Stuttgart – The class is right up his street: on Thursday at the 38th International STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS Horse Show, Hans-Dieter Dreher won the Prize of XXL-Sicherheit, the first qualifier for the second most important competition in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle – Friday’s STUTTGART GERMAN MASTER (22.00 hrs). The experienced rider from the state of Baden-Württemberg was in the saddle on Vestmalle des Cotis, a French-bred 15-year-old gelding, and left his rivals trailing after storming to a clear round in in 63.56 seconds. In doing so, he finished ahead of the world No. 1 Henrik von Eckermann, the team Olympic champion in Tokyo in 2021. Riding the 11-year-old mare Calizi, the Swede came closest to “Hansi” Dreher after stopping the clock in 64.87 seconds. Third place went to van Eckermann’s teammate in Tokyo, Peder Fredricson. The former eventer also left all the fences standing on the 18-year-old gelding Catch me Not S, but took 65.38 seconds.
“I came up with a super performance today. Vestmalle was in brilliant form,” said the beaming victor, Dreher. “I had a piece of luck when turning sharply for the 6th but everything stayed up nevertheless.”
Only the Top 12 from today’s class combined with Friday’s second qualifier for the Prize of the Outletcity Metzingen (17.00 hrs) are then qualified for tomorrow evening’s STUTTGART GERMAN MASTER which has a 105,000-euro purse. Last year’s winner was the Briton Harry Charles atop Aralyn Blue.
