Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Del Mar

By Kim F Miller

The Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Del Mar on Oct. 22 falls smack dab in the middle of one of the West Coast’s favorite competitions, the three-week Del Mar International Horse Show. The seaside location, magical Southern California fall weather and the spacious Del Mar Fairgrounds venue are big reasons for that.

The Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League qualifier is the jewel of the circuit. Current leader of the West Coast league Karl Cook, loves the relatively large dimensions of the Del Mar Arena and it’s great to be just a few miles from his home stable in Rancho Santa Fe.

His World Cup mount, Tembla is in great form after winning the Longines FEI World Cup™ Langley qualifier in British Columbia in August and having just one rail in the Sacramento qualifier earlier this month. “She’s a lot more professional,” he says of the hot-blooded mare as they embark on their second grand prix year together. “Things are much more regular than when we first started together.”

Being in the lead is a bit the double-edged sword, Cook says. “On the one hand, you can feel a little less pressure for the next class, but on the other, if you don’t do well, then you have to play catch up. It can go either way.”

Cook will be joined at the event by other top West Coast riders, including Will Simpson riding The Dude; Richard Spooner, who has three horses entered in the FEI classes—Chivas Z, Cornancer and Cristallo; and Audrey Coulter, winner of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Sacramento qualifier Oct. 8, with Capital Colnardo. East Coast riders entered in the competition include Georgina Bloomberg with three horses—Calendo 3, Cliff Z and Lilli—and Jack “Hardin” Towell with Lucifer V.

Towell and Lucifer finished second to Beezie Madden and Simon in last year’s Del Mar qualifier. At that time, he enthused, “The Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League has completely changed the World Cups in North America. It’s like competing in Europe. It’s fantastic. And all the shows, by having the scoreboards and bringing in everything, it’s really stepped up. It’s very nice having that come to our country. It almost feels like Europe. And tonight there was a great crowd and the atmosphere was fantastic.”

Here’s a look at what’s happening this week:

WHAT: Del Mar International Horse Show World Cup Week

WHEN: Oct. 19–23, 2016

WHERE: 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, Del Mar, California, 92014

TICKETS: Required only for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Del Mar qualifier. Adults: $30; Seniors: $15; Parking $10

SCHEDULE:

October 20, 6 p.m. PST: Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Grand Prix Qualifier; live streaming at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=babFx1Je-PE

October 21, 5:30 p.m. PST: Del Mar Charity; live streaming at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNwpc8M4_Yc

October 22, 7:35 p.m. EST: $100,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Del Mar; catch it at the subscription-based www.feitv.org.

For a complete schedule of events visit www.westpalmsevents.com.