Germany’s Richard Vogel and his superstar United Touch S delivered yet another show jumping masterclass Sunday in Switzerland, claiming an emphatic victory in the $387,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup of Basel CSI5* over a field stacked with some of the world’s best riders.

Swiss course designer Gérard Lachat’s first-round track whittled the starting field of 40 down to just seven riders, with rails scattered all over the course. The only jump not to come down in the opening round was Fence 1, a 1.57-meter vertical, while the combination and a delicate 1.62-meter plank at Fence 13 claimed the most victims. Athletes were unanimous in their appraisal of his course as being “big and technical with fences coming up very quickly,” demanding razor-sharp focus from athletes from start to finish.

Kim Emmen and N.O.P. Imagine, the Dutch pair who on Friday won the $235,500 Longines Grand Prix of Basel, set the early standard in the jump-off with a fast, clear round and a time of 41.55 and looked to be setting themselves up for a double victory in the St Jakobshalle arena. 

Two of the class favorites, Martin Fuchs (Switzerland) and Julien Epaillard (France), came next but each had a rail, keeping Emmen’s prospects alive with just two riders—including Vogel—left to go. 

United Touch S entered the arena looking a picture of serenity and calm in the moments before he set the stadium alight. Vogel, currently ranked No. 6 in the world, showed off all of the stallion’s assets, “his, stride, his scope, his ability and character” in a round that had onlookers gasping in disbelief. 

The pair effortlessly went a stride less than their rivals in the first two distances, a curving seven stride line from the oxer at Fence 10, to the oxer at Fence 11, which they negotiated in six strides and again the formidable partnership omitted a stride from here to parts ‘b’ and ‘c’ of what was the combination at Fence 12. Anyone who didn’t count the strides would likely not have noticed that they had eaten up the ground to such an extent, as the 14-year-old Westphalian (Untouched—Touch of Class, Lux Z Z) owned by Julius-Peter Sinnack did it with such ease while remaining relaxed and composed throughout. 

In their turn back from the vertical at Fence 13 to the intricate Emmental cheese wall at Fence 16, the pair sliced well inside the hoof prints left by their rivals and jumped at an eye-watering angle to hit the split time over a second up on Emmen. With three fences left to go—and knowing that they had already done enough—Vogel hit cruise control and let “United” clear the last three fences without pressure. 

They broke the beam in 40.12 seconds to applause from the appreciative spectators, and Vogel, beaming from ear to ear, pointed down at his mount repeatedly, directing the praise to his horse of a lifetime.

Watch their winning round, courtesy of FEI.tv:

“We are always very excited to get to Basel. It’s a wonderful show with the best conditions not just for the horses obviously, but also for our grooms and us riders as well,” Vogel said. “It’s an amazing feeling! We’re delighted with how United is jumping and fighting for us inside this beautiful arena. I’m delighted that it was enough for the win.”

Emmen held on for second place, while Norway’s Johan-Sebastian Gulliksen and Equine America Harwich VDL, who produced the only other clear round in the jump-off with a careful time of 46.85 seconds, took third.

See complete results here.