“Paule Makes It Possible!”
The Fourth Derby Win for André Thieme
The Al Shira'aa 94th German Show Jumping Derby presented by Melitta has been decided—in a most curious way. Two riders managed a faultless round. One is a Derby specialist and already a three-time Derby winner: André Thieme riding the eleven-year-old Paule S. The other is actually an Olympic event rider, who had borrowed a horse just for the Hamburg Derby: Spain’s Esteban Benitez Valle on the also eleven-year-old C the Stars. These two pairs completed the 164th and 165th clear rounds in the history of the German Show Jumping Derby. A jump-off had to determine the winner. Benitez Valle went in first, didn’t press too hard for speed, and finished with one rail down. But then: the Spaniard had to be disqualified because he missed a turn marker in the jump-off course. Thieme followed, knowing he ‘only’ had to cross the finish line to win—and he did.
24,000 spectators cheered, applauded, and celebrated both Thieme and Benitez Valle—after their outstanding rounds in the Derby Park. “The Hamburg crowd is just incredibly enthusiastic and creates this fantastic stadium atmosphere,” said tournament director Matthias Rath in complete awe. “Every day we saw how many people got involved—and there were a lot. On Sunday alone, about 24,000 equestrian fans were here, and in total over the weekend, about 90,000. That was fantastic.”
In 2007, 2008, and 2011, Thieme had already won the Derby with Nacorde, but maybe this fourth victory was the most carefully planned of all. “I was already thinking about the Derby during the winter season, I took a break with Paule after my stay in Florida, rode him for the first time again at a show last weekend, and prepared him very carefully for today,” Thieme explains his strategy. He felt so good after the first qualifier that he decided to skip the second, and today he completed the course sensationally. “It felt much easier with him than it really is out there,” Thieme emphasizes. “Paule makes it possible!” Thieme was happy, and he shared his happiness. He spotted two young horse fans in the crowd, and during the award ceremony, rode Paule over to the girls, giving one his bouquet—which he had just received himself—and the other his golden Derby ribbon! Thieme was delighted: “It was so nice to see how their faces lit up.”
Second Place Debut—Completely Unexpected
“I wasn’t expecting this,” summarized a still somewhat incredulous runner-up. “It was my first time at the Hamburg Derby. I just wanted to enjoy it and have a good round.” The Spaniard, who competed in eventing at the Paris Olympics, had borrowed the horse from show jumper Stephan Dubsky. “I’ve had the horse for six weeks, spent a lot of time with him, and practiced the Derby obstacles.” Then he admitted he was a bit scared of the bank, because during the qualifier, C the Stars slid down very quickly, but in the Derby itself, he said “whoa,” and the horse listened this time and went slower. “The horse had Derby experience; I didn’t, but I had a great feeling.” The 33-year-old has a long-term goal: he wants to continue in eventing but would also like to take part in jumping Nation Cups in parallel. And what’s next with his Derby partner C the Stars? Esteban smiles. “I don’t know just yet—maybe I’ll even get to ride him in the Hickstead Derby now.”
Luxembourg’s Charles Hubert Chiche secured third place in the Show Jumping Derby with the fastest four-fault round. With fifteen-year-old Andain du Thalie, he zipped through the Derby course in 159.62 seconds, a full ten seconds faster than Frederic Tillmann. Tillmann and DSP Comanche VL also had one rail down, finishing fourth in 169.36 seconds.
A total of thirty pairs qualified for the Al Shira'aa 94th German Show Jumping Derby. Two stayed clear, two had just one rail, six finished with two rails, and all others had three or more. It’s a well-documented truth: the German Show Jumping Derby in Hamburg is among the toughest tracks in the world.
Stylish Marvin
The Anrecht Investment Harmony & Fairness Style Award went this year—as always decided by viewer voting—to the birthday boy, Marvin Jüngel. This Derby Sunday marked the 24th birthday of the two-time Derby champion. Unfortunately, he had two rails in the Derby course with his Derby specialist Balou’s Erbin, placing eighth. Jüngel was still very proud of his mare and looked forward: “We’ll give it another try next time.”
A Special Honor
Philip Kloth, representative of Al Shira’aa Stables, beamed after five Derby days: “It was an honor to present the winner’s prize this year. Experiencing the stadium atmosphere with tens of thousands of spectators was something truly special. My boss, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima, has been passionate about horses for decades. For her, too, it was a special honor to be part of the Hamburg Derby. We’re looking forward to the coming years.”
“Yes, it’s absolutely the right thing!”
For the first time, Melitta was the presenting sponsor of the Derby. Matthias Rensch, Melitta’s managing director for Europe, Africa, and Asia for the coffee division, summed up: “There’s such a positive spirit we experienced here, and these live events are part of our strategy. We want to inspire people, and based on the first feedback, it’s been an absolute success.” He added: “For a business, of course, it’s always an investment, and as the person responsible, it’s important for me to see if what we’re doing here is right or not. The answer: Yes, it’s absolutely right!”
Final Words
Tournament director Rath—a personal closing statement after his Derby premiere as organizer:
“For us, from the very beginning, the number of spectators at the Derby was never the most important thing. The goal was to put on a truly outstanding event for the riders—and I think we’ve succeeded. I’m very satisfied with how the whole team managed things this first year. I think we saw some cool competitions, both in dressage and in jumping. And, of course, after this premiere, we picked up lots of details that we can still improve. Tomorrow, preparations for next year begin, and then we’re looking forward to 2026.”
(KiK/pe&pa)