Ehning Wins Another One!
by Ken Braddick, Special Report provided by PhelpsSports.com
ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands, June 25, 2006 – Marcus Ehning of Germany piloted
Gitania, just one of his big string of top horses, to victory in the Longines Grand Prix of Rotterdam Sunday.
The World Cup champion produced a blistering jump-off time of 43.52 seconds, 0.73 seconds faster than runner up Bernardo Alves of Brazil on Canturo.
Christine McCrea was the only American in the jump-off of 11 horse and rider combinations from a field of 50 that started on a rainy, overcast afternoon.
The pair went clean in the jump-off in a time of 45.81 seconds to take an early lead, but it didn't last long. Michael Whitaker of Great Britain followed on Mozart des Hayettes to navigate the course in 45.36 seconds. She and Vegas finished in fifth place.
Ehning has already been selected for the German team for the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany in August that also includes Marco Kutscher, Christian Ahlmann and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum.
In the past two months, he won the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur on Sandro Boy, the Grand Prix of Aachen and LaBaule, France on Noltes Kuchengirl and here on Gitania. He has also been on the German team that so far this year has won three Samsung Super League events. He will decide later whether to take Gitania or Noltes Kuchengirl to the WEG.
Asked about his phenomenal run of success that has kept him at the top of the world rider rankings this year, he joked: "As I told my colleagues, after this year I stop riding."
With so many good horses, he said, he feels that he can go into any Grand Prix with a good chance of winning.
Following the Rotterdam Grand Prix, Molly Ashe of the United States on Lutopia won the final class of the Rotterdam CHIO, the Delta Prix, in a jump off of group winners that was held in driving rain.
In Saturday night's dressage Grand Prix Freestyle to music, Edward Gal on Group 4 Securicor Lingh claimed first place with 77.85 percent.
Anky van Grunsven, who won the Grand Prix with a world record score and then the Grand Prix Special with Keltec Salinero, rode IPS Krack C in the freestyle for second place at 76.10 percent.
Catherine Haddad, newly named to the United States short list for the World Equestrian Games, came in fourth on Maximus JSS with 71.80 percent.
For complete results from Rotterdam, please visit: http://www.scg-nl.nl/
This special report is a preview provided by PhelpsSports.com. Look for the debut of this new equestrian news website during the World Equestrian Games in August. Visit http://www.PhelpsSports.com for more information.
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