For Max Kühner, the second day at the Show Jumping World Cup finals in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia was a disappointing one. The 50-year-old Austrian recorded four drops on EIC Julius Caesar in the second of three special stages and fell from eighth to 16th place in the overall ranking. The winner of the day, Henrik von Eckermann from Sweden, is in the lead on King Edward ahead of his compatriot Peder Fredricson on Catch me not.
Kühner is taking part in a World Cup final for the fifth time; he finished ninth in both 2019 and 2022. For the native German, Riyadh doesn’t have the same significance as it would in a non-Olympic year. “The whole year is geared towards the peak of the season in Paris,” he said before departure. That’s why he doesn’t have his top horse Electric Blue with him in Saudi Arabia.
The decision in Riyadh will be made on Saturday. In the three-part championship, the ranking points counted for the overall ranking in the first two tests. On Saturday, the ranking points for the two rounds will be converted into penalty points. Anyone who hasn’t been ranked in single digits twice before has to hope for numerous drops from the competition.
