By Sarah Eakin
Germany’s Christian Kukuk, who won the individual gold medal at the Paris Olympics, has decided to make Wellington his home this winter, and he wasted no time showcasing his winning Parisian partnership, as he and Checker 47 landed the Saturday Night Lights $215,000 NetJets CSI4* Grand Prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival on Saturday, Jan. 25.
“I’m very happy to be back [in Wellington] actually,” Kukuk said, after he and the 15-year-old Westphalian gelding set the pace in the seven-horse jump-off and held on to their time of 37.35 to win by nearly two seconds.
Kukuk is no stranger to victory in the International Ring at WEF, after taking home the most coveted prize of the season last year — the $500,000 Rolex Grand Prix.
“I still really remember that night here in March last year,” he said. “It was really one of my best nights I ever had and best wins. So, I was very excited to come back to Wellington, and now for sure I’m very happy that my horses, and especially Checker now, still feel very comfortable and happy here.”
Great Britain’s Ben Maher — currently ranked third in the world — and Enjeu de Grisien chased Christian to finish runners up in 39.29 seconds.
“I could have gone faster,” Maher said. “I did everything I could. The screen is deceiving in the warm-up arena there when we watch. I know that from experience. You watch the other riders go, and it’s always faster than what it actually looks like on the screen, so I was aware of that.”
Maher knew he had his work cut out to beat Kukuk aboard his Olympian mount, and even joked afterward that, “I’m not so happy he’s here in Wellington, but I’m sure everybody else is.”
Great Britain’s Harry Charles, a team gold medal winner in Paris, made his debut in a brief appearance at WEF last year. “I’ve been here to watch my father compete,” said Harry Charles at the time, of Peter, a famed show jumper who was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to the sport.
This winter, Harry Charles is here for the whole season and will be one to watch as WEF progresses.
Another rider representing Germany and frequent star of WEF, Richard Vogel, continues to monopolize the top of the podium whenever he competes on his star horse, 11-year-old Hanoverian chestnut gelding Cydello. On Saturday, Feb. 1, the pair added to their two existing Grand Prix wins on the Derby Field and at the International Ring by landing the $215,000 FEI 4* Grand Prix on the grass, where they also received the Village of Wellington Cup. Vogel knew that the two Grand Prix classes at the Equestrian Village would appeal to Cydello’s preference for footing. “He loves this grass field,” Vogel said. “That’s why we chose these two weeks, and luckily it worked out well.”
Read more by equestrian writer Sarah Eakin at www.paperhorsemedia.com.
