December 30, 2023 
Christian Ahlmann (GER) has had Mandato van de Neerheide in his string for the past five years. But it’s only in the past six months that the horse is garnering notice on the world stage.
“I bought him when he was six,” said Ahlmann. “He didn’t do much at that time. He jumped a few classes as a youngster. He’s a huge, long horse with a lot of scope. I have the feeling this year, after three years of really jumping, the body is ready. You can really ride him. Every jump is almost the same. The scope is no question, he’s willing to do it. He’s always a good horse. But what he’s doing now [in the show ring], the second half of the year especially, was really, really good. He’s a horse for the future, for sure.”
On Saturday at Jumping Mechelen, the 11-year-old chesnut gelding showed he was a horse for the present, too.
Bart Vonk’s demanding course saw eight combinations retire and 10 more wrack up double digit scores.
“For sure at the beginning of the class was very stressful,” said Vonk, who made his 5* course designing debut this week in Belgium. “We had four already quick retiring in the class. But, then you have to believe a bit in the plan we have when we build the course and when you look at the start list, there’s a lot of quality in the class. So you still hope that at the end of the class you get the result you want.”
Six of the 41 starters found a clear path to advance to the jump off, among them Ahlmann and Mandato van de Neerheide, world no. 1 Henrik von Eckermann (SWE) and Iliana, and Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet (BEL) with Bond Jamesbone de Hay and Pieter Devos (BEL) on Mom’s Toupie de la Roque. Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER) and Vestmalled Des Cotis and Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) and Moya vd Bisschop completed the set.
Ahlmann and Mondato, third to return for the short course, set the time to beat at 34.23 seconds. Only von Eckermann came close to catching it, stopping the clock two tenths of a second slower on Iliana for second. Wathelet finished a full second slower (35.23) to take third.
The victory is Ahlmann’s third World Cup win at Jumping Mechelen and fourth 1.60m win this year with Mandato van de Neerheide. Since June, the pair has picked up 5* victories in the LGCT Paris Grand Prix, Brussels Nations Cup and GCL Super Cup Quarter Final in Praha. With Saturday’s World Cup win, they’ve more than doubled their prize earnings in 2023 to over €300,000 versus the prior year’s €150,301 (Jumpr App), jumping clear at a 27% tick at the height this year.
“You have to give your best and try to do what you can do and this should be enough. And then you have to wait and cross your fingers!” said Ahlmann.
“I did what I could do and it was our day!”
