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For the second year in a row, Belgium’s Pieter Devos and his 14-year-old gelding, Apart, came out on top at the super-competitive fifth leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League in Stuttgart, Germany today where defending series champion, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, had to settle for second ahead of last week’s winner, Great Britain’s Scott Brash, in third.
As always, German course designer Christa Jung didn’t make it easy for the 39 starters in the first round, but the quality of the field ensured an 11-horse jump-off against the clock that had the crowd sitting on the edges of their seats.
“In my opinion this was the toughest leg of the series so far. They always build big here, it’s always technical and tough, but because of the big arena and the very good ground horses jump well”, Devos said this evening. And he’s delighted that, now lying second on the League table with 40 points already on the board, he looks well set for the Longines Final 2020 in Las Vegas, USA next April. “I’ve done three qualifiers with three different horses, I’m almost there and I’m very happy!” he added.
Ireland’s Richard Howley and Chinook led the way in the jump-off with a fast round in 45.56 seconds but leaving a fence on the floor. Third into the ring, Guerdat was clear but a little slower when breaking the beam with Venard de Cerisy in 45.87, and Brash challenged that with a strong run with Hello Senator but was a little off the pace when crossing the line in 46.05 seconds.
It was clear Guerdat’s leading time could be beaten when Spain’s Eduardo Alvarez Aznar and Rokfeller de Pleville Bois Margot galloped through the finish in 45.20 seconds, however leaving an element of the double on the floor. But as Devos set off off he wasn’t convinced he would be the man to do it, and when Apart lost his footing on the turn after the wall three from home, he reckoned his chance was definitely gone.
“I saw Steve’s ride on the the screen and I thought this would not be my day because he was very fast! And then after my slip after the wall I thought I wouldn’t be quick enough, but when I rode over the finish line I was - so I’m very, very happy!”, he said after posting what turned out to be the winning time of 45.35.
But the excitement lasted to the very end, with the penultimate partnership of Philip Weishaupt and Che Fantastica producing a breathtaking round that drove the home crowd into a frenzy of excitement. Way up on time coming to the last, the German partnership stormed home in 43.63 seconds, but an awkward jump at the last saw the pole fall for four faults which left them in fifth place at the end of the day, just behind Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer and Cortney Cox whose double-clear in 46.25 slotted them into fourth.
“I need to try to do better and leave the poles up in the jump-off next time!”, Weishaupt joked afterwards. “For four or five months I had not so many clear rounds so I really wanted to do it today. Maybe I went a little too wild at the last one and should have given the mare a chance to jump it, but I’m still happy with her, she jumped great!” he said.
Runner-up Guerdat congratulated Devos on his winning performance - “Pieter did a great job!” he said. Talking about his own result he said, “I’m happy to be second as I did not have the jump-off I expected on the last line. My horse responded too well after the wall and turning back to the skinny oxer, and I planned eight (strides) to the last but I changed my mind and I ended up with 10! There were other riders faster than me but they had an unlucky one down so I was lucky today to finish second, but I’m very happy with my horse”.
Devos was delighted with Apart. “I think he must like the arena here, and the Stuttgart crowd! He felt amazing here last year and again this year he was super!”, he pointed out. And he was very pleased when awarded a brand new Mercedes-Benz as his winner’s prize. “My wife needs a new car so she’ll very happy!” he said.
World No. 1 and three-time Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion, Guerdat, still leads the Western European League table going into the sixth of the 14 qualifiers in Madrid (ESP) in two weeks’ time, with Devos in second and Brash in third. The British rider has now accumulated 35 points, and with something in the region of 40 normally sufficient to secure one of the top-18 places that will make the cut to the Final, also looks well on the road to the bright lights of the Las Vegas where the 2020 champion will be crowned.
Result here
Standings here
Watch highlights here
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl was “over the moon” with delight after winning the third leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League on home ground at Stuttgart (GER) today. Riding the 12-year-old Trakehner mare TSF Dalera BB with which she claimed team gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Tryon (USA) and individual Freestyle bronze at this summer’s European Championships in Rotterdam (NED), she produced a breathtaking performance to pin defending triple-champions Isabell Werth and Weihegold into second place.
The host nation completely dominated the line-up with Helen Langehanenberg, Dorothee Schneider and Benjamin Werndl finishing third, fourth and fifth. For von Bredow-Werndl this was a very special result. “It’s like Christmas coming early!” she said this evening.
Werth, winner with Emilio at the second leg of the series in Lyon (FRA) two weeks ago, looked set to march to victory once again after topping yesterday’s Grand Prix in which today’s winner had to settle for second place. But a couple of blips saw the legendary lady trailing her team-mate who set a massive target-score of 88.440 when second-last to go.
