Aachen, Germany—May 31  

Scott Brash is definitely booking a ticket to Canada in September. After winning the €1 Million Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen aboard Hello Sanctos, he’s now got two out of three boxes checked toward an incredible pay-out in the Rolex Grand Slam, and the Spruce Meadows Masters Tournament in Calgary, Alta., is the next stop.

It seems like a monumental—and possibly impossible—task. Win three of the world’s biggest grand prix classes in succession. The Rolex Grand Slam offers a €1 million bonus to the rider who can string together grand prix victories at the Geneva, Aachen and Spruce Meadows venues.

And now Brash has two in hand and one more to go. Riders don’t even have to accomplish the feat on the same horse, but Brash’s Geneva and Aachen victories have both come on the incomparable Hello Sanctos.

Three clear rounds and the fastest time in the jump-off (48.04 seconds) were the ingredients for the phenomenal Aachen victory in a nail-biting final.

Scott Brash on Hello Sanctos. Photo by Shannon Brinkman

 The crowd of almost 40,000 spectators had to hold their breaths right up to the last minute in the biggest jumping stadium in the world because Brash was the last rider in the jump-off.

He seemed to have taken the course designer, Frank Rothenberger’s tip to heart. Rothenberger had announced before the jump-off: “Whoever doesn’t put his foot down in the jump-off, might just have well stayed at home.” This proved to be no problem at all for the 13-year-old gelding: Hello Sanctos is known for his speed.

Even though last year the 29-year-old rider had jokingly came to the conclusion that Hello Sanctos doesn’t like Aachen, this year his horse seems to have changed its mind: “Yes, it is crazy. Hello Sanctos jumped fantastically today,” Brash said. “I can seriously say from the bottom of my heart that Aachen is the best crowd in the world.”

The scene at Aachen as Scott Brash and Hello Sanctos jumped. Photo by Shannon Brinkman

Daniel Deusser experienced that joy and sorrow, elation and defeat lie very closely together in the Rolex Grand Prix. The 33-year-old German show-jumper was the first rider to jump clear in the jump-off. At least for a few minutes, the dream of winning was close enough to grasp. However, the dream was shattered when Brash jumped clear over the last obstacle.

Like Brash, Deusser also had three clear rounds with his grey gelding, Cornet d’Amour, however his time of 48.04 seconds only sufficed for second place. “I was very happy with my rounds today; second place is a fantastic result. And when one considers Scott’s performance over the last months, the victories he has celebrated, it was almost clear that he was going to beat me,” said Deusser.

Third place went to the French rider, Simon Delestre with Ryan des Hayettes. This pair also achieved the amazing feat of jumping clear in all three rounds. With a time of 49.27 seconds, he took just over a second longer than Deusser to reach the finish line. “We gave it our very best shot. I am delighted with the result,” the 33-year-old French rider said.

U.S. riders Kent Farrington, Beezie Madden and Lauren Hough also competed at Aachen, with Farrington taking fifth place aboard Voyeur, Madden placing ninth on Cortes C, and Hough riding Ohlala to 15^th. See full results of the class. 

See more stunning photos of the class here.

Scott Brash on Hello Sanctos. Photo by Shannon Brinkman

Daniel Deusser on Cornet d’Amour. Photo by Shannon Brinkman

Kent Farrington and Voyeur’s game faces. Photo by Shannon Brinkman

See more of Shannon Brinkman’s photos from Aachen. And read about the action in the dressage, where two U.S. riders took top-10 finishes.