| Philipp and Kilmister claim victory in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Vienna
The past weekend, Christian and Philipp spent their time against the impressive backdrop of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. After Riesenbeck and New York, the tour continued without a break straight to Austria’s capital. Following a warm-up round on Thursday, Friday kicked off with the Global Champions League stage, where Christian and Philipp competed for Team Riesenbeck International powered by Horse Gym.
In the first round, things didn’t go as planned: both riders picked up 4 faults each with Chageorge and Oreo D.R., which put them in 10th place after round one. But in the second round, everything went perfectly for the Riesenbeck team. Two fast, clear rounds brought them into the lead, and only the Prague Lions, with a total of four clear rounds, managed to overtake them. In the end, it wasn’t just second place for the team, securing their third consecutive week on the podium, but also 3rd place individually for Christian with Chageorge and 5th place for Philipp with Oreo D.R. That result also secured both riders a spot in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Vienna.
Read the full article about the GCL stage in Vienna here:
On Saturday evening, Philipp competed with his second horse, Kilmister, in a 5* 1.50m class. With a clear round, they qualified as one of nine pairs for the decisive jump-off. However, Philipp chose not to compete in the jump-off in order to save his horse for the Grand Prix the following day. Even so, it was a Top 10 finish under the floodlights on Saturday for the Riesenbeck pair.
The highlight of the weekend, the Grand Prix of Vienna, took place on Sunday evening under the lights. The 40 best pairs from Friday’s qualification round started in reverse order. Thanks to strong results in qualification, Christian and Philipp were able to go late in the competition. Unfortunately, Christian and Checker had one rail down. Despite a fast time, the numerous clear rounds meant no placement in this leg. Still, they earned 19 valuable points toward the overall standings and remain in 2nd place after 12 of 16 Longines Global Champions Tour stages, only young Belgian rider Gilles Thomas has collected more points so far.
Philipp and Kilmister already impressed in the first round with a quick and clear performance, qualifying for the jump-off. Out of 40 starters, 12 pairs advanced, but only five managed to stay clear again in the jump-off. Philipp and Kilmister went as the penultimate pair. At that moment, Harrie Smolders and Monaco were leading, Smolders having already won two Grand Prix competitions on this year’s LGCT circuit. The 9-year-old Kilmister delivered a confident round with tight turns in the jump-off, crossing the finish line more than a second faster than Smolders and Monaco. That meant the lead in the Grand Prix for the Riesenbeck duo, with only one pair left to go, so a podium spot was already guaranteed. Peder Fredricson with Alcapone des Carmille, who had placed 2nd in Riesenbeck just two weeks earlier, could not beat Philipp’s time and had to settle for 4th place this time.
This marked the very first 5* Grand Prix victory for Philipp and the 9-year-old Kilmister, owned by Alice Lawaetz. With his first LGCT stage win of the year, Philipp also secured his place in the Super Grand Prix at the Prague Playoffs, where all 16 stage winners will compete. Christian, who had already claimed his Golden Ticket in London, will also be competing in the Super Grand Prix.
Next up for Team Beerbaum is the first Indoor CSI** of the season at their home base in Riesenbeck, with Ludger, Philipp, Ciaran, and James all set to compete.