The Freestyle began with Ireland’s Judy Reynolds and Vancouver K putting 80.755 on the board, and this pair, who got the worst of the draw after finishing an uncharacteristic 11th in the Grand Prix, were still out in front with just five of the 15 starters - all of them German - left to compete.
Helen Langehanenberg demoted the Irish duo with a brilliant performance from her 17-year-old stallion Damsey FRH who danced up the centreline with foot-perfect tempi-changes to post 83.735. And when Dorothee Schneider and DSP Sammy Davis Jr slotted in close behind with 83.395 and Benjamin Werndl and Daily Mirror scored 80.900 then it was 2013 series champion Langehanenberg who was still in command with just two left to run.
But Benjamin’s sister, 33-year-old Jessica, turned the class on it’s head with a technically brilliant performance from Dalera that also sparkled.
“She gave me a feeling I’ve never had before! In Rotterdam she was already amazing but today it felt even lighter and easier. Every piaffe was amazing, every transition every passage and pirouette, every half-pass…..I’m so excited about our future now!” she said.
As Werth set off with her last-to-go ride however it seemed only a matter of form that she would overtake her compatriot’s score. But Weihegold’s test wasn’t clean, and despite a confident one-handed passage to finish, their mark of 87.240 would only be good enough for runner-up spot. “I had super piaffe/passage but had two little mistakes. I maybe risked too much - Jessica deserves to win tonight”, said the five-time champion who is chasing down four titles in a row.
“Stuttgart is one of the toughest qualifiers for the World Cup so it feels like winning at Aachen or at a Championship! I couldn’t be more happy, I knew this was possible but it’s still like a dream come true!” said von Bredow-Werndl. She’s aiming for the series Final in Las Vegas, USA next April but not with today’s winning ride. “I want to take Zaire to Las Vegas, and I’m trying to prepare Dalera for the Olympics next summer. Tokyo is already for sure somewhere in my head, and I would be delighted to be part of Team Germany there”, she pointed out.
The top nine on the Western European League will qualify for the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2020 Final, and after the first three qualifiers the leading four on the league table are all Germans - von Bredow-Werndl and Frederic Wandres sharing pole position followed by Langehanenberg in third and Benjamin Werndl in fourth place. The next leg will take place in Madrid (ESP) in two weeks’ time.
Result here
WEL Standings here
Watch highlights here
The saying “it’s never over until the fat lady sings” rang loud and true at today’s fourth leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League in Verona, Italy where Great Britain’s Scott Brash posted a spectacular last-to-go victory with Hello M’Lady.
It seemed as if Ireland’s Darragh Kenny was about to provide the perfect post-competition headline for the competition staged in the “City of Love” when setting a super-fast target with the 10-year-old Romeo in the 16-horse jump-off. It was fast and furious from the outset, and when this pair galloped down the final line and stopped the clock on 36.06 seconds there really didn’t seem to be any room for improvement on that.
But Brash, team gold medallist at the London 2012 Olympic Games, is the king of cool.
“I was fortunate enough to be at the end so I could see how fast I had to go. Darragh had done a really good round, he was very, very fast so I had to take all the risks today - M’Lady was really fantastic and I’m delighted with her!” he said with great satisfaction afterwards.
He described Uliano Vezzani’s first-round track as “tough and delicate”, the angled oxer at fence eight and the line from the vertical white planks at nine to the double at fence 10 claiming a significant number of victims. He said the time-allowed of 80 seconds was “maybe a bit too generous, but it showed the calibre of horse and rider here today that we got 16 clears!”
It was The Netherlands’ Marc Houtzager and Sterrehof’s Dante who were holding the lead with a time of 36.64 seconds when Kenny rode into the ring. The 31-year-old Irishman and his handsome horse were smooth and fast through all the twists and turns, and the always-vocal Verona spectators roared with approval when they scorched through the finish to reset the target at 36.06 seconds.
World No. 1, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, came close to that with Alamo, the horse with which he claimed his third Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ title earlier this year, when breaking the beam in 36.19. And home hero Emanuele Gaudiano, third last to go, drove the crowd into another frenzy of excitement when just fractionally slower with the extraordinary Chalou whose toe-pointing jumping technique is quite unique.
As Brash set off with his 13-year-old mare he looked cool, calm and completely collected. He had worked out every inch of his run to perfection, and by the time he came racing down the long run to the last it was clear he was out in front, the timers confirming his win when showing 35.55 seconds after he landed over the final fence to a wall of sound.
