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Testament to the perennial appeal of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ series, World No. 1, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, has signed up for the opening leg of the new Western European League qualifying season which kicks off in Oslo, Norway this weekend. The man who has topped the Longines world rankings since the beginning of 2019 has an extraordinary record in the series, and this season he has history in his sights. He is a three-time winner, and if he can add a fourth victory he will be the first rider ever to do so since FEI World Cup™ Jumping began back in 1978.
As defending champion he is automatically qualified for the 2020 Final which returns to Las Vegas, USA, next April, and this is a place that holds great memories for him. Because it was here, at the Thomas & Mack Centre, that he secured his first title in 2015. Guerdat thrives on the tension and excitement created by the close confines of indoor jumping in which speed, accuracy and a mutual understanding between horse and rider are tested to the limit. So spectators are in for a real treat, as the London 2012 individual Olympic champion has already committed himself to lining out at all of the early-season qualifiers.
Belgium’s Francois Mathy Jr. and the Philippaerts brothers Olivier and Thibault are also travelling north for the Oslo opener at which the host nation’s Gulliksen family of father Geir and son and daughter Johan-Sebastian and Victoria will be flying the Norwegian flag. Heading up a strong Swedish selection will be 2017 European champion Peder Fredricson, along with Henrik von Eckermann who stood on the third step of the podium at the Finals in both Omaha (USA) in 2017 and Paris (FRA) in 2018.
French star, Kevin Staut, is always a consistent campaigner in this series and will be joined by compatriot Olivier Robert while, fresh from the brilliant performance that saw them clinch the Challenge Cup for the hosts from Spain at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final in Barcelona earlier this month, Sergio Alvarez Moya and the exciting Jet Run will also be in action.
A total of 40 horse-and-rider combinations from 18 countries will compete at this first of the 14 legs that will be staged in 11 countries, as riders battle for one of the 18 qualifying spots on offer. It’s a hectic calendar of events, with Helsinki (FIN) hosting the next round a week later and Lyon (FRA), Verona (ITA) and Stuttgart (GER) following in November. Spain then hosts two legs, in Madrid and La Coruna, in early December before the action moves on to London Olympia (GBR) just before Christmas and then to Mechelen (BEL) immediately afterwards.
As the new year begins there will be still five more legs to go, beginning with Basel (SUI), Leipzig (GER) and Amsterdam (NED) in January and then on to Bordeaux (FRA) and finally Gothenburg (SWE) in February. Just over a month later horses will fly out to the USA for the Final which is always guaranteed to be a thriller.
While Guerdat may be the headliner this weekend, his compatriot Martin Fuchs is bound to be a show-stealer when he rocks up the following week. The 27-year-old chased Guerdat all the way to the line when finishing second at the 2019 Final in Gothenburg, and having followed his individual silver medal success at last year’s FEI World Equestrian Games™ with individual gold at this summer’s FEI European Championships, this is a young man on fire.
He has committed himself to competing at Helsinki, Lyon, Verona and Stuttgart, so he also clearly has his sights set on adding his name to the list of legends who have won the indoor trophy they all want to claim - the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup.
Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..
Masterlist for Leg 1, Oslo here
The Egyptian side of Mohamed Taher Zeyada, Nayel Nassar, Abdel Said and Sameh El Dahan won today’s Group F Olympic Jumping qualifier at Rabat in Morocco in the finest style. Completing with just four faults over two tough rounds of Nations Cup competition, they pinned Switzerland into second and Italy into third place. There were six countries from this region - Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - chasing down two available places at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. And it was the Qataris who booked the second slot when finishing eighth of the 14 competing nations.
It was history-making stuff for today’s winners, as the last time an Egyptian showjumping team competed at an Olympic Games was 59 years ago, in Rome in 1960.
“It’s incredible!” said third-line rider Abdel Said who collected just a single time penalty in each round with Venise du Reverdy. “When we came here we knew we had a good chance because our riders are strong and compete all over the world. But not only to qualify for Tokyo but to also win this Nations Cup is a huge boost for us! This has been a target for the last two years. We really wanted to qualify and we took a gamble with the team we sent to Barcelona (for the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final two weeks ago) but it didn’t work out great. But we brought our “A” team here and this has happened - it’s unbelievable!” he added.
They were already in the hunt at the halfway stage, sharing second place with Switzerland when both carried just one time fault. Brazil’s Bernardo Alves (El Torreo de Muze), Felipe Amaral (Quinn 33), Rodrigo Mesquita Marinho (Edesa’s Basantos) and Pedro Veniss (For Felicila) led the way on a zero scoreline while Canada was lying third with five on the board and the Qataris were already in eighth place carrying 10.
But the Brazilians lost their grip on pole position when racking up 14 faults second time out over the course designed by Irishman Alan Wade. And when Andy Kistler’s Swiss side of Elian Baumann (Campari Z), Anthony Bourquard (Tum Play du Jouas), Marc Rothlisberger (Agatha d’Ecaussines) and Alain Jufer (Cornet MM) had to add four more faults to their tally then the door was open for the Egyptians.
