It was a night for the next generation at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2021 at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain tonight when a team filled with fresh young faces claimed the Challenge Cup trophy for Great Britain.

Clear rounds from 22-year-old Harry Charles riding Romeo 88 and 23-year-old Emily Moffitt partnering Winning Good anchored the British scoreline. So the four faults picked up by team pathfinders, 32-year-old Holly Smith and Denver was all they had to count when posting a convincing victory without having to call on anchorman and longtime legend John Whitaker and Unick du Francport.

In yesterday’s first round things didn’t go Britain’s way, so they found themselves in the five-way battle between Division 1 teams today when both Canada and Uzebekistan withdrew. And it was a night filled with nervous tension, because one of those five nations would be relegated to the EEF Nations Cup series in 2022 when finishing last. 

In a bizarre turnaround, the newly-crowned European champions from Switzerland were amongst those battling to stay in the top league, and they were really feeling the pressure when they had to start with just a three-man side after Bryan Balsiger’s TwentyTwo des Bisches was unfit to compete. The electricity in the air in the closing stages was immense, but it was Team Italy who found themselves in the relegation spot when they put 43 faults on the board. Their place in Division 1 will be taken by the Czech Republic when the 2022 season gets underway.

France finished second tonight with a finally tally of 10 faults, Norway finished third with 21 and the Swiss slotted into fourth with an uncharacteristic 25.

Looked set

The French were first to go, and with just single time faults from Penelope Leprevost (GFE Excalibur de la Tour Vidal) and Marc Dilasser (Arioto de Gevres), they looked set to discard the eight collected by Gregory Cottard (Bibici) when Mathieu Billot and Quel Filou set off as their last partnership. But the 15-year-old gelding was clearly not on form when putting in a stop, and when the pair retired then that handed it to the British.

The Swiss had to count all three of their results, with eight from Steve Guerdat (Victorio des Frotards), nine from Edwin Smits (Farezzo) and eight more from Martin Fuchs and Chaplin making up their unusually large scoreline. Fuchs and Guerdat were both on that gold medal winning European team in Reisenbeck, Germany just four weeks ago but on different horses. Guerdat said tonight that it was “a strange week for us here. I don’t want to say I was very confident but you don’t expect us all to be that bad two days in a row. It was hard watching at the end”, he admitted. 

But if it was a tough day for the reigning European champions it was an even tougher one for Team Italy for whom nothing seemed to go right today, with three fences down for Piergiorgio Bucci (Naiade d’Elsendam Z), 14 faults from Fabio Brotto 9Vanita Delle Roane), 17 from Antonio Garofalo (Conquestador) and retirement for Riccardo Pisani (Chaclot). 

The British were at the other end of the spectrum, making it all look pretty easy, and John Whitaker, who at 66 has a lifetime of glory already behind him, joked about not having to compete when the rest of his side did all the hard work and left him on the sidelines.

Unbelievable job

“The three young ones really did an unbelievable job today. Yesterday didn’t really go to plan, but we were still fighting today - or at least they were fighting and they pulled it off in style!”, said the man who first competed in Barcelona back in 1984.

His nephew, Jack Whitaker who turns 20 next week, was fifth man for the British side and there is a real sense of Team Great Britain rebuilding itself at last after a long period in the doldrums. As Holly Smith pointed out tonight, “we haven’t been having the best time of it but I think I speak for everybody, we are all so connected, and things will change and this is the start of it!” 

Moffitt confirmed the sense of a new beginning too. “When we came here we knew it was a case of sink or swim, but we swam so I’m happy with that!” 

Talking about her 12-year-old gelding Winning Good she said she was very disappointed when picking up five faults yesterday when Britain finished tenth of the 15 competing nations. “We know we are capable of a double-clear but we are not robots and things can happen and I was really happy that we were back to doing what we do best today - and my horse is the love of my life. Everything about him is amazing and he just wants to do it. He loves it so much!”, she said.

Harry Charles has been really developing into a top-class rider over the last year, and his faultless rounds yesterday and again today earned him a handsome €50,000 bonus which he admitted was very nice indeed. Today was a watershed moment in his career for a number of reasons.

“I was under a bit of pressure as third rider today but John was behind us ready to go. Jack’s been my best friend for many years so it's been great to be on a team with him, and to ride with John on a team was one of my bucket list things - it’s such a great team to be part of!”, he said.

Prizegiving

His father Peter Charles, former individual European champion and Olympic team gold medallist at London 2012, proudly pinned the Longines sash to his son’s jacket before tonight’s prizegiving ceremony. It was a huge moment for them both.

“My dad is my trainer and he’s been brilliant all my life. He kind of stopped his own career to help us, but he says he gets no bigger joy than watching us compete so he really is the backbone of it all!”, Harry said earlier tonight.