“I finished second here in Verona a couple of years ago (with Ursula) so it’s great to go one better here this time around! M’Lady is a delicate mare, she can get a little stressed with the atmosphere so it took be a bit of time at this show just to get her relaxed in the collecting ring, but her talent showed through in the end in the jump-off today - I thought she was amazing!”, Brash said. Kenny would have to settle for second while Guerdat finished third.
Guerdat, who now heads the Western European Leaderboard going into the next leg in Stuttgart, Germany next weekend, described today’s jump-off as “very fast!”
He said, “this last few weeks I missed most of my jump-offs so I wanted to keep my head a bit cooler today and try to not risk anything stupid and the horse being naturally fast it was enough for the third place. But you know today if you don’t risk it all it just isn’t possible anymore to win a class like this. But I’m very pleased with the horse, he couldn’t have been any better today. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season with him.”
Meanwhile Brash reflected on his result today and what it means for him and his brilliant mare. Asked if he might have Tokyo 2020 on his radar for her he replied, “yes, the Olympics is certainly on my mind and I would hope to think M’Lady is going to be one of my strongest contenders for next year”.
He is careful about how he is managing her with that in mind. “She was off for quite a while through injury a few years back, but she jumped at this summer’s European Championships to help qualify Great Britain for Tokyo”, he explained. He then dropped her down a level, jumping her at St Tropez in recent weeks before asking her to step up again this weekend in Verona. Today’s result has confirmed for him that she’s very happy to be back at the sharp end.
“It’s nice to feel that she feels competitive at the top end of the sport again - so I’ve high hopes for next year!” he said.
Result here
Standings here
Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs and his brilliant gelding Clooney showed exactly why they are the superstars of the sport right now when scorching to victory in the third leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League at Lyon in France this afternoon.
The 27-year-old rider, who is reigning European champion and currently No. 2 on the Longines world rankings, was back on familiar territory having also won this leg 12 months ago with his same grey wonder-horse. And it was just another magic Sunday for the Swiss star and his equine flying machine when they romped to success once more in the 13-horse jump-off, rocketing to the top of the WEL League leaderboard.
They were chasing the target-time set by America’s Jessica Springsteen and RMF Zecilie who zoomed around the jump-off track in 41.85 seconds, the lovely 12-year-old mare almost clearing the wings of the oxer three from home as she put on an exhibition of enthusiastic athleticism. But, fifth-last to go, somehow Fuchs and Clooney put the result almost beyond doubt when stopping the timers just over half a second sooner.
“I was lucky to start at the end of the jump-off because I could watch Jessica as I know her horse has about the same stride as Clooney. So I planned to do like her, except I made one less stride to the last fence which made me win today!” the Swiss rider explained afterwards.
French course designer, Gregory Bodo, described the 14-fence first-round course as “quite long but horse-friendly”, and it was the triple combination at seven and the double at fence nine that claimed most victims along with the time-allowed of 84 seconds. However 13 found the key, and 27-year-old Springsteen really put it up to the rest of them with her breathtaking ride when third to go against the clock.
No-one had really challenged her until Fuchs set off with all guns blazing, but once the Swiss rider put 41.27 seconds on the board there were still four more to follow, and none of them were shrinking violets. However his compatriot and World No. 1 Steve Guerdat (Venard de Cerisy) clipped the penultimate vertical, and despite being double-clear the final three - Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano (Chalou), Belgium’s Pieter Devos (Claire Z) and Frenchman Julien Epaillard (Queeletta) - didn’t jostle the leading pair out of place, Devos taking third when breaking the beam in 41.95.
Talking about her mare RMF Zecilie, runner-up Springsteen described her as “an amazing horse - it took me about six months to get to know her but now we are all set up and she is great!”
Fuchs meanwhile has the world at his feet, and is already looking forward to next year and what it will bring. “It’s a big victory today, Clooney was in great shape and he jumped wonderfully” he said, adding however that he’s not specifically targeting any more Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ qualifiers with his super-champ.
“I just wanted to do one (qualifier) with him so I can take him to the Final if I need to, but because of the Olympic Games next year the plan is not to take him to Las Vegas. I will go to Verona, Stuttgart and London with other horses to try to qualify, and if I do then I will decide which horse I will bring”, the Swiss rider explained.
With or without Clooney, he looks a very good bet to make the cut to the Longines 2020 Final which will take place in Las Vegas, USA from 15 to 19 April, especially since he already has more than half the points required at this early stage of the 14-leg Western European League which moves on to Verona, Italy next weekend.
Result here
Standings here
It’s three-in-a-row at the French fixture for the defending series champion
Germany’s Isabell Werth showed exactly why she is known as The Queen of international dressage when, on her debut in the 2019/2020 FEI Dressage World Cup™ Western European League at the second leg in Lyon, France today, she produced yet another of her right-royal victories.
