Bachmann Secures Ride on Flash Gordon for 2028 LA Olympics

Dressage

Denmark

After their first international win at the CDI Hagen three weeks ago, Danish Olympian Daniel Bachmann Andersen has secured the ride on his new hope, Flash Gordon, for the 2028 L.A. Olympics.

Bachmann sold Ninja Rathjens' Flash Gordon to his Swedish client Sofia Ek. She agreed for him to retain the ride the next two years.

Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon is a 12-year old Oldenburg gelding by Fiderbach out of Waldessa (by Don Romantic x Figaro). He is bred by Jan Lueder Cornelius.

As a young horse the tall chestnut was first shown by Heike Osterkamp, Ann-Kathrin Osterkamp, and Stefanie Hein before owner Nina Rathjens competed him herself in 2020. Holga Finken rode him in the Nurnberger Burgpokal qualifier in Hagen in 2022. Rathjens then showed him at small tour level and premiered him internationally in the smal tour at the CDI Randbol. They competed through May 2023.

By the end of 2023 Flash Gordon moved in training with Luxembourg team rider Mathis Goerens. He premiered the horse in December 2023 in the Intermediaire II. In 2024 Goerens focused on the Louisdor Cup qualifiers and rode him in Hagen, Loxstedt, Elmlohe and Pinneberg.

Daniel Bachmann Andersen

In January 2025 Flash Gordon was sent into training with Daniel Bachmann Andersen in Denmark to be sold.

The new pair debuted in Denmark at Grand Prix level in May 2025 and gained mileage first at national shows through the summer with scores increasing to 74.033% by August.

Their international premier was in March 2026 at the CDI Herning, where they earned 73.13% in the Grand Prix and 80.37% in the Kur, immediately launching themselves as candidates for the Danish team selection for the 2022 World Championships in Aachen in August. The pair confirmed their qualities at the CDI Hagen in Germany in April with a second place with 73.456% in the Grand Prix and a win in the freestyle with 79.615%.

Daniel has been long-time trained by Danish Olympian Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, who continues to provide her eyes and expertise from the ground.

Secured as L.A. Olympic Hopeful

"Flash has a lot of qualities and he's in his first season of international Grand Prix and currently number 19 in the world in so little time. He has great strength in the real Grand Prix work; piaffe passage, tempi changes, pirouettes. If we get rid of all the mistakes he's a 75%+ horse," Daniel told Eurodressage.

Flash is Daniel's Hope for the L.A. Olympics

"He's very sweet, a gentle horse. He needs to feel my security and believe in himself. I'm quite good at not over-asking. I have learnt through my prior horses to build up the horses so they believe in what they are doing and it works really well," Daniel added.

"His age is super, 12 now and thinking of the coming Olympics he would be 14 then, if all goes well obviously. He'll be experienced and I'll know him inside out. It's the most fantastic thing to go to the Olympics with a horse that is not too old and also not too young," Bachmann explained.

Daniel goes to Sofia Ek's yard in Sweden twice a month to help her and her two daughters with all the horses and ponies.

"I'm very close to the family and they have been so generous and fantastic that they want to help me," said Daniel. "The plan is that Flash will go to Sofia after the Olympics either as an Under 25 horses for Elissa or a Grand Prix horse for Sofia."

Music to His Ears

Team silver for Daniel at the 2024 Olympics

The new collaboration with Ek is music to Daniel's ears as he can now focus on a true long-term plan with the 2026 World Championships in Aachen and the 2027 European Championships on home turf in Denmark as short-term goals and Los Angeles in 2028 hopefully as his second Olympics in his career.

"I'm so so happy that finally I have been able to secure a horse for a little longer. They always get sold, or taken home, or something else. I'm really thrilled. It's a big milestone in my career. I really like this horse. He's something special," Daniel smiled.