Because Zeyada reduced his first-round 12-fault discount score with Vizalaty to just two time faults at his second attempt, so when Nasser and Lucifer V posted a brilliant double-clear and Said registered only his second single time penalty of the day then that would do it. The Swiss were on a final total of five while Egypt had just four on their scoresheet. El Dahan and his super-mare, Suma’s Zorro, looked set to put the icing on the cake by reducing that to just one fault with another double-clear performance, but not even their pole down could spoil the Egyptian celebrations. It was a huge moment for these four men who were putting their country right back on the Olympic Jumping map.
They were bursting with pride, and rightly so. The hard-working Said, who runs his own business in Antwerp, Belgium, sourcing and producing young horses and coaching riders while also competing, described his 10-year-old mare Venise as “a very raw and rough diamond who is only coming together over the last few months, but she is tough and has all the power in the world!” Maybe she will be the one who will take him to Tokyo. “It’s where we all want to get to, I’ve always dreamed of competing at the Olympic Games!“, he said this evening.
Qatar’s 28-fault scoreline was good enough to earn the second Tokyo ticket. Hamad Nasser Al Qadi (SIEC Lonnie) posted 14 faults, Sheikh Ali Al Thani (Sirocco) collected nine, Rashid Towaim Ali Al Marri (Armstrong van de Kapel) picked up 15 faults and Bassem Mohammed (Gunder) produced their best score with a total of five.
“Congratulations to all who helped us make it to the Olympics for a second time. We are very excited about it!”, Bassem Mohammed said. “We competed in Rio (2016 Olympic Games) and now we go to Tokyo. It’s really important for us as riders, for the Federation and for the Olympic Committee of Qatar so we are really looking forward to it”, he added.
Result here
In the thrilling finale to the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ 2019 series at Boekelo, The Netherlands today, Team Germany posted their fourth win of the season while league leaders Sweden held on to take the series title. However some of the biggest smiles were on Swiss faces when they pulled Olympic qualification out of the bag.
There were three teams in contention for the single ticket to Tokyo 2020, and Dutch hopes were dashed when they found themselves lying eleventh of the 12 competing nations after Saturday’s cross-country phase. But Switzerland and Belgium slugged it out to the very end, with the final series rankings swinging the pendulum in favour of the Swiss.
The new Olympic format led to plenty of head-scratching during the four-day fixture at which the German team took command at the outset and never flinched. Without a drop score, the multi-medalled Sandra Auffarth (Let’s Dance 73), Michael Jung (fischerRocana FST) and Ingrid Klimke (SAP Asha P) put just 78.10 penalty points on the board after Dressage, with Auffarth also leading the individual rankings on her mark of 24.90. And with a hat-trick of Cross-Country zeros yesterday, this phenomenal threesome looked all but unassailable going into today’s final Jumping phase.
However there was plenty of movement below them as the cross-country course designed by Adrian Ditcham played its part. Australia climbed from sixth to second thanks to brilliant clear runs inside the time by Chris Burton (Clever Louis) and Kevin McNab (Fernhill Tabasco), and the Belgians rocketed up from seventh to third, thanks in no small part to a great performance from Lara de Liedekerke-Meier (Alpaga d’Arville) and just 3.6 time penalties for Constantin van Rijckevorsel (Beat It). With a two-phase tally of 117.50 they were lying just over three points behind Australia and just ahead of the Japanese who were in fourth going into the final day, while the Swiss also made serious headway when soaring up from 12th to fifth, their running total of 125.90 leaving them just eight points adrift of their Belgian rivals as the action resumed this afternoon.
And it was a real roller-coaster in the battle for the team placings, with the 84-seconds time-allowed proving difficult for many to get.
The team partnerships were last to go, and the Belgians dropped down the leaderboard when adding 30.80 to their tally. However despite the addition of just 0.40 for pathfinder Caroline Gerber (Tresor de Chignan CH) for going over the time, the Swiss also lost their grip when putting 30.00 more on the board. Robin Godel (Grandeur de Lully CH) collected 13.20 on his tour of the 12-fence track while Tiziana Realini (Toubleu de Rueire), who had produced one of those precious cross-country clears, posted 16.4 to bring their team total of 155.9, leaving the Swiss just behind their Belgian rivals in seventh place at the end of the day.
However the Olympic spot would be earned by the country lying highest of the unqualified nations in the final FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ 2019 standings. The Swiss lay third coming into this seventh and last leg, and their final total of 370 points left them well clear of the Belgians who completed with 355. Meanwhile with their closest opposition from Italy not lining out this time around, the leading Swedes, carrying 435 points, had a clear run to the 2019 title despite finishing tenth at this last leg.
At the sharp end, Germany held on for a convincing win on a final scoreline of 94.10, while a clear from Burton, 5.20 for McNab and just four faults for Samantha Birch (Finduss PFB) secured runner-up spot for Australia on a final tally of 123.50. Japan finished an impressive third, Kazuma Tomoto (Bernadette Utopia) and Atsushi Negishi (Ventura de la Chaule JRA) going clear in both of the final two phases while Yoshiaki Oiwa (Bart L JRA), who had been lying individually second after dressage but who was penalised for a cross-country refusal, had a pole down at the penultimate triple combination today. The Japanese finished less than a single penalty point behind the Australians, and it is quite clear they will be a force to be reckoned with on home ground in Tokyo next summer. Fourth place went to New Zealand (130.00) and fifth to Great Britain (143.00).