Partnering the 13-year-old gelding Emilio she was pinned into second place in yesterday’s Grand Prix won by Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and her latest shining star, the 10-year-old mare Mount St John Freestyle. But today the German legend did what she does best and fought back to win the Lyon leg for the third consecutive year when putting a massive 87.090 on the board.
There was great anticipation of the clash between Werth, who has taken the series title a total of five times including the last three in succession, and Dujardin who was twice crowned champion with the great Valegro. It was at the 2014 Final in Lyon that the British rider first lifted the coveted FEI Dressage World Cup™ trophy, and fans are super-excited to see her back fighting for the supremacy she held in the sport during the heady years before Valegro’s retirement in December 2016. She’s aiming for a spot at the 2020 Final in Las Vegas, USA next April so made a great start to her points-campaign when collecting the maximum 20 today - as defending champion Werth doesn’t need to collect points, instead she is only obliged to compete twice with her horse of choice in order to qualify.
Werth is the ultimate competitor, already relishing the return of potentially her biggest rival over the coming season and beyond. She always says that competing against the best raises everybody’s game.
“Welcome back Charlotte! It’s good to have the best in the field, and that is also what the public like to see! It’s great to have Charlotte away from her island - now the World Cup season will be really exciting!” said the lady who is herself a longtime legend, with more medals in her trophy cabinet than any other athlete in the history of equestrian sport.
When she came into the ring, fifth-last to go, she was chasing the leading score of 80.015 set by compatriot, Frederic Wandres, riding Duke of Britain. And the crowd were clapping even before she started. “It was a wonderful crowd, the stands were full and the atmosphere was great. This is the second time I rode this Freestyle with this music and I really like it. I’m really happy and proud of Emilio. When you ride the last line and the crowd starts to clap you know you are in a good position!” Werth said after putting that 87.090 up in lights, despite taking the time out during her test to signal, on three occasions, for her music level to be turned up.
She was still holding sway when, last to go, Dujardin came into the ring, aware that her mare was more tense today. “Yesterday at the prize-giving she was quite stressed and today when she saw so many people she thought we were doing another prizegiving. I felt her stressed and a little worried going into the arena but I’m very proud and happy with how she behaved. She lacks experience and I have to keep her with me, but this was super experience for the future and I think she will become hard to beat!”, she said after putting 83.925 on the board for runner-up spot.
Dujardin is already looking down the road to the series Final, and the experience her mare can pick up along the way. “I will go to Olympia (London, GBR) and this will again be a big show with a big crowd and a great atmosphere. Then I plan to go to Amsterdam and hopefully Las Vegas!” she pointed out.
Third-placed Wandres, who posted a mark of 80.015, was delighted with his result. “When I saw the rider-list here I thought it could be difficult to do well, but now being third behind the two Dressage Queens is fantastic! With Duke it is special as we learned together. It is now our second Grand Prix season and we keep progressing”, he said.
Today’s winning Freestyle score was just fractionally below a personal-best for Werth and Emilio as a combination, and the lady who is in the privileged position of having multiple top-rides including her two super-mares Weihegold and Bella Rose is delighted that the 2019/2020 Western European League is off to such an impressive start. “Herning (the first leg in Denmark) has already taken place and the level was already very high. It is not only Charlotte but lots of good riders taking part, so it will be interesting to see what will happen in Vegas”, said the rider on whose home ground in Stuttgart (GER) the third round of the 11-leg league will take place in two weeks’ time.
Result here
WEL Standings here
Britain’s Robert Whitaker posted a sensational victory in the second leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League at Helsinki in Finland today with his long-time ride, Catwalk IV.
In a competition that had spectators on the edges of their seats from start to finish, the pair pinned Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya and his super-talented young horse Jet Run into second place while Belgium’s Celine Schoonbroodt de Azevedo (Cheppetta) and Germany’s Christian Kukuk (Quintino) lined up in third and fourth.
It’s not often that a single fence plays such a major role in the outcome of any competition, but today the big blue wall presented by Brazilian course designer, Guilherme Jorge, proved pivotal. The tenth obstacle on the 13-fence track, it was built on a curving line and approached off a tight left-hand turn, and in both rounds it put paid to the chances of some of the best horse-and-rider combinations in the business. Not the 36-year-old Briton and his feisty 16-year-old gelding however. They took it on with gusto both times out to give Whitaker a career-defining first-ever World Cup win.
