Flawless, yet disappointed Philippaerts dominates CHIO Aachen Nicola Philippaerts and Katanga van het Dingeshof delivered four flawless rounds in both the Nations Cup and the Grand Prix at CHIO Aachen. However, despite their outstanding performance, a lingering sense of disappointment emerged afterwards. The cause of this disappointment stemmed from a single penalty point due to a time exceeding eight hundredths of a second, preventing Nicola Philippaerts from advancing to the jump-off. Despite this setback, he ultimately secured a commendable sixth place finish, becoming the top-ranked Belgian rider in the final Grand Prix—an achievement in itself. Prior to this, Nicola Philippaerts claimed victory in the Youngster Final with Pandora van de Kruishoeve. Meanwhile, Thibault Philippaerts triumphed in the Young Riders Grand Prix with his exceptional partner, Pompidou van het Kuilenhof. Olivier Philippaerts and H&M Miro secured two top-ten finishes, further highlighting their consistent performances throughout the event. Notably, Anthony Philippaerts, the youngest member of the family, made his debut on the prestigious grounds of Aachen, marking a significant milestone in his equestrian career. Overall, CHIO Aachen 2023 was an incredibly successful week for the Philippaerts family. Nicola Philippaerts delivered two flawless rounds during the Nations Cup on Thursday evening. With Katanga showcasing her exceptional form, just like with her victory in La Baule, she continued to excel during the Grand Prix on Sunday. Nicola Philippaerts and Katanga remained faultless in the first qualifying round and repeated their faultless performance in the second round. However, it was that awful time penalty that thwarted their chances of advancing to the jump-off and competing for the ultimate prize: victory in Aachen. On Monday morning, the disappointment still lingers. "As a family, we had an incredible week. Everything went well. It's just that last round that puts a huge damper on it all. Katanga jumped unbelievably well, so this is a blow," sighs Nicola Philippaerts. "The analysis is simple but so harsh. At the triple combination, I took a bit more time, and that can be justified. The line to the final obstacle was long, and I took two extra strides, resulting in falling short by eight hundredths of a second to qualify for the jump-off for the second year in a row. Believe me, there aren't many horses that can make it to the jump-off of the event of the year two years in a row. Everyone focuses on that one round, on that intense minute. But no one sees the time, the sacrifices, the effort, and the training that preceded. Only Katanga and I can judge that. It's so incredibly bitter that I couldn't reward her for all that work and for being in such great form." Twin brother Olivier Philippaerts was unable to qualify for the Sunday afternoon Grand Prix, and that was certainly a disappointment for him. With Le Blue Diamond van het Ruytershof,
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