Geneva, 22 June 2022 – Dating back to 1924, the CHIO Aachen is among the oldest, most revered events in equestrian sport, one of supreme excellence against which others are measured. This year, 10 days of elite competition, starting on Friday 24 June, will culminate with the five-star Rolex Grand Prix on Sunday 3 July, featuring the world’s best horse and rider combinations. Rolex Testimonee Daniel Deusser is the defending champion.
A selection of Ashmita Muthoora / @TRP, Public Relations Cabinet
Insta | Linkedin | Facebook
The return of a capacity 40,000-strong crowd to the main grass arena at the Aachen Soers showgrounds is sure to deliver a typically electric atmosphere at this famous venue in western Germany.
Rolex has been a key supporter of the CHIO Aachen since 1999 as part of its 65-year commitment to equestrianism. The alliance includes long-standing partnerships with all four Majors that comprise the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, namely The Dutch Masters, the CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament, the CHIO Aachen and the CHI Geneva.
Initiated in 2013, the Rolex Grand Slam rewards a rider who wins three consecutive Majors, a feat requiring a sustained display of precision, teamwork and technical prowess. Deusser is the live contender for the sport’s most coveted prize following victory at The Dutch Masters in March.
The Rolex Family of Testimonees
A strong roster of Rolex Testimonees head to Aachen seeking victory in the Rolex
Grand Prix. Deusser will be buoyed by the support of his home crowd and the World No. 9 said:
CHIO Aachen is one of the best shows in the world and one I look forward to every year. To win the Rolex Grand Prix there last year was incredible and I will certainly do my best to repeat my performance again this year. To be mheading there as the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping live contender is very exciting.”
Accompanying Deusser in the quest to master the challenging course set by worldrenowned designer Frank Rothenberger will be Testimonee Martin Fuchs, winner of the Rolex Grand Prix at CHI Geneva last December and the 2022 FEI Jumping World Cup Final™. The Swiss World No. 1 will compete against compatriot Steve Guerdat, winner of the CP ‘International’, presented by Rolex at Spruce Meadows last year.
Fellow Rolex Testimonee Scott Brash, will be looking to reclaim the title he won in 2015 aboard Hello Sanctos on his way to becoming the only rider to date to complete the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. Joining Brash will be fellow Briton Harry Charles, Rolex’s youngest equestrian Testimonee. The 22-year-old finished fourth in his first FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final earlier this year maintaining his position as the World No. 1 Under-25 rider and elevating him to World No. 17.
Rodrigo Pessoa will return to Aachen exactly 50-years after his father, Nelson Pessoa, claimed his second CHIO Aachen Grand Prix win, with hopes that he can match his father’s tally of two victories, his first being in 1994 aboard Loro Piana Special Envoy. Also looking to challenge for the title will be France’s Kevin Staut, a member of the gold medal-winning team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games who is celebrating a decade as a Rolex Testimonee. A string of recent five-star successes has enabled the Frenchman to reclaim his position within the top 10 ranked riders in the World.
Show Jumping is one of five FEI equestrian disciplines contested at CHIO Aachen, also known as the World Equestrian Festival. Competing in the CDIO5* Dressage will be Isabell Werth, winner of the Grand Prix Freestyle to Music at the 2021 show. Werth has been a Rolex Testimonee since 2009 and this year marks the retirement of her superstar mount Bella Rose, who will be appearing for the final time in a special gala performance on the evening of Friday 1 July.
Rolex Grand Prix Previous Winners
2021 Daniel Deusser (GER), Killer Queen VDM
2019 Kent Farrington (USA), Gazelle
2018 Marcus Ehning (GER), Pret A Tout
2017 Gregory Wathelet (BEL), Coree
2016 Philipp Weishaupt (GER), LB Convall
2015 Scott Brash (GBR), Hello Sanctos
2014 Christian Ahlmann (GER), Codex One
2013 Nick Skelton (GBR), Big Star 2012 Michael Whitaker (GER), GIG Amai
2011 Janne-Friederike Meyer (GER), Cellagon Lambrasco
2010 Eric Lamaze (CAN), Hickstead
2009 Denis Lynch (IRL), Lantinus
2008 Albert Zoer (NED), Sam
2007 Elizabeth Madden (USA), Authentic
2006 Marcus Ehning (GER), Noltes Küchengirl
2005 Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (GER), Shutterfly
*Names in bold denote Rolex equestrian Testimonee