Campus rider Alia Knack wins the final of the NetAachen Prize
The Belgians dominated the overture in the NetAachen Prize. But when it came down to it, Alia Knack was ready and secured victory in the final.
Alia Knack and Campari VII, that's a long story. In 2017, the two were still at the start with the German team at the European Championships for children, i.e. the under-14s. Last year they represented Germany at the European Junior Championships. Now the just 18-year-old from Baden-Württemberg has moved up to the Junge Reiter camp, competed in Aachen for the first time and, with successful partner Campari VII, immediately secured the NetAachen Prize for the Young Riders, which was newly introduced in 2021. This should be one of the biggest successes of her career.
The way Knack won was also impressive. Of eight pairs in the jump-off, only half remained clear. And the 47.87 seconds in which Campari VII swept over the course were nowhere near to be caught by the other three couples. Laura Hetzel (22) and her KWPN mare Ficardi B delivered the second fastest clear lap against the clock with 50.41 seconds. For their part, they were almost four seconds faster than the Canadian Alicia Timm with the Irish mare Loughnavatta (54.21), third place for them. The Belgian Alexander Housen, who had won the two previous tests, had reached the jump-off with Warriors Glory, but conceded a jumping fault here and even with a clear round there would not have been enough time to beat Alina Knack. He finished seventh behind his compatriot Dieter Vermeiren with Noblesse, who had prepared for his appearance in the Soers at the CHIO Aachen CAMPUS Excellence Program.