The very last rider into the ring, Germany’s Auffarth, had individual glory in her grasp until hitting the last element of the triple combination which dropped her to fourth and opened the door for Great Britain’s Laura Collett (London 52) to take the individual honours.
Results here
The Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2019 came to thrilling climax today, and it was Irish eyes that were smiling when Rodrigo Pessoa’s team of Peter Moloney, Paul O’Shea, Darragh Kenny and Cian O’Connor clinched victory in fine style. Completing with just a single time fault, they pinned the defending champions from Belgium into runner-up spot while Sweden lined up in third. And to put the icing on the Irish cake they also collected the Olympic qualifying spot they have been craving for a very long time.
Brilliant course-building by Spain’s Santiago Varela, who will also be presenting the tracks in Tokyo next summer, ensured another nail-biting afternoon during which it was impossible to predict the destiny of the coveted series trophy until the very last moment. But the Irish had already booked their Tokyo tickets before anchorman O’Connor went into the ring.
A single mistake from pathfinder Moloney and Chianti’s Champion at the massive triple combination three from home was followed by a superb clear from O’Shea and Skara Glen’s Machu Picchu. So when Kenny and Balou du Reventon collected just that single time fault then the road to Tokyo was already closed to their rivals from Colombia and Italy.
And then O’Connor turned a great day into an amazing one with a foot-perfect run from PSG Final because that put pressure on the Belgians for the Longines series title. The newly-crowned European champions posted clears from Olivier Philippaerts (H&M Extra) and Jerome Guery (Quel Homme de Hus) and were looking good for their second victory in a row. One more clean run from anchorman Gregory Wathelet and MJT Nevados would clinch it because they could drop the unlucky four picked up by Niels Bruynseels and Jenson van’t Meulenhof at the very last fence. But, to gasps of disbelief from the crowd, Wathelet’s stallion uncharacteristically ducked out at the penultimate vertical, so Bruynseels’ four had to be counted and that would only be good enough for second place.
“We had a very clear objective coming here, the riders were super-focused and the horses were in great shape”, said Irish Chef d’Equipe Rodrigo Pessoa. “Today we expected a very tough fight from Italy and Colombia who were our direct opponents (for Tokyo qualification), but as it happened we were also holding strong against the big countries like Belgium and others. People sometimes don’t realise the pressure the riders are under to bring this qualification home. The weight of their country was on their shoulders, it was a big ask from them today and to do it in the style they did it - hats off to them!” said Irish Chef d’Equipe Rodrigo Pessoa.
O’Connor, a member of the last Olympic team fielded by Ireland in Athens (GRE) in 2004, pointed out that the Longines title was always in their sights this week. “Our aim was to win this trophy all along, obviously the Olympic qualification was also our goal, but you don’t come here just to qualify - we came here to win, and by doing so we got the bonus of qualification!” he said. And the team honoured one of the members of that 2004 Irish side, Kevin Babington who finished individually fourth with the great Carling King that year and who experienced a life-changing accident four weeks ago, by wearing armbands bearing his name this week.
Pessoa was delighted with the spirit shown by his riders. “With teams there are good days and bad days….there’s a lot of chemistry, but the most important thing is that, on the day it really counts, everyone sticks together and pulls the same way. People can leave their personal issues on the side and really pull for the country and that’s what happened here. I’m really proud of what they did today!”
Kenny said he realised how important his ride was. “I was a bit nervous going in the ring but I’m very lucky, I’ve an incredible horse, he’s absolutely amazing and he tried so hard. On Thursday he jumped an incredible clear and today I was just trying to make sure I left all the jumps up. Unfortunately Santi (Santiago Varela, course designer) told me that I was the only person to get a time fault! My goal coming here was to try and do a double-clear, to try and get Ireland to Tokyo, that was the most important thing, and I’m glad I could be part of this great team. We were all fighting together, that was the most important thing”, he added.
That one time fault cost him a share of the €100,000 bonus for double-clear rounds that instead was divided between Belgium’s Olivier Philippaerts and Germany’s Daniel Deusser.
There was a great sense of satisfaction for Pessoa this evening. “We already had two disciplines qualified (Dressage and Eventing) but it’s been a long time since Ireland, a great equestrian nation, has been at the Olympics Games in showjumping and it was this team’s responsibility to bring it home. That for me was the most stressful thing today, to feel what they felt and how hard it must have been for them to ride in those conditions. They had such a great mental attitude - nothing could have stopped them from achieving what they did. I was called in a few years ago to do a job (achieve Olympic Jumping qualification) so now it’s mission accomplished!”, he said.
Result here
There was a mixture of joy and regret for the Spanish team after winning tonight’s Challenge Cup at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final on home ground at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain.
The battle between the nine countries that missed the cut to tomorrow’s last round that will decide the fate of the 2019 Longines title was a tough one. But the hosts clinched a clear-cut victory in the end, pinning The Netherlands into runner-up spot while Brazil, Great Britain and the USA finished equal-third.