The close confines of the Ice Hall in Helsinki wouldn’t be to every horse’s liking, but Catwalk, it seems, is in his element there. “He just likes arenas like this - he has a lot of power and he can easily jump big fences off a turn, although today to be honest he was unbelievable!” said the son of the legendary John Whitaker who was a back-to-back winner of the coveted FEI World Cup™ trophy with the great Milton back in 1990 and 1991.
One of the most surprising victims of the wall in the first round was World No. 1, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat partnering Alamo, the horse with which he claimed his third Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ title last April. The 11-year-old gelding seemed totally taken aback when seeing the big blue edifice as he swung around to it, and he ducked out to the left, jumping it at the second time of asking but collecting five faults which left this duo out of contention. And another rock-solid citizen, Francois Mathy Jr’s Uno de le Roque, also made a big mistake here and then stopped at the next for elimination.
However a total of nine made it through to the jump-off in which Irishman Eoin McMahon was pathfinder, clipping the top of the wall which was now three from home to set the target at four faults in 40.97 seconds. Next in however, Spain’s Moya and his fabulous nine-year-old Jet Run, heroes of the host nation’s victory in the Challenge Cup at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final in Barcelona (ESP) earlier this month, really put it up to the rest of them with a blistering run that saw them through the timers to take the lead in 39.81 seconds.
Schoonbroodt de Azevedo wasn’t intimidated however, throwing down a great run in 40.09, and although the phenomenal Swede, Peder Fredricson, broke the beam in 37.96 there were eight faults on the board when he galloped through the finish with H&M Christian K who was brave to continue after a big mistake at the wall. Whitaker and Catwalk were foot-perfect however, looking full of confidence as they galloped home in 38.13 seconds to reset the target and really pile on the pressure. But they weren’t quite home and dried yet, because Frenchman Kevin Staut was yet to go and he’s always to be feared against the clock.
But once again it all went wrong at the wall, Staut parting company with For Joy van’t Zorgvliet HDC when they got into a scramble to gasps of disbelief of the crowd. So when Kukuk opted for a safe clear then he was guaranteed fourth place and it was Whitaker’s moment to shine.
Whitaker and Catwalk finished 19th at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Paris in 2018 and the pair were in flying form in Helsinki all of this weekend, winning yesterday’s Grand Prix before coming out today to steal all the glory once again. “He hasn’t been over-jumped recently so he was fit enough to go well in both classes here - I just think when he jumps good he’s as good as any!” said the rider who now has his sights set on the 2020 Longines Final in Las Vegas (USA) next April.
So does Alvarez Moya who was delighted with his second-place finish with the nine-year-old Jet Run, a horse he has only had for four months and which he has only competed at 10 shows so far. “I didn’t expect him to be as good and as quick today!” he said. “The more he jumps the better he gets - I would like to go to Stuttgart and try to qualify for the Final before Christmas” he pointed out.
That’s everyone’s target, and they all have another chance to pick up those valuable qualifying points when the third round of the 14-leg Western European League gets underway in Lyon, France next Sunday.
Result here
Standings here
It was a big moment for South African Dressage when qualifying a team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Hippisch Centrum in Exloo, The Netherlands tonight.
The only country to field a side in the Group F (Africa and the Middle East) qualifier incorporated into the CDI 3* Grand Prix at the Dutch fixture, the foursome of Tanya Seymour, Laurienne Dittmann, Gretha Ferreira and Nicole Smith produced solid performances to make it happen.
This was the final Tokyo slot to be filled, bringing the total number of nations that will line out in Japan next summer to 15. The full list of qualified countries in Dressage is now - Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Russia and the USA. Teams in Tokyo will consist of three riders.
All four South Africans who competed this evening are based in Europe, and the most experienced of all is Seymour who lives in Addrup, near Vechta in The Netherlands. The trail-blazing 35-year-old was a member of her country’s first-ever team at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Caen, France, and was also the very first South African athlete to compete in Olympic Dressage when lining out at the Rio 2016 Games.
Seymour finished individually 18th at the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2019 Final in Gothenburg, Sweden last April and all of her major results have been recorded with the 17-year-old Ramoneur who she steered into ninth position in tonight’s Grand Prix with a score of 67.065. She clearly adores the Oldenburg stallion with which she has achieved so much, and she’s planning his campaign for the coming months very carefully. He’s the one she would like to take to Tokyo.
“If all stays well and if he’s still happy and sound that would be the plan”, she said this evening. “I’ll play it by ear, he loves his job, he’s still bucking and playing and he’s in a great place at the moment. What I’d love to do with him now is to qualify for the World Cup Final in Las Vegas next April and then take him to Tokyo before giving him a very well-earned retirement after that!”
