Stuttgart – The Swiss Team European Champion in 2009, Pius Schwizer, won the speed jumping class for the Prize of WALTER solar late on Thursday evening at the 30th International STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS Horse Show. It was the first of two qualifying competitions for the MERCEDES GERMAN MASTER on Friday. Piloting the 12-year old gelding Armani The Gun CH to a clear round in 62.64 seconds, he finished 25 hundredth of a second up on three-time European Champion Marco Kutscher (Germany) and his Westphalian gelding Cornet's Cristallo (62.89). Third was Irishman Bertram Allen in the saddle on Belmonde, an eight-year old gelding. (64.03).
Further down the field were Martin Fuchs (Switzerland), crowd favourite and local hero Michael Jung, the German Champion Eva Bitter and her compatriot Ludger Beerbaum. A total of 51 riders contested the speed jumping class.
The second qualifying competition – the Prize of the DIW Instandhaltung Ltd. & Co. KG – for the second most important jumping class at the equestrian highlight in the state capital of Baden Württemberg will take place on Friday (21 November) at 5.45 pm local time. Only the 12 best riders from the two qualifying classes will go through to the MERCEDES GERMAN MASTER in the evening at 10.15 pm.
