Christian Kukuk Reigns Supreme in $350,000 Lugano Grand Prix CSIO5* at World Equestrian Center – Ocala
Current Olympic champion Christian Kukuk of Germany reigned supreme once again by winning the $350,000 Lugano Grand Prix CSIO5*-LLN at the Longines League of Nations™ Ocala event at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) on Thursday evening, March 20, in Ocala, FL.
It was a battle of the titans as 37 of the world’s top show jumping riders took on a masterful track set by Ireland’s Alan Wade and his course designing team in the WEC Grand Arena. Nine of those entries produced a clear round to move forward to the jump-off, where six again jumped clear.
As the first rider back for the all-deciding jump-off, Kukuk put the pressure on with an efficient clear in a time of 40.61 seconds. His strategy worked as none who followed were able to better his performance with Just Be Gentle, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Tyson x Ticallux Verte) owned by Ludger Beerbaum Stables GmbH and Stal Knijnenburg BV.
“I was first to go; that’s always quite difficult in a jump-off, but I really tried,” said Kukuk, 35. “You always need a bit of luck, and now I’m the winner, and I’m very happy. I think my horse did a great job today. She is naturally a very fast horse.”
“She’s a sharp lion and, in the ring, she wants to go fast,” continued Kukuk, speaking of his partner of the past two years. “The more you ask of her, the more ability she gets. I am very, very happy to have her in my stable. She will step up in the Nations Cup on Saturday, and I’m excited for the rest of the year.”
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Christian Kukuk Reigns Supreme in $350,000 Lugano Grand Prix CSIO5* – World Equestrian Center