Gretha Ferreira and the 14-year-old mare Lertevangs Lavinia followed Seymour into the ring and posted 63.652 for 21st place in the field of 27 starters. The 30-year-old rider who hails from Johannesburg and is trained by top Danish rider Daniel Bachmann Andersen only started this mare at Grand Prix level in March of last year. So it was some achievement to make it to the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Tryon, USA last September where they finished 66th individually.
First of the South Africans to compete this evening was Laurienne Dittmann with the Hannoverian Don Weltino K. The German-based 48-year-old who was awarded the Golden Rider Badge by the German NF in 2018 posted a score of 62.239 for 23rd place. And last to go was the youngest South African representative, 28-year-old Nicole Smith who looked set to finish inside the top-10 until penalised for a costly mistake in the one-tempi changes with the 12-year-old KWPN mare Chi La Rou which saw them complete in 18th on a mark of 64.913.
Tonight’s Grand Prix was won by The Netherlands’ Jeanine Nieuwenhuis partnering TC Athene, with Sweden’s Michelle Hagman Hassink placing second and another of the Dutch contingent, Lynne Maas, slotting into third with Eastpoint.
Full results here
WSI Cooley Lancer tops 6-year-olds, KWPN Happy Boy wins 7-year-old category
The Selle Français Studbook won the overall title at the FEI WBFSH World Breeding Eventing Championships for Young Horses 2019 which drew to a close at the Haras National at l‘Isle de Briand in Le Lion d’Angers (FRA) yesterday.
The title is decided by the best three scores of each Studbook in both categories. So when Dartagnan de Beliard ridden by Thomas Carlile and Demoiselle Platine HDC partnered by fellow-countryman Nicolas Touzaint from France finished second and fourth respectively in the 6-year-old division, and then last year’s 6-year-old champion Cristal Fontaine lined up sixth for Britain’s Kitty King in the 7-year-old division, that clinched it. The combined total scores came to 93.8, but it was a narrow win over the Irish Sport Horse Studbook with their total of 95.1, while the Dutch KWPN was close behind in third with 97.7.
6-year-olds
Great Britain’s Piggy French steered her eventual champion, Cooley Lancer, into third in the opening Dressage phase with a score of 26.7. It was Norway’s Yasmin Nathalie Sanderson and the KWPN Inchello DHI who took the early lead on a mark of 26.3 ahead of Germany’s Sophie Leube and the Trekehner, Sweetwaters Ziethen, who were just fractionally behind on 26.6. And lining up in fourth, fifth and sixth were Germany’s Kai-Steffen Meier with the Rheinlander QC Rock and Roll (27.1), Australia’s Samantha Birch with the SHBGB Faerie Magnifico (27.6) and Carlile with the French-bred Dartagnan (28.3).
A total of 42 horse-and-rider combinations from 19 countries started in Dressage and 38 completed Saturday’s cross-country phase, 23 going clear within the optimum time of 8 minutes 48 seconds. And with all of the leading group keeping a clean sheet over Pierre Michelet’s beautifully-designed course, there was only 2.0 points separating the top six going into the final Jumping phase so there was absolutely no room for error.
Mistakes by the leading two riders proved very costly, a pole down dropping Sanderson from gold medal position to bronze and 5.6 faults demoting Leube from silver to fifth place. This allowed Touzaint to climb from eighth to fourth with Demoiselle Platine HDC, and Carlile to improve from sixth to silver medal spot with the stallion Dartagnan de Beliard.
French, winner at Badminton (GBR), second at Burghley (GBR), first and third at Blenheim (GBR) and a member of Great Britain’s silver medal-winning team at the Longines FEI European Championships in Luhmuehlen (GER) has already enjoyed an incredible year, and added yet another accolade with a foot-perfect run that moved her up from bronze to gold.
Her new champion, Cooley Lancer, is registered with the Warmblood Studbook of Ireland and is a son of Coeur de Nobless M, bred by Eliano Meroni and owned by Cooley Farm.
7-year-olds
It was a very different story in the 7-year-old category in which New Zealand’s Tim Price rocketed up from 13th after Dressage to seal the title with the Dutch-bred Happy Boy when both of the jumping phases proved highly influential. This was the biggest leap up the leaderboard in the history of these Young Horse Championships, and the soft ground conditions yesterday appeared to be very much to the liking of this black horse who has a strong showjumping pedigree.
Germany’s Josephine Schnaufer held the lead after Dressage on a score of 26.7 with the Westphalian Viktor 107 ahead of Great Britain’s Tom McEwen and the ISH Brookfield Benjamin B in second (27.2) and Australia’s Christopher Burton in third (27.4) with the Selle Français Coup de Coeur Dudevin. Another Irish Sport Horse, Miss Cooley, claimed fourth spot (27.7) at this early stage for another Briton, Oliver Townend, while The Netherlands’ Tim Lips and the KWPN Herby slotted into fifth (28.0) and Frenchman Astier Nicolas was in sixth (28.5) with the ZFDP Lumberton.
