In Lanaken on Friday, people had come to watch stallions. Mostly, they saw Kaiser. Kim Emmen and Kaiser DMH won the Sires of the World at the end of a jump-off in which the Dutch rider never really seemed to need to take out the chainsaw. Seven combinations had survived the first round. Nobody did better than their 40.94 seconds. And just to make the victory a little more annoying for everyone else, Emmen says she even added an extra stride along the way.
54 at the start, seven in the jump-off
The weather was fine in Lanaken. Late-summer atmosphere, sunshine over Domein Zangersheide and, as so often here, enough beautiful horse per square metre to give ordinary mortals a few complexes.
But for the 54 combinations entered in the Sires of the World, Friday afternoon was no simple parade.
In this 1.50m class reserved for stallions, Bernard Mathy and his team had built a course that was not handing out gifts. Faults fell across the track, with a Liverpool placed at fence 12 notably taking care of reminding everyone that the title would not simply be won on a nice pedigree.
In the end: seven clears. Seven candidates for a jump-off. And therefore seven ways to try to leave Lanaken with one of the nicer lines to add to a stallion’s CV.
Pylypeiko had set the bar high
First to return to the ring, Mykola Pylypeiko did not exactly play it safe.
With Money Time, a nine-year-old Holsteiner by Million Dollar and Clearway, the Ukrainian immediately sent the message: 41.70 seconds, clear, with distances taken forward and a very clear intention not to leave much room for those who followed.
A proper benchmark.
« There was nothing more this horse could give at this stage of his career. He and I gave everything,” Pylypeiko explained after his round.
The problem, when you give everything, is that sometimes there is still someone able to go faster while looking as though they are doing less.
That someone was called Kim Emmen.
Kaiser, without forcing it
Fourth to go in the jump-off, the Dutch rider arrived with Kaiser DMH, an 11-year-old KWPN stallion by Cardento VDL and Concerto II.
And Kaiser rather lives up to his name.
Emmen déroule. Pas de geste désespéré, pas de virage façon frein à main, pas de grande séance de bricolage pour arracher trois dixièmes à la montre. Juste un cheval en équilibre, une cavalière qui sait exactement où elle va et un chronomètre qui s’arrête à 40’’94.
That was 76 hundredths quicker than Pylypeiko.
And the best part of the story?
Kim Emmen felt she had not even had to push the machine to its limits.
« I knew my horse was in good form and, even in the jump-off, I never felt that I had to work very hard. We even added a stride somewhere, but it was still enough to produce the best time .” she said.
One stride more and 76 hundredths in hand.
Nice for the others.
“He is a rock star”
Behind them, there were still others trying to knock the pair off the top.
Egor Shchibrik, the Asian champion, was the last rider with the chance to change the script. With Crack HV, an 11-year-old stallion by Cornet Obolensky and Candillo, he completed his jump-off in 42.43 seconds. Enough to climb onto the podium, not enough to touch Kaiser.
Kim Emmen could breathe.
And above all, enjoy a victory that went a little beyond a simple ribbon attached to the bridle.
Because Kaiser DMH comes from the breeding of those around her. A detail which, in Lanaken, that European temple where sport and breeding spend the week looking each other straight in the eye, inevitably counts a little more than elsewhere.
« Kaiser DMH really deserves a title like this, he is a true rock star ” said Emmen, associating her owner and breeder Erik Berkhof, her trainer Sören Kühl, her grooms and her entire team with the victory.
The kind of day when the breeder can allow himself to look at the results sheet with a slightly wider smile than the others.
The 2024 champion at the foot of the podium
Behind the leading trio, defending 2024 champion Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi took fourth place with Chacco Bay, his 12-year-old Oldenburger by Chaccato and Heops
Dutch rider Lars Kuster completed the Top 5 with Don Tarpania Z, a nine-year-old son of Dominator 2000 Z and Glasgow van het Merelsnest.
But on Friday, Lanaken had found its Kaiser.
In a class designed to put stallions under the spotlight, Kim Emmen mostly reminded everyone of one fairly simple rule in showjumping: origins are very nice. Pedigree looks lovely on paper.
But in the end, you still have to cross the line fastest.
And Kaiser DMH had understood that very well.
Find the full results of the class here
(So Horse avec Zangersheide Photos ©Zangersheide/Sportfot)
