Hemmer and Denoix Setting Themselves Up For Future Success with 4* Win at 2024 CDI Hagen

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2024 CDI Hagen

Katharina Hemmer and the American owned Denoix PCH became the winners of the GumBits 4* Grand Prix for Special during the Covalliero Dressage Days at the 2024 CDI Hagen on 28 September 2024.

Hemmer and Denoix PCH (by Destano x Pik Noir) have had a fantastic 2024 show season but when an Olympic reserve spot was up for grabs they couldn't put the pieces of the puzzle together in Aachen. They lost an Olympic opportunity and had to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to deal with extreme pressure and an electric environment.

Well aware that all the ingredients for future greatness are there, they returned to the arena with confidence and won winning the 4* Grand Prix in Hagen, the penultimate outdoor CDI of the year in Germany. They have proven themselves ready for 2025.

A League of Their Own

There were twelve combinations in the class and with a score of 75.717% they were a league of their own as second placed duo - Portuguese Nuno Palma e Santos and Fortunity S (by Franziskus x Weltmeyer) followed in their wake on a personal best score of 71.543%.

The test was judged by Elisabeth Max-Theurer, Dr. Evi Eisenhardt, Janet Lee Foy, Katrina Wüst, and Magnus Ringmark and they were lore in unison today than yesterday. Hemmer's scores ranged between 74.674% (Foy) and 77.609% (Wust). Nuno got marks between 69.565% an (MAx Theurer) and 73.043% (Ringmark).

Janet Foy, Francois Kasselmann and Hemmer

"I'm really happy that we were able to show such a smooth, confident round. He really gave me a good feeling," said the 30-year-old rider from Hubertus Schmidt's dressage stable. "Tomorrow we will try to take a little more risk in the piaffe-passage tour. That is actually one of his highlights, but today it was perhaps still a little cautious, so we want to ride it out a little more."

Busy Weekend

Today's victory was the icing on the cake of an already busy weekend for Hemmer. Aboard Escobar (by Escolar), she took third place in the Prix St Georges and Intermediaire I. In the national Inter II, 9-year-old Slaide also came third, while Gut Neuenhof's Elegance placed eighth.

"It's really fun when you can bring so many horses with you, even younger ones that are still growing into the sport," said the rider from Borchen, explaining her decision to ride in Hagen at the end of the season.