However only 17 of the 68 starters managed to avoid cross-country time penalties as the optimum time of 9 minutes 15 seconds proved difficult for many to get. When Schnaufer collected 3.6 she plummeted from first to 10th, but McEwen, Burton and Townend all kept a clean sheet to take over the top three medal placings going into the final day, while Nicolas leap-frogged Lips to go into fourth when the Dutchman picked up 1.6 for time.
But yesterday only seven of the 56 remaining contenders managed to jump a clear round. There were 15 within four penalty points of McEwen in gold medal position and only two managed to keep a clean sheet. America’s Liz Halliday-Sharp was one of those, partnering the ISH Cooley Moonshine with which she finished third in last year’s 6-year-old category. The pair were lying ninth after Dressage and the addition of 1.6 for time dropped them to 13th after cross-country, but the fault-free run over the coloured poles put them well in contention on their final tally of 30.5.
Price and Happy Boy, which was bred by A Rijma and is owned by Susan Lamb and Therese Miller, had improved from 13th after Dressage to eighth after cross-country. And this son of Indoctro made light work of the final phase so they completed on 30.1 and now it was all down to McEwen for the title. A mistake and it would be the Kiwi rider in gold and the American in silver, and that’s how it turned out when the British rider’s grey clipped a pole down the final line for four additional faults, his final tally of 31.2 however still good enough to clinch the bronze.
Medal winners:
7-year-olds: Gold, Happy Boy KWPN by Indoctro and W. Amelusina 17 by Odermuser; Silver, Cooley Moonshine ISH by Cobra and kilpatrick Duchess by Kings Master; Bronze, Brookfield Benjamin B ISH by Nazar and Ashmore’s Zoe by Grange Bouncer.
6-year-olds: Gold, Cooley Lancer WSI by Coeur de Nobeless M and Tante Catoche du Houssoit by Ogano Sitte; Silver, Dartagnan de Beliard SF by Quite Easy an Royce de Kreisker by Diamant de Semilly; Bronze, Inchelo DHI KWPN by Chello lll VDL and Barbarena OA by Montreal.
Full results here
Denmark’s Cathrin Dufour stole all the limelight when dominating both the Grand Prix and Freestyle at the first leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League on home ground in Herning (DEN) this weekend. Riding her exciting young Westphalian gelding Bohemian, she posted a whopping 83.022 to win yesterday’s Grand Prix. And today she posted the winning Freestyle score of 88.191 which left her well clear of her nearest rivals, Germany’s Benjamin Wendl with Daily Mirror 9 and Helen Langehanenberg with Damsey FRH who slotted into second and third.
“It’s quite incredible!” said Dufour this evening, delighted with the performances of her super-talented and ultra-promising nine-year-old horse. “Yesterday was the highlight because he was super-brave in front of a full-on crowd and everything came together! And today he brought out his “A” game again - imagine what he can do when I start to push him a bit more - he’s going to be unbelievable!” she added.
This first round of the 14-leg league from which nine riders will qualify for the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2020 in Las Vegas (USA) next April, attracted a cracking field of 15 combinations from eight countries. And Denmark held the lead at the halfway stage when Agnete Kirk Thinggaard and Jojo AZ posted 77.630. It was a big moment for this pair as they were making their final appearance together at top level, with retirement now beckoning for the 16-year-old horse that represented Denmark at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and helped secure team silver at the FEI European Championships in Gothenburg (SWE) the following year.
Last year’s Oslo winners, Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Blue Hors Zack, went out in front when first to produce a score over 80 percent, but Dufour blew that away when following with a mark of over 88 percent for a test that had the spectators on the edges of their seats. Bohemian finished fourth in the Freestyle and fifth in the Special as well as contributing to Denmark’s second-place finish in the team event at the prestigious German fixture in Aachen this summer. And the crowd rose to their feet again, just as they did yesterday, when the pair drew to a halt in the full knowledge that they had taken a significant lead.
Germany’s Werndl and Daily Mirror put 84.545 on the board before 2013 series champion Helen Langehanenberg posted a mark of 83.360 with Damsey FRH. So when the final partnership of Severo Jurado Lopez and another nine-year-old, Fiontini, finished fractionally further behind on 83.320, then the Spanish pair had to settle for fourth place.
