FELIX Vogg celebrated his 32nd birthday in style last Sunday at Luhmühlen where, on his third start at the highest level, he recorded his first CCI5*-L victory on Colero while also becoming the first Swiss rider to land a five-star event since Hans Schwarzenbach won Badminton in 1951.

Vogg and his family’s 14-year-old Westfalian gelding, winners of the CCI4*-S at Baborowko in Poland on their previous start, completed on their fourth-placed dressage score of 29 penalties in this Longines-sponsored class. Also going double clear inside the time to finish second (11th after the flat work phase) was the British combination of Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI (31.1) who featured in these pages recently as winners of the CCI4*-S at Millstreet.

New Zealand’s Jonelle Price moved up from sixth to third with Faerie Dianimo (32) ahead of the USA’s Lauren Nicholson who, with a small amount of time faults in both jumping phases, slipped from second to fourth with Vermiculus (32.7).

Then came a quartet of Irish Sport Horses geldings, the first of whom, Cooley Quicksilver (by Womanizer), was ridden by the USA’s Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp (35.1). Representing Britain, SRS Kan Do (by VDL Arkansas) finished sixth under Kylie Roddy (35.4), WSF Carthago (by Cobra) was seventh in the hands of Fiona Kashel (37.3) while Lukas (by Lux Z) placed eighth under Oliver Townend (38).

The highest-placed Irish combination in 11th was Cathal Daniels and his long-tern partner Rioghan Rua (43.7), Mags and Frank Kinsella’s 15-year-old home-bred chesnut mare by Jack Of Diamonds on whom he won individual bronze here at the 2019 European championships.

On their five-star debut, Felicity Ward partnered James O’Callaghan’s 11-year-old black Orestus gelding Regal Bounty into 15th place (64.7). Alex Donohoe placed 19th on her 12-year Guidam Gold gelding Guidam Roller (110.9) while Sarah Dowley was last of the 20 finishers with her 18-year-old VDK Ricochet gelding Rubix Kube (128).

Three combinations retired across the country while eight were eliminated. This last group included Daniels who had a fall at the third fence, a wide white oxer, with Jo Breheny’s home-bred LEB Lias Jewel, who was last out, and Michael Ryan who fell with Carol and Tom Henry’s Barnahown Corn Hill at the brush-topped drop at 16b. Unfortunately, Ryan was stood down so the Henrys’ TR Kaygraff didn’t get to start on the final phase nor did Nick Pomeroy’s Claragh Mountain in the CCI4*-S. Ryan was officially concussed so will have to pass a test in 10 days to resume riding.

Britain’s Tom McEwan was eliminated with both of his rides, the Irish-bred pair Braveheart B and Bob Chaplin. Pathfinder with the Radolin chesnut Braveheart B, McEwan fell at the middle of three upright gates at 11 but was able to ride his Houghton Nations’ Cup winner Bob Chaplin.

Unfortunately, this partnership came undone at section A of the penultimate fence (29) when a dog on an extendable lead ran onto the track, spooking the Cashell gelding who tried to jump the corner at a wider point than envisaged and just scrambled over, losing his rider in the process and pitching but not falling on landing himself.

Highlighter shines for Jung

The home crowd had something to cheer about in the CCI4*-S where Michael Jung completed on his second-placed dressage score with the Irish-bred Highlighter (25.6 penalties), bringing up a third win in these German championships for the Meßmer Trophy (see pages 86-87).

Will Coleman led after dressage with the 10-year-old Holstein gelding Chin Tonic HS (24.6). However, this US combination picked up 11 time penalties across the country on Saturday while a pole down show jumping saw them eventually finish 12th

“I am overjoyed,” said Jung, “Highlighter has come a long way. To win the German championship title with him now means a lot to me. He has been going strong all season and I am so proud of him. He has done so well all week and wasn’t fazed by the enormous crowd at all. He’s so cool.”

Registered as an SIES, unlike most of his siblings who are listed as Irish Sport Horses, the 11-year-old Natal gelding Highlighter was bred in Co Meath out of the Lion D’Or mare Ard Silhouette by Heather Dean-Wright. As Ard Highlighter, the then Caroline Bjoerk-owned bay competed four times in registered Show Jumping Ireland classes under Conan Wright and Elizabeth Power with the latter partnering him into fourth place in the EI100 national championships in 2017.

A pole down with the ISH gelding Black Ice, on whom he had been lying second overnight, proved costly for Germany’s Jérôme Robiné who, nevertheless, in finishing fifth, did win the national Under 25 title. A 12-year-old by Vechta, Black Ice was bred in Co Down by Judith McClelland out of the Touchdown mare, Brookhall Lady. He was first produced here by racehorse trainer Caroline McCaldin (Dennison), winning under Neil Morrison and then Catherine Robinson.

Disappointingly, Antonia Ward had to withdraw Patricia Heffernan’s Christopher Robin 2 before the cross-county phase because of a bruised foot. Two other Irish Sport Horses, Off The Record and Creevagh Cooley, were withdrawn after dressage by the aforementioned Coleman and Australia’s Andrew Hoy with the American combination now heading to Aachen.