AACHEN, Germany --Laura Kraut of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., on Haley placed second in her first class of the week, the Prize of Handwerk CSIO5* on Wednesday June 28 at the Aachen Horse Show.

Laura Kraut on Haley In competitons on Thursday, the U.S.finished fourth in the Nations Cup and Chester Weber leads Boyd Excel by seven hundredths of a point after Driving dressage.

Full stories on these competitons will be posted tomorrow, Friday.

Kraut finished the faults-converted format in 59.53 seconds and held the lead for majority of the class.

She was ultimately was just nudged out of the top podium position by Marc Dilasser of France on E2K Abricot Ennemmelle, who finished just a tenth of a second faster.

Haley has been a mainstay in Kraut’s string for several years, and the 2012 KWPN mare owned by Cherry Knoll Farm, Inc., of West Grove, Pa., made quick work of the day’s first track in the main stadium at Aachen.

As one of Kraut’s three mounts this week, the pair’s strong start to the week long competition came as a welcome for the U.S. Team looking at the competition ahead.

Three of the five riders of the U.S. Jumping Team competed under the lights in the main stadium at CHIO Aachen in the first major class of the week, the Prize of Europe CSIO5*.

 

WITH THE course set at 1.60m and designed by Frank Rothenberger of Germany, the class had 54 entries, with eight moving forward to the jump-off.

Natalie Dean of Palo Alto, Calif., on Chance Ste Hermelle placed 28th with one rail down in the final line plus one time fault for her debut in the stadium.

Following just behind Dean was Kraut on Dorado 212, who finished 29th with a rail down for four faults and two time faults for six faults.

Bliss Heers of Las Vegas, N.V., on Antidote de Mars finished 33rd with eight faults.

Three of the eight in the jump-off were clean again, with Yuri Mansur of Brazil on  Thalita Gorri Olsen de Almeida winning with a clean round in 42.27 seconds.

Edouard Schmitz of Switzerland on Arturo Fasana was second, clean in 42.43, and Martin Fuchs of Switzerland on Adolfo JURI  was third, clean in 42.78.

 McLain Ward's mount Contagious sustained a minor injury when he spooked on his way back to the barn earlier in the week and will not be competing for the remainder of the week.

According to chef d'equipe Robert Ridland, Ward had always planned to use Callas in the Nations Cup.