“We lost out on Olympic qualification by less than half a second on Thursday, and that was heartbreaking”, said Spanish Chef d’Equipe Marco Fuste. “But sometimes what the sport takes away, the sport gives you back. Today we had this wonderful win and I’m absolutely excited and proud of the riders, the staff members, the coach, the vet, everybody who worked hard, because in the end this was a really beautiful gift to say goodbye to the 2019 Nations Cup season!”, he reflected.
Course designer Santiago Varela set them a difficult track, and there were only six clear rounds from the 36 starters. But when two of those came from Spanish team then that was the deciding factor. And it was the last-to-go effort of Sergio Alvarez Moya and the exciting nine-year-old Jet Run that clinched it.
Great Britain, USA, The Netherlands and Spain were all in contention for a four-fault finishing result going into the last rotation of riders, but mistakes from Ben Maher and F One USA at the second element of the double at fence eight and again at the final vertical put paid to British chances. And when Richard Spooner and Quirado RC also faulted at the same double as well as the following oxer then American hopes were seriously compromised.
The Netherlands’ pathfinders, Maikel van der Vleuten and Dana Blue, clipped only the second fence on the course that looked sensational under lights. And that was followed by a brilliant clear from Zypriz S ridden by Willem Greve who, as the only rider through to tonight’s competition who had also been foot-perfect in Thursday’s first round, therefore earned all of the €50,000 bonus on offer to riders with double-clear performances.
Marc Houtzager’s Sterrehof’s Calimero also faulted at the first element of the bogey double at eight, but it seemed the Dutch were about to really put it up to the Spanish by posting just a four-fault finishing score when Bart Bles and Israel VD Dennehoeve skipped around the course with the greatest of ease, only for it all to unravel at the very last.
The Spanish crowd were suddenly whipped into a frenzy of excitement, because the door was now wide open. The British and Americans were no longer a threat because they would complete on the same 12-fault scoreline as Brazil, and the Dutch could do no better than eight. If last-to-go Alvarez Moya could keep a clean sheet then the hosts would have it.
Spain’s Alberto Marquez Galobardes and Ucello Massuere had suffered the same fate as Bles at the final fence, but team-mate Eduardo Alvarez Aznar and Rokfeller de Pleville Bois Margot were beautifully clear, so the 12 faults collected by Santiago Nunez Riva could be dropped if their anchor partnership could master Varela’s course.
The deafening noise that had been reverberating around the stadium descended into a complete hush as Alvarez Moya and his relatively inexperienced nine-year-old gelding set off. But the sound-barrier was nearly broken when he cleared the last and punched the air with delight.
Asked afterwards if he noticed the silence and could feel the tension as he went into the arena he replied, “I don’t really think much once I go in the ring. I focus on the job and try to ride as good as possible. Once you do that, if you have a rail down that’s the sport - I just try my best. I have to say today it gave me great confidence to have my colleagues doing such a good job before me. And it’s a lovely position to go in the ring with the chance of a win - it doesn’t happen very often so I loved it!”
He wasn’t the only one who savoured this success. “It’s a moment of great happiness!” said Marco Fuste who has been Spanish Chef d’Equipe the last 14 years. “Winning a Nations Cup at this level makes me very happy, especially here in my home town where I have been living for 46 years!”
Tonight the Spanish were celebrating, but tomorrow there are two further tasks to be completed. Because the destiny of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2019 has yet to be decided, and one of three nations - Colombia, Ireland or Italy - will be going home with a ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The action gets underway at 15.00 local time so don’t miss a hoofbeat…..
Team Belgium, winners in 2015 and again last year, looked supremely confident when topping today’s first round of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2019 Final at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain. But the battle between the seven countries fighting for the single qualifying spot on offer for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games proved equally as intriguing during an afternoon filled with thrills and surprises.
A total of 18 countries went into battle, but only eight places in Sunday’s second-round decider were up for grabs this afternoon and it was Belgium, France, Sweden, Colombia, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and Italy who claimed them, the hosts missing out by an agonising 0.45 seconds when time was the deciding factor. So instead they go through to the Challenge Cup on Saturday night in which they will be joined by all the other nations who didn’t make the cut today - The Netherlands, Norway, USA, Japan, Great Britain, Brazil, Mexico and Egypt. Team Portugal have withdrawn from the competition.
The Belgians, newly-crowned European champions, now look well set to beat all-comers once again, but Chef d’Equipe, Peter Weinberg, isn’t taking anything for granted.
“We always try very hard and we were looking forward to coming back here again and today we did very well, but there’s still the second round on Sunday which will be more difficult. The teams that have qualified are all strong and they are all very close together. We are lucky that we already have our Olympic qualification so we don’t have that pressure anymore, but we are very happy how we jumped today”, he said.
Olivier Philippaerts got Belgium off to a flying start when clear with H&M Extra, and Pieter Devos added just four faults with a mistake at the oxer at fence five while Jerome Guery’s stallion Quel Homme de Hus was one of many to hit the flimsy plank topping the vertical at fence 10. But when Gregory Wathelet and MJT Nevados, the only horse-and-rider partnership competing this week who were also on that history-making European gold-medal-winning team last August, were foot-perfect all the way, then Belgium completed on a four-fault tally which left them heading the leaderboard with a single-fault advantage over the French.
