Four Irish in Top 20 at Luhmuhlen.
Jenny Kuehnle riding Polly Blue Eyes. Photo: Pam Cunningham/Irish Eventing Times
There was a great result for Ireland at Luhmuhlen CCI5*, with Jenny Kuehnle taking two top 10 places at her first 5*. Jenny jumped to second place with Polly Blue Eyes (owned by Hans Kuehnle) after a very fast cross country, in spite of the horrendous weather conditions, which saw rain, hail and high winds. Jenny was unfazed by Mike Etherington Smith’s influential five-star course, and was one of only four horse-rider combinations to finish without time-faults. Two poles down on the final day dropped them into 7th place. Jenny also took 8th place with Sammy Davis Junior, who is owned by Cathal Daniels and Margaret Kinsella.
Jenny Kuehnle with SAMMY DAVIS JUNIOR in the showjumping for the CCI5*L at Luhmuhlen . PHOTO: PAM CUNNINGHAM/IRISH EVENTING TIMES
Susie Berry with Monbeg By Design placed 14th and Ian Cassells with Master Point finished in 16th.
Ireland achieved two more completions, with Patrick Whelan and Ikoon Lan finishing in 29th place and Robbie Kearns riding the Richard Ames owned Ballyvillane OBOS finishing 31st.
Robbie Kearns with BALLYVILLANE OBOS.Photo: Pam Cunningham/Irish Eventing Times
Lara de Liedekerke-Meier (BEL) and Hooney d’Arville win the LONGINS CCI5*-L Tom McEwen (GBR) with CHF Cooliser and Yasmin Inham (GBR) with Rehy DJ take second and third place.
Lara de Liedekerke-Meier with HOONEY D’ARVILLE (BEL) wins the CCI5*L at Luhmuhlen 2024.. Photo: Pam Cunningham/Irish Eventing Times s
Lara won the hearts of the Luhmühlen crowd with the obvious love for her home-bred horse. Having steadily moved up the leaderboard from sixth after dressage to third after cross-country, the pair went clear in the final show-jumping. Happy, but not expecting to take the win, she retired to the warm-up for a quiet moment with Hooney. When the news hit, that she’d won the first five-star of her career, the first hug was reserved for her horse: “It’s hard to take in. My horse is an incredible athlete. I never thought there would be a chance to win the five-star today. I just knew I had a good horse and wanted to jump the best round that I could. Today was our day. I just managed to put everything together. Thanks to my team and thank you Luhmühlen for organizing a show of this caliber – all the public was amazing.”
Lara de Liedekerke-Meier with HOONEY D’ARVILLE (BEL) -in the showjumping for the CCI5*L at Luhmuhlen 2024. Photo: Pam Cunningham/Irish Eventing Times
Tom McEwen: “I’m absolutely delighted with Cooliser. She was brilliant yesterday and today. She’s very game and in the arena, I remembered why it’s much easier to do things her way. I wasn’t expecting to move up the ranks. Ros is probably the best rider in the world and Izilot is one of the best jumpers, so I absolutely wasn’t expecting this.”
Yasmin Ingham with REHY DJ [ISH] (GBR) in the cross country for the CCI5*L at Luhmuhlen 2024. Photo: Pam Cunningham/Irish Eventing Times es
The current World Champion, Yasmin Ingham, who climbed from 28th to 3rd, finishing on her dressage score was delighted: “That’s the story of eventing, it’s never over until we have finished on the final day. I was a little disappointed after the dressage because we lost some points there but I know what to work on now. I know he’s a phenomenal cross-country horse and jumper, so I was really looking forward to Saturday and today. He was just amazing, careful, rhythmical and fast, making my job so easy. He doesn’t look fast but he just eats up the ground and is just so ridable and adjustable, I don’t have to set him up much before the fences. We know each other inside out, because our partnership has developed over such a long time. I’ve had him for so long now and we’ve worked our way up the ranks from novice.”
