MAX KÜHNER CONQUERS ALL TO TAKE A HISTORIC VICTORY IN LONDON - LONGINES FEI JUMPING WORLD CUP
(Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Western European League - Leg 6/13)
Max Kühner wrote himself into the history books on the afternoon of Sunday 21 December as he became the first Austrian athlete to claim victory in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ qualifier at the iconic London International Horse Show. Partnering his 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, EIC Cooley Jump the Q, Kühner executed a sensational jump-off round stopping the clock in 33.94 seconds to secure a landmark win for himself and his nation amongst a truly world-class field.
Just five of the 37 combinations to come forward to produce all of the answers posed by Alan Wade’s (IRE) 14-fence track. A series of seemingly relentless related distances that snaked around London’s Excel arena already required pinpoint accuracy, power and care in equal measure. But Wade was taking no prisoners and his tight time allowed demanded precision planning, forward thinking and razor-sharp focus from athletes from start to finish. Those who deliberated for merely a split second were at risk of being penalised with a time fault, whilst those who sacrificed accuracy by taking the first distance they saw off a corner, were penalised by a frustrating pole on the ground.
Five further athletes completed flawless jumping rounds but fell victim to the clock. Triple Olympic Gold medallist and 2023 London World Cup victor, Ben Maher was amongst these. Testament to the skill involved in setting a track to test the highest calibre of athletes whilst ensuring first and foremost that their equine partners are not punished with unfair questions, eleven further combinations completed with just one rail lowered.
Donald Whitaker opened jump-off proceedings for the host nation aboard his Longines FEI Jumping European Team Silver medal-winning partner, the 12-year-old British-bred mare Millfied Colette. Whitaker told in his post first-round interview that has jump-off plan was to “go fast!” And that he did; his enthusiasm matched stride for stride by the eye-catching grey mare, whom he credits for ‘always trying her heart out’.
Despite their unenviable jump-off draw, the British pair kept tight lines and a flawless rhythm throughout to set a blistering target. Those crucial elements together with the mare’s naturally high cruising speed made it look like the class had been wrapped up from the outset. London’s Excel arena held its breath with suspense, hopeful of a home victory once again but Kühner had other ideas. Buoyed by the feeling that the ultra-sensitive EIC Cooley Jump the Q had given him in the first round, he was determined to capitalise on the gelding’s peak form and cooperation.
“He has a lot of temper and is easily affected by this great atmosphere in London. But today he was really with me, he was speaking to me if you like… I know what he wanted and he was also listening to me. I had a really good feeling in the round.”
Kühner explained after his first clear, emitting strong signs of quiet confidence.
“He’s a very fast horse and for sure I will try with him!” He smiled, typically understated.
His intentions were clear and he delivered them to the letter with a foot-perfect round in which there was never a moment of hesitation or doubt. The highly-strung Pacino x OBOS Quality gelding appeared fully tuned into the thoughts of his pilot and their seamless communication saw them glide home with the purpose, precision and speed of a cruise missile to slice a full 1.58 seconds off Whitaker’s seemingly unbeatable target and rocket to the top of the leaderboard.
Cian O’Connor was delighted with the performance of his ride of just three months, the exciting 12-year-old gelding Chatolinue PS with whom he produced a polished double clear in a slightly slower time of 37.24 seconds to take the final podium position. This result completed a magical day for the O’Connor family as Cian’s son Benjamin had taken second place in the 128cm Pony Championship earlier in the afternoon following a classy double clear on his London International Horse Show debut.
“It’s a great testament to Chatolinue and all my background team. He jumped so well. There were only five of us in the jump-off, but I really wanted to be clear and make sure of it. We’ve got a big target ahead next year with the World Championships and we haven’t done many indoor shows, so I’m really really happy with him,”
O’Connor explained, further highlighting the regard in which he holds his new partner.
With three clears already recorded and a lightning quick round leading the way, the final two athletes in the jump-off had to throw caution to the wind if they were to get a seat on the podium. Third in this class last year, Robert Whitaker and Vermento set off at a relentless pace with only victory in mind, spurred on all the way by the exhilarated partisan crowd. Fractionally up on the time at the midway stage they looked set to take the lead but a rub at the penultimate fence saw them drop out of podium condition with four faults, albeit in the fastest time of the afternoon in an incredible 33.90 seconds, which the packed stands of London’s Excel arena vocalised their appreciation for in no uncertain terms.
When Penelope Leprovost (FRA) lowered a rail in her bid for glory, she had to settle for fifth place, whilst Austria was assured of their first-ever victory in a Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ qualifier at the historic London International Horse Show, courtesy of Max Kühner. Great Britain’s Donald Whitaker was visibly emotional when it was confirmed that he had finished as runner-up and achieved not only his best Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ result to date, but also realised a magical childhood dream with the horse that clearly means everything to him:
“It’s incredible. I’ve been coming here all my life, it's something I’ve always wanted to do and OK, I didn’t win but its probably as good as winning! I’m absolutely delighted. She jumped her heart out again and she just fights for every single second she’s in there” he told with the admiration he holds for his equine partner clearly visible to all.
Kühner was typically cool and composed after his victory but couldn’t hide the fact that he was nonetheless delighted with the result and performance from the horse he has so carefully produced for a number of years.
“EIC Cooley Jump the Q was really with me today. I could feel what he was asking for and he was listening to me, so I could go fast and we were still always connected in a good way… it was a really good feeling today!”
He smiled as he verbalised exactly the spectacle witnessed by London’s capacity crowd- a picture of a true horseman demonstrating his world -class skills in total harmony with his exceptional equine partner.
After six legs of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Western European League 2025/2026 series, this afternoon's victor Max Kühner has propelled himself to the top of the league standings with 45 points ahead of Willem Greve (NED) in second on 40. Richard Vogel (GER) lies in third position on 36 points just ahead of Yuri Mansur (BRA), Ben Maher (GBR) and Kevin Staut (FRA) who occupy fourth, fifth and sixth positions respectively on 29 points apiece.
The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Western European League resumes with its next stop in Mechelen (BEL) on 30 December 2025. The series then moves on to Basel for leg eight on 11 January 2026 before heading to Amsterdam, where the Dutch city will host leg nine of 13 on 25 January 2026. With six of the 13 legs of the 2025/2026 series now completed and the season approaching its halfway point, the battle for athletes to accumulate enough points to secure one of the 16 coveted Western European League places for the 2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Fort Worth, Texas (USA), is well and truly on!
Stay tuned for all the action!
--ENDS--
Photo by FEI/Jon Stroud Media
Full results here