The weekend in Jönköping, Sweden, could hardly have gone more successfully for Rolf-Göran Bengtsson: first he won with the association’s stallion Zuccero by Zirocco Blue-Caretino (Hanno Köhncke, Badendorf), line 4539, in a 1.45-metre show jumping class. He then went on to claim victory in a 1.50-metre course on Lyjanair by Lyjanero-Coriano (Wendy Davis Gerrish/USA). He also guided the former World Champion of Young Show Jumpers, Caillan by Casall-Carry (Gerd Ohlsen, Föhr), line 18A2, to second place in a 1.45-metre show jumping class. In the Grand Prix (1.50 metres), the Swedish rider saddled his European team champion Zuccero, and once again the pair rode a flawless round in both the first round and the jump-off – finishing third.
In a 1.60-metre show jumping class in Lyon (FRA), with prize money of 100,000 euros, Caracho – a son of Cassilano and Quick Star – and Steve Guerdat (SUI) jumped to victory. Since mid-March, the Swiss rider has been in the saddle of the stallion bred by Jens Ritters of Krumstedt, line 730B, and has already won the Grand Prix in Brussels (BEL) with him.
Rene Dittmer rode the former Holstein State Champion, Corsica X by Connor-Corofino II (Ehrich Westphal, Stipsdorf), line 4564, to a significant victory in a 1.50-metre show jumping competition in Lexington (USA) – a major achievement in the ten-year-old mare’s still-young career. And this came just one week after the mare had already won a 1.55-metre competition. The pair have already enjoyed great success this year in show jumping up to 1.60-metre level, including at the CSI Hof Waterkant and at several competitions in the USA.
Casturano by Castelan I-Canturo (owner Detlef Hennings, Bendorf), line 318D1, and Conor Swail (IRL) also claimed victory in a 1.50-metre show jumping class at this competition. The gelding first entered the sport in Schleswig-Holstein with Alessa Hennings and is racking up a string of placings during his current competition tour of the USA. Saratoga by Chin Champ-Casall (Klaus Thiedemann, Oesterwurth), line 2543, and Alise Oken (USA) finished fourth here.
Eventing
Julia Krajewski secured her formal Olympic qualification at the weekend in Montelibretti (ITA). She did so with Nickel by Numero Uno-Lorentin I (Hindrick Stüvel, Rosengarten), line 4303. Riding him, she finished second in the four-star long test, having already made a very strong start with a convincing dressage performance, to which they added only a few time penalties in the cross-country and one knockdown in the show jumping. “I’m incredibly proud of his progress,” Krajewski said in the summer, as the nine-year-old has shone with outstanding performances despite having little experience at four-star level, finishing third in Lühmühlen (GER) and winning in Arville (FRA), amongst other results.
Further results from Holsteiners from around the world can be found here:
Photo by Stefan Lafrentz: Lyjanair and Rolf-Göran Bengtsson