Sweden and Colombia shared third place on a total of nine, and the Colombians are once again proving a force to be reckoned with. Although they are not always very visible on the international circuit they have a habit of pulling off some great results at major events, and Carlos Enrique Lopez Lizarazo produced one of just nine clears on a day when 70 riders from 18 teams took on the 13-fence track created by Spanish course designer Santiago Varela.
The Irish have their eyes fully-focused on that Olympic qualifying spot so were highly relieved when their 10-fault tally earned them fifth place ahead of Germany, Switzerland and Italy who all completed with 12 faults on the board but who were separated by the total of their combined times. It was heartache for Spain’s Alberto Marquez Galobardes, Sergio Alvarez Moya, Santiago Nunez Riva and Eduardo Alvarez Aznar when they were squeezed out by the Italians who will resume that Olympic qualification contest with the Colombians and Irish when the final-day action gets underway on Sunday with all eight teams will start again on a zero score.
“We came here strong!” said Olivier Philippaerts. “We’ve had a great season so we wanted to come here with the best team possible and that’s what we did. This was a tremendous start, going into Sunday it’s good for the confidence and now hopefully we can pull it off!” he added.
Chef d’Equipe Weinberg was extra-pleased with the performance of Pieter Devos “because he had Claire (his European gold-medal-winning horse) in New York last weekend so instead he rode this young mare, Jade, here for the first time in a class like that and she jumped brilliant!”, he said. And he’s excited that Niels Bruynseels, a member of last year’s victorious side who will replace Devos in his team for Sunday, will bring out another up-and-coming young talent, the 10-year-old Belgian stallion Jenson van’t Meulenhof.
Anchorman Wathelet insisted that he felt under no pressure today “because everyone else had done their job and made it easier for me!”, but it was in fact his clear round with Nevados that clinched that pole position. He’s a man of great experience. “I was on the team that won in 2015 when I was also double-clear, and two years ago I was also double-clear so I think I like it here!” he said. But like his team manager he is under no illusions about what can happen on Sunday.
“It’s a whole new competition and anything can happen. We know it’s going to be difficult to do the double, but that’s what we came here for - to win!” he said.
Full result and timetable here
Watch highlights here
There was a buzz of electricity as the draw for the first competition of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2019 Final was held at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain this evening where Team Italy got the prime starting position for tomorrow’s opening class.
A total of 18 nations will be battling for just eight places in Sunday’s finale, and Italy will be last to go when the action gets underway tomorrow at 14.00 local time. The draw also gives the Italians a psychological advantage in the battle for the single qualifying slot on offer for the 2020 Olympic Games. They are one of seven countries chasing that down this weekend, so it’s not just the prestigious Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ trophy they are after - it’s also that tantalising ticket to Tokyo.
Italian Chef d’Equipe, Duccio Bartalucci, was naturally delighted when his country was last out of the hat. “Last year we lost the competition with the last fence down in the Final, so I hope this year we do better!” said the team manager who has selected Paolo Paini, Luca Marziani, Massimo Grossato and Lorenzo de Luca in his side.
The order-of-go for tomorrow’s first competition is: 1, Brazil; 2, France; 3, Mexico; 4, Sweden; 5, Great Britain; 6, Japan; 7, Spain; 8, Ireland; 9, Portugal; 10, USA; 11, Colombia; 12, Norway; 13, Netherlands; 14, Egypt; 15, Switzerland; 16, Belgium; 17, Germany; 18, Italy.
Putting the sub-plot of the tussle between Columbia, Egypt, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal and Spain into perspective, Irish team manager Rodrigo Pessoa said “we’ve missed out already on two Olympic qualifications, so this is our third chance and hopefully it will be a good one!” He sends Peter Moloney, Paul O’Shea, Darragh Kenny and Cian O’Connor into ring. But Egypt’s Abdel Said wasn’t joking when he said his team are feeling confident. He is joined in Barcelona by Sameh El Dahan, Karim Ezoghby, Alaa Mayssara and Nayel Nassar.
Colombia’s Herve Roland Godignon said his biggest problem was putting a team together, but it seems Spain’s Marco Fuste is spoiled for choice. However the hosts have never been on the podium at this fixture which has been staged on their home ground for the last seven years. He’s hoping to put that right this time around, announcing that Eduardo Alvarez Aznar, Sergio Moya, Alberto Marquez Galobardes and Santiago Nunez Riva are his chosen four.
Portugal’s João Moura admitted that his squad of Antonio Matos Almeida and Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida, Luciana Diniz and Luis Sabino will have a fight on their hands, but Norway’s Mikael Kolind was in bullish mood. And that’s no surprise after their victory at the Division 2 Final in Athens (GRE) this summer. “Everybody says I have the easy job because I have to pick the family and just one more rider, but hopefully we do well here and get that spot for Tokyo!” he said, joking about the fact that he has three members of the Gulliksen tribe - father Geir and son and daughter Johan-Sebastian and Victoria - in his selection along with Hege Tidemandsen and Stein Endresen.
Peter Weinberg said he’s also feeling very confident about his Belgian team who are defending champions, and that’s no surprise after their gold-medal-winning performance at the FEI European Championships in Rotterdam (NED) in August. Brazil, France, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands and Sweden are also in the race, along with the powerhouses of Switzerland, Germany and the USA.
