Jung Conquers

Michael Jung adds to his glittering CV with a win on his Event Rider Masters debut, but Britain puts up a strong showing with two riders fi nishing in the top four

- Pippa Roome

HE came, he saw, he conquered. Michael Jung may have been making his Event Rider Masters (ERM) debut, but no one was surprised when the double Olympic champion snaffled up the €19,000 (£16,600) winner’s prize in the first French leg of this innovative series.

It is strange, perhaps, that it has taken the German master so long to jump on the ERM steam train, considering his horsepower. He took his ride here, Star Connection, to Wiesbaden in June, but had to run him as a regular CIC3* competitor — the only one — because he was not qualified for ERM, which cannot be a horse’s first CIC3*. The pair would have finished third there had they been in the ERM. They were then second in the hot Luhmühlen CIC3* two weeks later.

Jardy was a typical Michael victory — he lurked quietly in fifth after dressage, show jumped clear and then put in an exquisitely judged cross-country round, taking nothing extra out of his partner to finish seven seconds over the time. Had he been one second slower, he’d have slipped to second.

Michael has had the nine year-old Chacco-Blue son Star Connection since he was four and he was the six-year-old world champion at Le Lion d’Angers. But he lost more than a year’s competition mileage as he suffered a serious injury as a seven-year-old.

“He is a bit spooky, but otherwise quite easy — he’s a super jumper and very brave,” said Michael.