As Dufour returned to the arena for the prize-giving there was a sense that a new champion has been born. The 27-year-old Danish rider’s career highlights have mostly been recorded in her partnership with the fabulous 16-year-old gelding Atterupgaard’s Cassidy who has carried her from Young Rider European gold to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and on to team and Freestyle bronze at the 2017 Senior Europeans and bronze in the Special again at this summer’s European Championships. Bohemian looks like his perfect successor, and Dufour acknowledged that today.
She is much lauded for her effective but hugely sympathetic riding style which allows her horses to develop at their own pace. “They are my team-mates, and I respect them in the ring. If they say they can’t do something then I say ‘maybe next time’. I never push them and that gives them great confidence. I love my ponies, I’m really just a pony girl inside!!”, Dufour said this evening.
She is not going to try to qualify Bohemian for the Las Vegas 2020 Final, because she says it will be too much for him in a short space of time, especially when she has the 2020 Olympic Games in her sights. “I want to have both of them (Cassidy and Bohemian) ready for Tokyo. I’ve taken it quite easy on Bohemian to improve his frame and his strength, I’m just still trying to balance him. But the day I can start really riding him forward - I can only imagine what he can do!”
Result here
It was a really big day for Switzerland’s Bryan Balsiger who galloped to victory with the gallant grey gelding, Clouzot de Lassus, at the first leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2019/2020 Western European League in Oslo, Norway today.
In a super-hot 12-horse jump-off, the 22-year-old from Neuchâtel near Lausanne threw down a brilliant round when third to go and, despite their best efforts, the rest of the world-class field couldn’t catch him.
He wasn’t the obvious winner on the start-list for this first leg of the 14-leg league from which 18 riders will qualify for the Longines 2020 Final in Las Vegas (USA) next April. But this is a young man whose star is clearly on an upward trajectory, and he put himself squarely in the limelight when making only his second-ever World Cup start a winning one, pinning Portugal’s Luciana Diniz into runner-up spot while home hero, Geir Gulliksen, finished a crowd-pleasing third.
Balsiger was full of praise for the 11-year-old horse he has been competing now for over three years. “He gives me 200% at every show and together we have won gold at the Young Rider Europeans and at the Swiss Championships, but this is the biggest win of our career! He’s so brave, and he gives his heart for me every time!”, said the delighted young rider.
The time-allowed of 78 seconds proved difficult to get in the first round over the course designed by Italy’s Elio Travagliati, so there was a huge cheer from the home crowd when Gulliksen squeezed through the finish in 77.98 to make the cut into the jump-off with the nippy little VDL Groep Quatro.
Balsiger and Clouzot put it up to the rest of them when setting the target at 40.00 seconds when third to go in the second-round race against the clock. And Gulliksen looked set to challenge that with a great run from Quatro when next into the ring, but the clock stopped on 40.99 seconds so when Diniz steered her 10-year-old gelding, Vertigo du Desert, through the timers in 40.40 then the Norwegian slipped down to third. There was still plenty more excitement to come however.
Brazil’s Marlon Modolo Zanotelli, who claimed both individual and team gold at this summer’s Pan-American Games, set off at a scorching pace but, hampered by a stumble after the third fence, hit the first element of the following double and still managed to clear in the line in 40.26 seconds. And then French rider Olivier Robert, who had already made a miraculous recovery when jumped out of the saddle over the penultimate oxer in the first round, experienced almost exactly the same result over the same fence second time out to come home clear but in a time of 42.64 with Tempo de Paban.
It did seem the leading time was beatable and, third-last into the ring, Sweden’s Peder Fredricson and H&M All In proved it was when breaking the beam in 38.47 seconds. But the 2016 individual Olympic silver and 2017 individual European gold medal winning partnership left the first element of the double on the floor, so when Germany’s Christina Kukuk and Colestus had a stop at the third then there was only one man to challenge Balsiger. His compatriot and world no. 1, Steve Guerdat, partnering the horse with which he won his third Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ title in Gothenburg (SWE) earlier this year.
Setting off at a cracking pace, Guerdat and Alamo looked seriously threatening until finding themselves on a wrong stride to the vertical before the double. So when the poles came tumbling down it was Balsiger’s time to shine.
He reckoned his plan to do seven strides from that vertical to the following double was where he clinched it. “I knew there were a lot of faster riders so I had to take a risk and I’m really happy it worked out for me!” Balsiger said. And he expressed his gratitude to his father, Thomas, who is his trainer. “I can always trust him and all my family and the others around me who help me a lot - they make it happen for me!” he pointed out.
Third-placed Geir Gulliksen was a happy man too. “This has been the best-ever World Cup here in Oslo and it’s the last one in my 50’s, but it’s not the last one I’ll ever do!” said the rider who has been the rock on which the Norwegian team has relied for many years now and who will turn 60 next January.
Result here
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