Switzerland’s Andy Kistler has the world no. 1 and 2 riders, Steve Guerdat and Martin Fuchs, on call-up, but he was typically guarded at this evening’s draw press conference. “When you have No. 1 and No. 2 on your side you can’t feel bad and the two others are also are very strong, Beat Mandli and Niklaus Rutschi. But the competition here is very tough and especially tomorrow to get into Sunday it’s a big challenge. We hope we do it and we see hopefully what can happen then on Sunday!” he said.
The USA’s Robert Ridland said he also has strength in depth in his side. “It’s our typical mixture of young riders (Eve Jobs and Chloe Reid) and three veterans, McLain Ward, Laura Kraut, and Richard Spooner who is going to be our lead-up rider”.
Germany’s Otto Becker explained that his team was slightly changed from the one that took team silver at EC Rotterdam “because Simone Blum (the reigning World Champion) is pregnant. But the rest of our European team is here, our No 5 is Laura Klaphake so our team is Christian Ahlmann, Daniel Deusser, Marcus Ehning and Maurice Tebbel and I’m very satisfied that we are drawn 17th to go!”
There’s a double edge to this year’s Final and it’s adding all the more excitement, so don’t miss a hoofbeat.
Teams list here
There’s a super-sizzle of excitement ahead of this week’s Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2019 Final which kicks off on Thursday at the beautiful Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain. This will be the seventh consecutive year for the event to take place at the iconic venue that played host to the Olympic equestrian events of the 1992 Olympic Games and, once again, it will be ace Spanish course designer Santiago Varela who will be testing the best over four days of fabulous sport.
In this 110th season of the FEI Nations Cup™, its appeal is as powerful as ever. The horses and riders proudly fly their national flags and the public love to cheer on their own teams as they chase down the prestigious title. Last year’s champions from Belgium are major contenders once again, having clinched European team gold just five weeks ago in Rotterdam (NED). They look a formidable force with just one absentee from the side that stood on the top step of that podium as they send out Pieter Devos, Jerome Guery, Olivier Philippaerts, Gregory Wathelet and Niels Bruynseels.
After 12 qualifiers in 12 countries on three continents, a total of 18 nations have booked their tickets to the Final which offers almost €2m in prizemoney. Belgium, Brazil, Columbia, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and USA have all made the cut, and Spain lines out as host nation.
And for seven of those countries there is a lot of extra pressure, as they are all vying for the single qualifying spot left for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. This week in Barcelona presents them with one final opportunity, but it’s right down to the wire and the tension is tangible.
Columbia, Egypt, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal and Spain will need to get their act together from the moment the action gets underway in Thursday’s Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final first round which kicks off at 14.00 local time. There will be nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, because only the top eight teams will qualify for next Sunday’s title-decider, with the remainder going into Saturday’s Challenge Cup. The fight between those seven countries for the Tokyo slot is likely to be just as fierce as the battle for supremacy in the series finale itself.
While the Belgians look super-strong contenders, there’s no looking past Andy Kistler’s Swiss selection. He’s spoiled for choice because he has the World No. 1 and reigning Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion, Steve Guerdat, and the World No. 2 and recently-crowned European champion Martin Fuchs in his side along with Arthur Gustavo da Silva, Beat Mandli and Niklaus Rutschi. Also hot-to-trot are the Swedes who, under Chef d’Equipe Henrik Ankarcrona, have show fantastic form of late. He sends out the incredible Peder Fredricson, currently World No. 4, whose heroics this summer have been nothing short of legendary and who will be joined by Stephanie Holmen, Fredrik Jonsson, Evelina Tovek and Henrik von Eckermann.
And of course every German side has to be treated with the utmost respect. With Christian Ahlmann, Daniel Deusser, Marcus Ehning, Laura Klaphake and Maurice Tebbel on call-up it seems very likely indeed that they will be gunning for pole position after finishing second to the Belgians in Rotterdam just a few short weeks ago. But the Barcelona Final has a history of springing surprises, and last year Germany didn’t make the cut into the last day, having to settle for victory in the Challenge Cup instead, ahead of the USA. Neither of these two nations will want to find themselves in the same position again this time around, and the Americans look like they also mean business with superstars Laura Kraut and McLain Ward backed up by Eve Jobs, Chloe Reid and Richard Spooner.
Tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday 2 October) there will be a draw for the order-of-go and then it’s down to business the following day when all-comers will take on the defending champions from Belgium. If their latest exploits are anything to go by, the rest will all need to be at the very top of their game because it’s not without reason that Belgian Chef d’Equipe, Peter Weinberg, called his 2018 champions his “never-give-up team”!
Don’t miss a hoofbeat….
Team masterlist here
Brazilian athletes dominated the podium once again at the FEI South American Jumping Championships for Children, Pre-Juniors, Juniors and Young Riders 2019 staged at Mariano Roque Alonso in Paraguay from 16 to 22 September.
There were seven sets of medals up for grabs, and a total of 68 young people competed. The flags of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Brazil flew high throughout the week of great sport.
