15 Jun Well on track for the Grand Prix of the BEMER Young Riders Tour – Hannah Michelle Wilken
(Hagen a.T.W.) She was barely out of breath – Hannah Michelle Wilken from Warendorf won the qualification for the BEMER Young Riders Tour Grand Prix with her Hanoverian mare Never Mind during the only German stage at Hof Kasselmann in Hagen a.T.W.. The 18-year-old and her speedy mare crossed the finish line in 63.52 seconds. And promptly Wilken overflowed with enthusiasm: “Never Mind was simply one hundred percent there again, she gave everything for me and tried hard. It couldn’t have gone better. The plan was to ride fast, but I didn’t expect to win the competition today either. That’s really cool.”
Indeed, almost three seconds to the runner-up is a big difference. Ansgar Holtgers Jr (USA) went a little more deliberate with Chaploon and found himself surrounded by female riders in the placings. Maren Hoffmann (Neustadt-Dosse/Mönchengladbach), who had already won a qualifier of the BEMER Young Riders Tour in Fontainebleau, France, is, like the winner, experiencing her first season in the Young Riders (YR) age group.
Young talents from 13 nations conquered the qualification for the BEMER Young Riders Tour at the legendary youth tournament Future Champions at Hof Kasselmann. On Sunday, points for the ranking will be at stake in the Young Riders Grand Prix. Future Champions is the seventh and only German stop of the young riders’ series before the final stop in Kronenberg, the Netherlands, in September.
Plan made for Sunday
Hannah-Michelle Wilken is now looking forward to the high-scoring Grand Prix in Hagen a.T.W. at Future Champions: “I will be riding a different horse. On Sunday I will ride the older and more experienced horse of the two. Never Mind is only nine years old this year and is not ready for the Grand Prix yet.” For the Warendorf rider, the international show at Hof Kasselmann is a BEMER Young Riders Tour premiere. “This is my first start here at the 7th stage, but I think it’s a super concept and I’m happy to be here now,” the 18-year-old qualifier happily adds. In the current ranking of the series, Antonino Sottile from Italy leads ahead of the French rider Antoine Ermann and Lorenzo Correddu.
The seventh Grand Prix of the BEMER Young Riders Tour starts on Sunday at 2.30 pm at Future Champions and will be streamed live at www.clipmyhorse.TV.
Photo © Rüchel / Mhisen