OCALA, Fla.--Germany's Rene Dittmer on Cody 139 won the $120,000 Winning Round CSIO5* on Friday, March 20, a part of the Longines League of Nations.
Rene Dittmer on Cody 129 (Photo by Sportfot)It was the second day in a row that a German won in the WEC Grand Arena following Andre Thieme’s victory in Thursday evening's $350,000 Grand Prix.
In the Winning Round format, the top 10 riders from the opening round returned for the “winning round,” so going clean didn’t automatically guarantee qualification.
Twelve clear rounds had already been posted by the mid-way break, and another five went clear in the second half, making time the determining factor over the course set by Alan Wade.
The top 10 went in reverse order of standing in the second round.
Second to go in round two, Marie Demonte of France on Epona du Quesnoy was clean in 38.89 seconds.
But her lead didn't last long as the next rider, Dittmer, also was clean but in a new leading time of 37.53 seconds.
That put the pressure on the rest of the field, and the next six had rails down trying to beat Dittmer's time.
Hunter Holloway on Pepita Con Spita had the advantage of going last and came the closest to catching Dittmer, going clean in 38.27 seconds to place second, leaving Demonte third.
“THERE WERE some really fast ones behind me, so I definitely had to do the best I could,” said Dittmer of going third in the order. “My horse turned well and, luckily, it worked out in the end. He’s naturally really fast. He’s still a bit green, so in a jump-off, he doesn’t look for the next jump through the turn right away. Sometimes I still have one too many strides in the turns with him in the jump-off, but he’s super fast. He’s quick over the jumps, and his canter is naturally fast.”
Dittmer began riding Cody 139 at the end of 2024.
His home stable is near Hamburg, he spends his winters based out of Wellington, and the for the rest of the year, he flies back and forth to compete in North America approximately every two weeks.
Of being selected for the German team in Ocala, Dittmer said, “It definitely means a lot to me. Last year, I was on the team at Hickstead, went double clear, and we won the Nations Cup there. It was an amazing experience. Now, getting the chance to jump on a League of Nations team is an even bigger thing for me. I'm really proud that Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker picked me for this. We’re really excited for tomorrow night, and I hope we can keep it going the way it has been for the Germans this week so far.”
After German riders won both the Grand Prix and the Winning Round, the German team remains favored to win Saturday's $770,000 Longines League of Nations team competition.
Victory will not come easily as the U.S. team riders would love nothing more than to defend their title on home soil in front of a sold-out crowd.
Natalie Dean, Lillie Keenan, Laura Kraut, and Aaron Vale will face off against teams from Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, and Switzerland when the first of two rounds gets underway at 5:15 p.m. ET.
Ocala is the second of five stops on the Longines League of Nations tour and is the only event held in North America.
Abu Dhabi, Ocala, Rotterdam, Ndgherlands and Gassin – St. Tropez, France comprise the Longines League of Nations series leading up to the final in Barcelona from Oct. 1 to 4, 2026.
