If there is an image that stands the test of time from the 2024 Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen, let it be this.
An overcome Andre Thieme, moments after his victory is confirmed, holding his mare DSP Chakaria’s face between his hands and kissing her.
At first glance, it had seemed like an unlikely victory.
Until the very last Rolex vertical came down, Thieme’s German countryman, Richard Vogel, was all but the presumed winner aboard the superstar stallion United Touch S.
In fact, Thieme’s throttle-down, elbow-flapping gallop to the last appeared, at the time, to be a kind of Hail Mary pass: A valiant attempt to fend off a horse and rider with a rare combination of scope and stride that’s considered by many in the know to be unbeatable.
And yet, while they may not have received the fanfare or headlines of Vogel and United Touch (or even have an Instagram page to showcase their wins), a closer examination of Thieme and Chakaria’s numbers reveals that the pair were never out of the running for a Major tournament win.
Far from it, in fact.
For one thing, the German rider is no stranger to victory, being best known in North America for winning HITS $1 Million classes no fewer than four times. That includes his most recent victory with DSP Chakaria at HITS Ocala in 2021.
For another, Thieme’s ability to essentially drop his reins and kick for home wasn’t all a coin-toss. Sure, there was always the possibility he’d miss big to the last fence. But he knew his mare, and one can assume that his calculated risk to the Rolex was rooted in a longstanding bond of trust between horse and rider.
Paired together since 2018, Thieme produced Chakaria up the ranks since her 8-year-old year. The German rider refers to the now-14-year-old DSP mare as his “once-in-a-lifetime-horse”—and for good reason.
“She has made so many things happen in our lives,” Thieme said at CHIO Aachen, citing the pair’s win at the 2021 Europeans Individual final in Riesenbeck as a particular highlight of their time together.
“I have said many times that I love her just like my wife,” Thieme joked, adding that his wife understands his feelings. “Especially when I come home now with this prize check!”
And not for the first time.
Together, Thieme and DSP Chakaria have earned more than $1.9 million in prize money and 14 wins, including seven grands prix. These include the 1.60m CSI4*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Ocala and the CSIO5* Rolex Grand Prix at Piazza di Siena in Rome, both in 2023.
Of their 15 international outings so far this year, they’ve finished in the top 10 or higher in almost half of the classes they’ve jumped.
What’s more: In her 54 career rounds at 1.60m, Thieme and Chakaria jump clear at an astounding 61% clip, averaging just 1.3 faults overall. And they’re fast, finishing in the top five 56% of the time, and the top 10 77% of the time according to Jumpr.
Compare that to Vogel and United Touch S, the presumed Goliath to Thieme and Chakaria’s David. In nearly half as many rounds as Chakaria has jumped at 1.60m, United Touch, two years her junior, averages 2.5 faults, jumping clear at 43%. He finishes in the top 5 at 37% and the top 10 70% of the time.
Impressive numbers, to be sure, but not as strong as Chakaria’s.
In other words, while there may have been a presumed favorite and underdog in that high-drama jump-off in the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen, it wasn’t who most of us assumed.
Next month, Vogel and United Touch S will be part of the 2024 Paris Olympic contingent for Germany while Thieme and DSP Chakaria are currently one of seven combinations long-listed as reserve combinations.
Whether he travels to Paris or not, as the new live contender in the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, Thieme already has the tournament’s next leg—the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ September 4-8—well within his sights.
And if DSP Chakaria is his ride, once again, no one will be doubting their ability to get the job done.