Maher sealed victory with a beautiful double clear to take the RWE Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany with Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s Point Break.
Forty-three athletes faced a demanding task of mastering the 5* 12-fence 1.60m track course-designer Frank Rothenberger had set, with a slightly uphill triple combination and a penultimate double of verticals of skinny planks asked the difficult questions. In fact, it was the two very thin planks that caused the most problems, and only two riders found the key to feature in a final showdown.
“When I walked the course, I thought, wow!”, Olympic champion and first to go Christian Kukuk summarized his impression and suspected that it would be challenging but came home on four faults with the 10-year-old stallion Chageorge, jumping for the first time on grass. However, riders encountered more problems as the class progressed, and it seemed there would be a jump-off between the four-faulters, until Ioli Mytilineou (GRE) making her Aachen debut and La Perla VD Heffinck produced a flawless round. She was the only clear until last to go Ben supplied an immaculate round to force a head-to-head decider.
In line with a new rule, Ben and the 11-year-old Point Break (Action-Breaker x Balou Du Rouet) were first to go and cruised round, competitive but not taking any risks. Two rails down and four seconds slower put Ioli into second place.
Ben confirmed the fact that the course was difficult: “It didn’t ride comfortably. but Point Break was totally with me and attentive. He’s an incredible athlete, we did the test today, so that he isn’t too stunned in the Rolex Grand Prix.”
And Frank Rothenberger made a decision after the class – “We’re going to burn the planks,” he declared.
Ben decided to rest Point Break until Sunday for the Grand Prix, but four faults over the two rounds left them in 13th place.
Ben claimed second place in the Youngsters Cup – Final on the eight-year-old Maddox VH Haringvliet Z (Monte Bellini x Ogano Sitte) 0,22 seconds off the pace in the 13-strong jump-off.
The 12-year-old Dallas Vegas Batilly (Cap Kennedy x L’Arc De Triomphe) jumped into third from first draw for Ben in the Turkish Airlines 14-fence, 17-effort 1.60m in a 12-horse jump-off, finishing 1.12 seconds behind the winner, The USA’s Kent Farrington on Myla.
“I have had a few problems in jump-off lately, I risked too much and Dallas has lost a bit of confidence. Today, I was too slow over the first two jumps and lost a bit of time, but the mare jumped brilliantly, full of confidence. So, it was the best preparation for tomorrow, because she is competing in the Nations Cup for the team,” said Ben, who jumped double clear to help the team to finish third on the podium.
Consistent results plus the win earned Ben the Pride of the Federal Chancellor for the leading rider award with a 17-point lead. And Dallas was awarded with the Halla Challenge Trophy as the most successful jumping horse of the entire event. A good day at the office.
Harry Charles misses out on a Longines Global Champions win but claims two second places in Monaco
Harry Charles missed out on a win but claimed two 5* 1.60m second places on the Longines Global Champions Tour in Monaco with panoramic ringside views, glamorous super-yachts and the Mediterranean glittering in the background.
Harry jumped Sherlock into the runner-up position in the major Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco, conducted in an electric atmosphere. Forty riders stepped into the spotlight to take on the formidable track set by course-designer Uliano Vezzani, but 12 riders mastered the course packed with questions to advance to the jump-off.
First to go, Maikel van der Vleuten set the pace aboard O’Bailey van het Brouwershof N.O.P., but their round was marred by a rail at the first part of the double. Third out Simon Delestre, who arrived in Monaco with only one thing in mind: winning. Knowing exactly what was needed, he and Cayman Jolly Jumper rode flat-out to the final fence with clinical precision, slicing corners and never lifting off the gas. Their breathtaking round rocketed them into the lead and brought the crowd to its feet.
The final rider was Harry piloting Sherlock. With everything to play for, he delivered a fast and polished round, missing out on the top spot by 1.84 seconds but clinching second place overall. Going last, the pressure was immense - but he delivered under the lights.
Speaking after his second place, Harry said of Maikel van der Vleuten: “I asked him ‘if the four strides was on’, as I think only him and Simon did it, so looking back I would've done five… I wasn't even in the ring when I took off - but Sherlock had a big enough step, and he trusted me so thanks to him it paid off.”
Harry picked up second on Casquo Blue in the individual 5* 1.60m speed competition, run concurrently with the Global Champions League. A field of 54 riders came forward, Harry slotting the Chacco Blue x Carthago 15-year-old into the runner-up spot 0.25 seconds off the pace.
George Whitaker notched up a win in the 2* 1.40m speed with Martin Wood’s Peanut. Thirty-six came forward over the 11-fence course with George and the Barrichello x Quasimodo Z 12-year-old outpacing them all to win by an impressive 2.55 seconds.
Grace Healey topped another 2* 1.40m speed, beating her 32 rivals by 0.74 seconds on the 14-year-old mare Destina Du Mesnil Z.
Matt Sampson has to settle for second place by the tiniest of margins at Spruce Meadows North American
Winner of the $500,000 Aon Grand Prix in last week’s Spruce Meadows Pan American with Daniel, Matt Sampson had to settle for second in the 5* Jayman Built Cup a few days later in the North American Jay Built Cup, this time riding Ebolensky.
Nine of the 40 starters posted clear rounds over course-designer Santiago Varela’s (ESP) track to join the jump-off, The USA’s Kyle King claiming two of the rides. Kyle, a regular at Spruce Meadows, made it his day, winning on Kayenne Z and slipping Odysseus into third.
Only two jumped double clear, Kyle just having the edge over Matt and the Clinton x Heartbreaker 16-year-old Ebolensky breaking the finish beams only 0.03 seconds in arrears. Kyle was faster on Odysseus, but a rail on the floor dropped them to third.
Charlie Jones slotted Capitale 6 into second in the Akita Drilling Cup 1.50m Winning Round. Ten of the original 33 returned for round two, Charlie and Morning Star Sport Horses’ San Patrignano Cassini x For Pleasure 14-year-old finishing 1.54 seconds behind the winner, Ireland’s Jordan Coyle aboard For Gold. Amelie Gachoud also jumped double clear for fourth on Lancaster.
Images: Aachen & Diana Whal
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