Richard Vogel had warned everyone: he came to Aachen to win. Not to “get a feel” ahead of the World Championships, not to prepare for Calgary, not to settle for a nice result. Win. Mission accomplished. This Sunday, the German rider and the gigantic United Touch S steamrolled the TSCHIO’s 5* Rolex Grand Prix with the cold-blooded precision of champions operating at full power. A second consecutive Rolex Grand Slam victory after ’s-Hertogenbosch, €950,000 pocketed in a single afternoon, and now a very real chance to become the first rider since Scott Brash in 2015 to conquer the Rolex Grand Slam.
United Touch S is no longer a horse, he’s a system glitch
Thirty of the world’s top thirty-two riders were on the start list.
And yet the jump-off of this Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen almost looked like a private exhibition for Richard Vogel.
Because right now, the biggest problem on the global circuit is called United Touch S.
On the vast Soers arena — that cathedral of show jumping which, in case you somehow forgot, will also host the World Championships this August — the German stallion delivered a masterclass in controlled power. Second to go after Sophie Hinners and Iron Dames Singclair had posted a clear in 51.62 seconds, Vogel simply let his horse unfold.
45’’57.
Goodnight.
And the most frightening part wasn’t even the time. It was the feeling of ease. While everyone else looked like they were riding a jump-off, United Touch S looked like he was casually lengthening his stride in a giant paddock.
No emotion at the fences. No hesitation.
Just a horse covering half the arena in three strides.
“Winning here is a childhood dream”
At the finish, Richard Vogel had tears in his eyes, which, for him, practically counts as a public declaration of love.
“It’s not often that I cry. And even less often for good reasons. But today was a fantastic reason to have tears in my eyes. Winning the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen is a childhood dream.”
And this time, he left nothing to chance.
“Going into that jump-off as the Rolex Grand Slam contender, there was only one objective: win. I’d rather risk a rail than be too slow.”
The message could not be clearer: Vogel is no longer just chasing victories. He’s chasing the history books.
950,000 today… and another million already floating above calgary
The Rolex Grand Slam loves creating myths.
And Vogel is becoming one in real time.
Already victorious in ’s-Hertogenbosch back in March, the German arrived in Aachen carrying the status of “Rolex Live Contender” in other words, the only rider still capable of completing the Grand Slam this season.
The result?
€450,000 for Sunday’s victory.
€500,000 bonus for two consecutive wins.
And now an additional €1 million awaits if he can make it three straight at Spruce Meadows in September, along with a place beside fellow Brit-slayer Scott Brash in the sport’s mythology.
Brash did it in 2015. Ever since, the Rolex Grand Slam has looked more like an unclimbable Everest than an achievable target.
Until now.
Larocca tried. He really tried.
After Vogel, one man still remained: José Maria Larocca.
And for a few fleeting seconds, the Argentine almost awakened the ghosts of 1965 — the year of the last Argentine victory here with Dr. Miguel H. Arrambide.
At 57 years old, aboard Finn Lente, Larocca threw everything at it. But how do you compete with a horse that seems to gallop in an entirely different category?
47.36 at the finish. Second place.
« “To be beaten by Richard Vogel and a horse like United Touch S is already a huge honour,” ", he admitted afterward.
Clear-eyed.
Sophie Hinners completes a two-thirds German podium
Third aboard Iron Dames Singclair, Sophie Hinners also leaves Aachen with far more than just a podium finish.
The German rider chose the smart approach: secure the clear round, apply pressure, and hope the others would overcook it. They didn’t.
Nina Mallevaey, the French bright spot
On the French side, the best performance came from Nina Mallevaey, seventeenth aboard Dynastie de Beaufour. And for one full round, the rider from northern France almost made people believe the country might finally have found a successor to Marcel Rozier — whose 1971 victory stands in the Aachen Grand Prix for France a little like Marie Myriam’s Eurovision triumph does: legendary, untouchable, and painfully distant. But Frank Rothenberger’s second round turned the final fences into a dream shredder. Two rails, game over. Just postponed.
Nina at the World Championships could genuinely become one of the summer’s best storylines.
Everyone Else Mostly Took Notes for the WEG
Because deep down, beyond Vogel’s jackpot, this Grand Prix also felt like one gigantic dress rehearsal for August’s World Championships.
World number one Kent Farrington had launched his afternoon perfectly before Greya clipped the water-tray oxer at fence five in round two.
Daniel Deusser and Otello de Guldenboom also went from silk to chaos, finishing on eight faults after an immaculate first round.
Same punishment for Martin Fuchs with Conner Jei and Willem Greve aboard Grandorado TN NOP, both swallowed alive by the triple combination like tourists lost in the Tokyo subway.
Lillie Keenan, meanwhile, probably leaves reassured: Fasther confirmed once again that he absolutely loves the Soers, a detail that matters a lot three months before the Worlds.
Henrik von Eckermann also leaves Aachen with a few answers. Deprived of his original Steely Dan plan, the reigning world champion may well have found a very credible Plan B in Qasirah van de Reistenhoek to defend his crown this summer.
More complicated, however, for Gilles Thomas and Ermitage Kalone, who looked comfortable for a long time before the water jump and the infamous double of water-tray fences triggered total collapse. That water jump is likely to haunt a few riders over the coming days. Including Abdel Said, who looked perfectly in control aboard Quaker Brimbelles Z… right until his trip through the water.
Nicola Philippaerts ended up as the top Belgian rider with Rolex ter Leydonck — four faults and nineteenth place. Add Pieter Devos’ failure to qualify for Sunday’s main event after posting four faults in both qualifiers, and one thing is certain: this Aachen weekend will not go down as a glorious chapter for the Belgian federation in Zaventem.
Next Stop: Calgary. And Maybe Eternity.
For now, Richard Vogel says he isn’t thinking about Spruce Meadows yet.
Nobody really believes him.
Because after ’s-Hertogenbosch and Aachen, the Rolex Grand Slam now has a single face: that of a twenty-nine-year-old German rider and a gigantic horse who sometimes seems to gallop a little faster than everyone else… …and maybe even a little faster than history itself.
Find the full results of the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen here