| A Weekend of highs and lows
Once again, this weekend clearly showed just how close joy and disappointment can be in show jumping. The show weekend for Philipp and James already began on Wednesday in Hamburg. James competed with Oberon in the 4* Tour and with Elzandor Z in the 4* Derby Tour. Philipp was competing in the 5* Tour with Callao L and Kilmister. In the first class of the 4* Tour, James and Oberon delivered a clear round, but their time was not enough to secure a placing in the opening class over 1.40m. In the first qualifier for the 95th Hamburg Derby, James and Elzandor Z produced a harmonious and confident round. Despite receiving one penalty point for exceeding the time allowed in the demanding course, the pair finished in 13th place. Also on Wednesday, Philipp and Callao L secured third place in the first 5* class over 1.45m with a clear round in both phases.
Thursday continued successfully as well. James and Oberon once again delivered a clear round in the 4* class, while Philipp and Callao L won the 5* class with almost a two-second lead. For Philipp, this marked a successful conclusion to his weekend in Hamburg, as he was already competing in Madrid with Team Riesenbeck International on Friday. Ciaran, who was competing as an individual rider in Madrid, got things underway in the individual qualifier for the Grand Prix. Riding Casalla Blue PS, he delivered a clear round, secured second place, and with it qualification for the Grand Prix. Expectations for Philipp and Max Weishaupt, who were representing the team, were therefore high. However, Zuccero HV and Max had three rails down as the first pair to go, increasing the pressure on Philipp and Mastermind RL. A clear round would still have given the team a chance to make the Top 10 and qualify for the second round, but Philipp and Mastermind RL also had two rails down. With 20 penalty points in total, the team ultimately finished in 14th place – a disappointing result for the team.
“After the strong start from Ciaran and Casalla Blue PS and second place in the individual qualifier, we had high hopes for our team in Madrid. Finishing 14th is undoubtedly disappointing, and after our strong performance in Shanghai we unfortunately slipped back in the overall standings. Nevertheless, we will try to draw the right conclusions from our performance and come back stronger at the next stage in Cannes,” Ludger summarized after the afternoon in Madrid.
At the same time, there was reason to celebrate in Hamburg: James and Elzandor Z stayed clear in the second qualifier for the Hamburg Derby and confirmed their strong form. In the end, the pair finished in 11th place, securing their starting spot in Sunday’s Derby.
Back in Madrid, Saturday turned into a successful day for our team and especially for Philipp. Riding Mastermind RL, he stayed clear in both phases of the 5* class and secured tenth place. In the following 5* class over 1.50m, all riders from Team Riesenbeck International performed well. Although Ciaran and Megalon K had one rail down, their fast time in the first round still earned them a placing. Philipp and Chaquitos PS, as well as his brother and Team Riesenbeck International rider Max Weishaupt with Kokomo B, both stayed clear and qualified for the jump-off. Once again, both combinations kept all the rails up; Max and Kokomo B secured fourth place, while Philipp and Chaquitos PS went on to win the class.
Whether in Hamburg or Madrid, hopes were high heading into Sunday’s final day. For James and Elzandor Z, it was their first Hamburg Derby, and after two confident qualifying rounds, expectations were high. However, despite their secure performances in the qualifiers, Elzandor Z was unsettled by the large open water jump, bringing what had started as such a promising round to an early end. Later that afternoon, the Grand Prix took place in Madrid. Ciaran and Casalla Blue PS had a rail down at the very first fence and never found their rhythm in the course. After the mare stumbled after fence four, Ciaran decided, in the best interest of his horse, to retire early from the class. Philipp and Mastermind RL started the course promisingly, but at the open water jump the gelding lost his balance and stepped clearly into the water. The rhythm was then lost, another mistake followed at the first jump of the combination, and with eight penalty points on the scoreboard, Philipp also decided to retire.
It was a mixed weekend for the riders and horses of Team Beerbaum. From major successes to disappointments, this weekend had it all – but that is exactly what makes show jumping so special. Philipp recently said during a press conference: “When you always win, it feels great and you start to think it is normal. But when you go through a difficult time and come back stronger, victory feels even better. But never give up.” And so, we now look ahead to the 5* show in Aachen, where Philipp Schulze Topphoff and Philipp Weishaupt will compete. The next stage of the Longines Global Champions Tour will then take place during the first week of June in Cannes.
