Great, (Max) Kühner

When Verstappen, Gates and Springsteen offer their congratulations

(Bild: Longines Global Champions Tour/Ljuba Buzzola)

Max Kühner, who won the Global Champions Tour on his horse "Elektric Blue" in Rabat on Sunday, spoke to the "Krone" about celebrity fans, bananas as a reward and the return of the Global Champions Tour to Vienna next year.

Great, Kühner! Max Kühner and "Elektric Blue P", who is the best 13-year-old horse in the world, claimed overall victory in the Global Champions Tour with a courageous performance on Sunday. The prize money for this was 294,500 euros and a whole bunch of bananas for "Blue". Kühner smiles: "He loves bananas very much. They are the symbol of very special achievements. Blue fully appreciates that. He is very intelligent."

Max Kühner put in a strong performance in Rabat.

(Bild: ph.Stefano Grasso)

Olympic champion Christian Kukuk, who dropped from his place in the sun to second place, had high praise for Kühner: "He is the most consistent rider at the highest level you can have in our sport. He has an incredible string of horses. He has an incredible eye. It's not luck that he has all these horses in his stable, he found them himself."

Great team
Bavarian-born Kühner, who has been competing for Austria since 2015, commented: "These words from Christian made me very happy. It was the whole team that won. With everyone from farrier to groom to vet, almost 30 people and four horses played a part in this success." "EIC Cooley Jump The Q" collected the most points for the success, followed by "Up Too Jacco Blue", "Elektrik Blue P" and "EIC Julius Caesar".

In addition to Max Kühner, groom Mariella Offner was also allowed on the top podium at the award ceremony.

(Bild: ph.Stefano Grasso)

In Rabat, Austrian groom Mariella Offner, who shares the job with Polish groom Joanna Maczuga, was also allowed to join Max Kühner on the top podium. Next year, her and Kühner's travel plans also include Vienna. After an eight-year break, the Global Champions Tour is returning to the Austrian capital and will be held around Schönbrunn Palace from September 26 to 28.

"Ideal backdrop"
Stephan Zöchling, CEO of the Styrian company Remus, made the return possible. "It is a great pleasure and honor for me to bring the 'Formula 1 of equestrian sport' back to Vienna together with my partners. With Schönbrunn Palace, we have the ideal backdrop to welcome the pinnacle of global show jumping to our city. Thanks to the historic ambience and the involvement of the Spanish Riding School, rich tradition and modern top-class sport are combined to create a unique experience."

Kühner says: "I am delighted that Vienna is on the calendar. It's great that someone is getting involved like this. This is a very important boost for show jumping in Austria." A lot of celebrities will also be coming to Vienna. Jennifer Gates, daughter of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Jessica Springsteen, daughter of music legend Bruce Springsteen, are passionate show jumpers. Kühner: "Of course people know each other among show jumpers. But we treat each other as athletes and not as celebrities."

Benko no longer the owner of "Just Be Gentle"
Another fan of show jumping is Formula 1 superstar Max Verstappen, who congratulated Kühner on his victory at the Global Champions Tour event in St-Tropez this year. Rene Benko and his family can also often be seen at tournaments. In 2023, Benko bought the horse "Just Be Gentle", which Christian Kukuk rode in Rabat, for 2.38 million euros from German show jumping legend Ludger Beerbaum. Kühner says: "As far as I know, Rene Benko is no longer the owner of Just Be Gentle."

After winning the Global Champions Tour, Kühner spoiled his horse "Elektrik Blue" with bananas.

(Bild: Ljuba Buzzola)

Nine more tournaments before Christmas
Kühner did not have time to celebrate yet. He flew from Morocco to Frankfurt at 2.30 a.m. on Monday night. He then traveled via Munich to the stables on Lake Starnberg, where he took care of the horses for the upcoming World Cup tournament in Helsinki. After Finland, events in Lyon, Verona, Stuttgart, Riyadh, Madrid, La Coruna, Geneva and London await before Christmas. "But the victory in the Global Champions Tour," says Kühner, "will certainly be celebrated as a team."