German Victory in the Grand Prix CDI: Helen Langehanenberg Underlines Her Ambitions with Damon Hill by winning the HAVENS Pferdefutter Prize

The team that is competing in Aachen will – as long as the riders and horses remain fit and healthy – also be the equipe that are to represent Germany at the European Championships in Rotterdam in August. However, Isabell Werth, Anabel Balkenhol, Christoph Koschel and Matthias Alexander Rath will not be able to rest on their laurels regarding their performance, because a young pair is close at their heels: With three fifth places Helen Langehanenberg (Havixbeck) and Damon Hill already stood out behind the quartet at the German Championships in Balve in the middle of June. This evening the pair underlined their ambitions to win a place on the team with a victory in the HAVENS Pferdefutter Prize, the Grand Prix of the CDI Tour.

Langehanenberg triumphed with a score of 73.106 percent ahead of Isabell Werth (Rheinberg/72.915) and the Dutch team World Champion, Hans Peter Minderhout (71.994) on Exquis Nadine. Vice World Champion, Laura Bechtolsheimer (Great Britain/71.447) on Andretti ranked fourth ahead of Nadine Capellmann from Aachen (70.681) on Elvis in fifth place.

“The riders in the CDI Tour at the CHIO Aachen still have the chance to qualify for a ticket to the European Championships,” the national coach, Holger Schmezer, had announced in the run-up to Aachen. After Ulla Salzgeber announced that she is taking a time-out for private reasons, Helen Langehanenberg is the first reserve behind the quartet from Aachen. “If I am nominated as a reserve, I will be delighted, but of course I wouldn’t say no to more,” the 29-year-old from Westphalia commented. “In any case we will fight till the very last.” Langehanenberg completed her training at the stables of the Eventing Olympic gold medallist, Ingrid Klimke. She won the World Championships of the Young Horses in 2005 with the meanwhile 11-year-old Donnerhall son, Damon Hill, who was brought on by Ingrid Klimke.

See complete results here