Children
Brazil’s Camila Junqueira Ribeiro de Mendonca was a class-winner at last year’s South American Championships in Las Condes, Chile, and, riding Impressiv Jmen, the 14-year-old rider came out on top again in the opening qualifier this year, pinning Argentina’s Juan Cruz Candisano (Kappi Casandra) into runner-up spot.
Her compatriots Choe Tanzilli Teillere (JCR Guinness) and Enzo Toque (Cantana Beeroquie) each collected a single penalty point in this competition, but when they were clear on the second day they helped secure Team gold for the Brazil Verde side that completed with just those two points on the board. Joao Maucelli Egoroff (Holandesa T) carried four from the first competition, but this was the team discard when 14-year-old Joao Vitor Gomes de Lemos (Christhiano Jmen) was clear all the way, and it was the latter who went on to take the individual title.
Gomes de Lemos was the only competitor to complete five rounds of jumping without mistake, and fellow-Brazilian Luiz Eduard Requiao Strutz (Graf Lena Ri) scooped the silver while Paraguay’s Jose Emanuel Perez (Ondina Z) took individual bronze.
Pre-Juniors
João Pedro de Almeida Chaves (Cuantica Loar) led the Brazilian whitewash of the first Pre-Junior qualifier, and he helped the Brazil Verde side to Team silver two days later. But Philipp Greenlees, who shared the main honours in the second qualifier with fellow-Brazilian João Felipe de Albuquerque Maranhao Gomes, secured double-gold.
All eyes were on Greenlees last year following his victory at the 2017 FEI Children’s International Classics Final in Beijing (CHN), but he had to settle for individual silver on that occasion. This time around however it fell perfectly into place for the 16-year-old who demonstrated real consistency.
Alongside de Almeida Chaves, Antonio Johannpeter Cirne Lima (Unforgettable JM) and Augusto Bonotto Perfeito (Busch van het Prinseveld) he stood top of the Team podium, and on the final day he was fault-free once again with Premiere Avignon Z. Completing on a final scoreline of 2.44 points he was undisputed champion ahead of de Albuquerque Maranhao Gomes (Vereda do Araucaria) who slotted into silver medal spot on 7.14 while another of the hot Brazilian contingent, Maria Luiza de Silva Martha Vieira (Arica du Caillou) posted a final tally of 8.46 for the bronze.
Juniors
Just two Brazilian sides contested the Junior Team medals and it was Juliana Salles Amaral de Almeida (Christoball Jmen), Giovanna Baptista Braz (Domenico), Raphael Halaban (Rahmannshof’s Canterbury) and Laura Bosquirolli Tigre (Fleur de Vauxelles) who scooped the gold.
However team silver medallist Carolina Souza Chade (Flying High Das Umburanas) soared to individual glory ahead of Bosquirolli Tigre in silver and Baptista Braz in bronze on the final day when Brazil claimed the top five finishing places.
This was Souza Chade’s fourth South American Championship medal as the 17-year-old was on the winning Junior team last year and took individual silver and team bronze at the 2016 edition at Sao Paolo (BRA). Silver medallist Bosquirolli Tigre is no stranger to the medal podium either, having claimed two individual and two team titles in her hugely successful championship career that already spans a four-year period, while Baptista Braz was a team bronze medallist in 2018.
Young Riders
Once again this year there was no team competition in the Young Riders Category in which 10 athletes started and just half of those made it into the closing stages.
There were three eliminated in the opening competition in which the clear winner was Argentina’s Lautaro Franchi who steered the nine-year-old mare BM Che Fantastica to the only zero score of the class. The 20-year-old, who was on the fourth-placed team and who finished individually 13th in the Junior division at Capilla del Senor four years ago, held on to take the individual title.
However he had to see off a strong challenge from Brazil’s Joao Pedro de Souza Robert (Dammaz van het Indihof) who pipped him for the win in the final competition but finished just 0.63 points behind him when all five rounds of jumping were taken into account. Another Brazilian stalwart, five-time gold-medallist Victoria Junqueira Ribeiro de Mendonca (Diamant Z) who was competing at her eighth South American Championship, was also close behind in bronze.
Results here
Youth very definitely had its day as the FEI World Breeding Championships for Young Horses 2019 at Lanaken in Belgium drew to a close this afternoon.
The final day of action kicked off with gold for Jason Foley and the Irish Sport Horse Rockwell RC in the 5-Year-Old category before Germany’s Katrin Eckermann steered the Rheinlander mare Chao Lee into pole position in the 6-Year-Old division. And then Seamus Hughes-Kennedy made it an Irish double when topping the 7-Year-Olds with Cuffesgrange Cavadora.
The horses always take centre stage at this prestigious annual event that highlights future stars and brings together top sport, quality breeding and horse sales while recognising and rewarding breeders, owners and riders. But this year’s Irish celebration will be two-fold, because their success was achieved by stunning performances not just from the four-legged athletes, but by a young generation of riders with so much promise.
Foley only turned 18 in June, Hughes-Kennedy is just 17 years of age and Kildare rider Michael Pender, who will turn 20 later this month, claimed 5-Year-Old silver with the Oldenburg stallion Chacco Bay and silver again in the 6-Year-Old class partnering the Irish Sport Horse Mare MHS Cardenta.
