The second day of the Emirates Jumping Cup reached its peak with the highly anticipated CSIO5* Emirates Jumping Cup presented by Longines. A star-studded lineup of riders tackled the demanding course, with only nine of the 45 starters jumping clear. Eleven riders progressed to the jump-off, but it was Sweden’s Rolf-Göran Bengtsson who delivered a flawless double clear aboard Zuccero HV to take the title. Finishing in 48.25 seconds, they edged out British rider Tim Gredley, who produced a strong performance riding Imperial HBF to the only other double clear, securing second place in a steady time of 54.10 seconds. Katrin Eckermann, representing Germany, completed the podium with a third-place finish on Iron Dames Dialou Blue PS in the quickest time of 48.16 seconds, but with an unfortunate pole down.
“He’s a really fantastic horse that’s reached the top, but unfortunately the horse is going to be coming up for sale and that’s a real shame for me,” commented Rolf-Göran Bengtsson after the class.
“This makes the win even more special, as this could be the last show. I don’t have a back-up horse at the moment, and it takes time to make a new horse again,” he added.