July 3, 2023 
“I think with all of the experiences I’ve had in Aachen I could write a book,” said German Olympic gold medalist Marcus Ehning.
If Ehning does ever pen that tome, Sunday’s Rolex Grand Prix 1.60m at CHIO Aachen would be one of the most unforgettable chapters. Ehning took the three demanding Frank Rothenberger (GER) designed rounds in stride with 12-year-old stallion Stargold, and were the final pair to take the field in the five horse jump-off.
The home crowd drew breath after a gentle rub at the A-element of the combination, but Stargold was simply playing up the crowd. Finding the right measure of speed and finesse, they sliced the penultimate oxer to tighten the track to the final vertical. It was enough to shave Daniel Deusser and 13-year-old mare Killer Queen VDM’s time by tenths of a second, the stadium erupting before Stargold’s front feet even hit the landing side. They clocked in at 45.12 seconds against Deusser’s 45.73s.
Philipp Weishaput (GER) made it an all German podium with nine-year-old stallion Zineday, the youngest horse in the class. Though the pair also took the most risk, finishing on a blistering 43.36 second time in the jump-off but at the expense of a rail.
“Today was our day. I’ve had a good feeling all week. He likes the stadium, he was in great form two weeks ago. But winning the Rolex Grand Prix in Aachen is unbelievable,” said Ehning.
For Deusser, there is no disappointment in his second place finish. Especially when it is behind Ehning in his best form.
“I am very, very happy with the performance of my horse today. At the end she also jumped three fantastic clear rounds. She was fast in the jump-off. I went in, and from my feeling had a very good round, I thought I put a little pressure on Marcus,” smiled Deusser, who won the Rolex Grand Prix at Aachen in 2021.
“It’s a little bit of a mixed feeling, because of course you’d like to stand one more time on [top] the podium. But on the other side, if I did one stride less or even if I had ridden a second faster, Marcus would probably have done the same behind me. In the end, I’m delighted with my horse and very happy with the second place.”
Weishaupt shared that sentiment. His mount Zineday has only jumped six 1.60m rounds in his career, and sports an overall 53% clear round rate (Jumpr App). Compared to Stargold’s 48 rounds and Killer Queen’s 73 notches, the stallion is still green at the top level.
“No one else had a horse that young. So it’s a great result to sit here next to these two with their very, very experienced championship horses,” said Weishaupt, who deemed the four faults rider error.
“If I had lined up a little bit better on the oxer, it would have been a little harder for Marcus and Daniel to beat us. But to finish third in Aachen with a nine-year-old horse is fantastic. I’m over the moon with Zineday and the way he showed his quality.”
Ehning’s horse Stargold was also appeared eager to show his quality in the stadium. He pranced out of the arena with pricked ears on a long rein as Ehning threw both hands in the air.
“He’s a bit of a sneaky horse but he really likes the atmosphere, he likes the people around him. In that way he is a bit ‘arrogant’ but in a nice way. He’s a real character horse,” said Ehning.
Next on the docket for the pair is at least one week off because the emotions at Aachen always run high, as Ehning, now a three-time winner of the Aachen Grand Prix (2006, 2018, 2023), knows better than anyone.
“I’ve had so many good and bad experiences here that I decided to do that because you never know what’s going to happen. We’re going to have a nice party!”