Five-Year-Olds
From a starting field of 243 horse-and-rider combinations, a total of 46 made the cut into today’s 5-Year-Old medal-decider and 11 qualified for the second-round jump-off against the clock. Pender, who shot to prominence when bagging 5-Year-Old silver and bronze in 2016, looked to have snatched the gold the time around when steering Chacco Bay (Chaccato/Hoeps) through the beam in 38.15 seconds. But the stallion owned by Hilltrup Sporthorses Gmbh and bred by Alfons Brueggehagen was pipped by an extraordinary run from Foley and the Kannan mare Rockwell RC who stopped the clock in 37.72 seconds.
Foley admitted that he was struggling a bit with his steering in the jump-off, but for a very good reason. “I dislocated my shoulder three weeks ago in a fall. I didn’t actually think that I could make it here, so I hope the hospital doesn’t see this, but I thought, let’s try it and I was lucky that it went OK!” he said with a laugh.
Owner Sean Cubbit was delighted with the result. “I bought the mare last year from Ryan Crumley, and back in January she came home to me to have a little rest. After I put Jason on her I knew they were a great match. Their first big show was in Dublin where they were an unlucky second, but today it was just perfect!”, he said.
Bronze went to 26-year-old Emma Stoker and the Zangersheide mare Skylandria Z (Super Trooper de Ness/Indoctro) owned by Euro Horse BVBA. “I’m in complete shock, to be honest!” said the British rider whose future was unsure after her former employer recently sold all his horses to Belgium’s Axel Verlooy.
“Me and my former boss bought Skylandria Z a year ago and then I thought I was going to lose her and then I got her back, and today I win world championship bronze, so I’m very happy!” said the delighted British rider.
Six-Year-Olds
There was a massive field of 265 horses in contention for the Six-Year-Old medals and 39 of those qualified for today’s finale in which 16 went into the second-round jump-off. Belgium’s Jeroen Appelen set a strong target when clear in 43.54 seconds with the BWP stallion Nero de Semilly N (Diamant de Semilly) owned by Frank Goossens and bred by Ludwig Neyt, but third-last to go, Katrin Eckermann smashed that time when scorching through the finish in 40.64 seconds with the Rheinlander Chao Lee (Comme Il Faut/Chacco Blue). And that couldn’t be bettered, despite a superb effort from the final Irish duo of Michael Pender and MHS Cardenta (Cardento 933/Diamond Serpent) who had to settle for runner-up spot.
This was a really special victory for Eckermann and her family. ”We bred Chao Lee ourselves and I got her to ride last year. Immediately after we already won the Bundeschampionat as a 5-year-old, and this year we were second! She always does a fantastic job and I’m so happy to have a World Champion and to be the breeder as well. I’m really really proud for my dad because he is a really hard worker, and for me this is the best horse possible!”, said the 29-year-old German rider.
Despite being beaten for the gold by just one-tenth of a second, Pender was also well-pleased with his mare which was bred by Olive Clarke and is owned by Bravo Hughes Ltd. “I am absolutely delighted with her, she jumped amazing and tried her best”, he said.
And Appelen had plenty to celebrate too because not only did his very inexperienced horse really rise to the occasion today but he claimed the bronze medal on his 29th birthday. “This was my first official show with Nero, we bought him only three months ago and only trained him a bit at home and then we did a small test in a regional 1.15m class!” he explained. “Being first to go in the jump-off is never easy but I don’t think I could have done it faster. My horse jumped amazing and I did my own round. I am really happy it worked out!”, the birthday boy added.
Seven-Year-Olds
A total of 201 horses battled it out for the 7-Year-Old honours earlier in the week and 40 made it through to today’s medal decider which came down to an eight-way jump-off against the clock.
Belgian course designer Eugene Mathy presented them with another challenging track, and in the end only four managed to complete double-clear rounds. The Netherlands’ Mathijs van Asten produced the first of these with the feisty chestnut stallion Hotspot (Hors la Loi II / Nabab de Reve) when clearing the line in 40.71 seconds, but then Brazil’s Victor Mariano Luminatti brought Cipollini Second Life Z home in 38.70 to take the lead.
And despite a very classy clear from Marco Kutscher and the Hannoverian gelding Policeman (Perigueux / Acord II) which is owned by Brigitte Weeke-Therling and was bred by Heinz Sprenger, the Brazilian rider was still out in front when the German star crossed the line over a second slower.
But, last to go, young Irishman Seamus Hughes-Kennedy had his foot to the floor with the ISH mare Cuffesgrange Cavadora (Z Wellie 72 / Luidam) which was bred by Eamon Sheahan. And when the pair galloped through the timers in 38.58 seconds they demoted Luminatti to silver medal spot and pushed Kutscher into bronze.
“Last year Cavadaro finished fourth in the 6-Year-Old Final with Ger O’Neill in the saddle. They were clear and in the lead until the last few competitors but just missed out on a medal, so I’m very pleased we’ve earned gold today” said the talented young Irish rider. And the future is already mapped out for this winning pair it seems. “We’re going for European Junior Gold next year!” said the rider’s mother, Clare Hughes, who also owns the winning horse.
Results here
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