“I’ve been at this 5-Star level a couple of years and I’ve got more consistent and have the horsepower now, so it’s starting to come through more than it previously did, and I’m getting more confident in the ring this summer as well. It’s all coming together really nicely, and I couldn’t be more excited for the future!”, he continued.

He said getting the ride on Ann Thompson’s Romeo last year has turned everything around for him. “He’s the best horse I’ve ever had and he’s really taken me to a new level - in terms of experience, building up to a major championship, going to the Olympics as my first Championship, being around the other riders like Scott (Brash) and Ben (Maher). This Final is kind of like a mini-Championship here, coming on the back of Tokyo. I’ve learned a lot and it’s been a helluva year!”, he added. 

Proud

British Chef d’Equipe, Di Lampard said she was really proud of her young side today. “When they needed to they stepped up to the plate in style, all of them, and with John in the wings - he obviously didn’t touch a fence tonight”, she pointed out with a laugh.

“It’s been progression, a new generation coming through, they’ve been consistent all year and it’s been a big learning year for them. Hopefully we can look forward to big things next year”, she said. And she had great praise for the exceptional skill of course designer Santiago Varela who also built the tracks at this summer’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

She said to him, “we appreciate your courses, they’re so educational, they get the riders really thinking and they’re really kind to our horses too. We love meeting up with you Santi, you really do a great job!” 

Tonight’s success ticked a box for her also. “It’s always been on my bucket-list to have a win here, so we’ve started with the Challenge Cup and hopefully we can come back and do more next year. On behalf of all the riders I’d like to thank Daniel (Daniel Giro, Show Director) for organising this wonderful event!”, she added. 

There’s one more day to go however before the fate of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2021 title is decided. The eight best teams from yesterday’s first round - Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Brazil, Sweden, Ireland, USA and Belgium - have made the cut, and first into the arena at 15.00 will be Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts, one of seven riders hoping to take a share, if not all, of the €100,000 bonus on offer for a second clear round in this super-tough €1.25m finale.

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Results here   

Team Germany strolled nonchalantly into Sunday’s deciding round of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2021 when heading the leaderboard tonight after the first round at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain. 

But for the newly-crowned European champions from Switzerland it was an entirely different experience when they finished 12th of the 15 competing nations, missing the cut into the top eight who will battle it out for the title on Sunday afternoon. 

Instead they go into tomorrow night’s Challenge Cup in which they won’t just be hoping to restore their supremacy. They will also need to ensure they finish ahead of Norway, Great Britain, Italy and France because one of those five countries will be relegated to the EEF series in 2022 when finishing last of the Division 1 teams at this year’s Final. 

Powerhouse

With two of the greatest combinations in the sport right now - world number one Daniel Deusser with Killer Queen VDM and Andrew Thieme and DSP Chakaria who recently claimed the individual European title - in the German side they were always a powerhouse, but few would have expected the host nation of Spain to be their closest challengers. Germany collected just two time penalties for the win, but Spain accumulated just three to finish second ahead of The Netherlands in third place with four while Brazil slotted into fourth place with five faults. 

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions from Sweden racked up nine faults for fifth while both the defending Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ champions from Ireland and Team USA collected 10 faults each, the Irish combined times giving them the advantage when they were almost four seconds faster. The eighth and last qualifying spot went to Belgium who shared a score of 12 penalties with Norway but who were considerably quicker.

When the second Final competition kicks off on Sunday afternoon, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Brazil, Sweden, Ireland, USA and Belgium will all begin again on a zero score.

Masterminded

Longtime Barcelona course designer, Spain’s Santiago Varela who also masterminded the tracks at this summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games, set them a test that Switzerland’s Bryan Balsiger described as “nice at the beginning but more technical at the end and the time is tight” after posting a four-fault result with TwentyTwo des Bisches. He said the mood in the Swiss camp after their European victory in Riesenbeck, Germany four weeks ago was good - “we are friends and we worked together for the gold medal but today is another show and another round and we need to fight to the end to get to the Final on Sunday”. However that didn’t happen when his side racked up 19 faults.

The 80 seconds time-allowed proved difficult to get, and there were only seven clear rounds from 58 starters today. The open water at fence five proved influential as did the final line of fences from the massive triple bar at 11 to the double of verticals at 12 and the final oxer at 13.

Some made it look easy however, and one of those was German pathfinder Deusser, and when team-mate Thieme collected just a single time fault they looked very comfortable indeed. But David Will and C Vier 2 picked up nine faults so Christian Ahlmann needed to tidy things up when last to go for the German side with Clintrexo Z who cruised home to add just one more time fault for the winning score.

Impressive

Meanwhile the Spanish were really impressive in front of their home crowd, Manuel Fernandez Saro providing the discard score when Jarlin de Torres put a foot in the water but the remaining three - Ismael Garcis Roque (La Costa), Eduardo Alvarez Aznar (Legend) and Sergio Alvarez Moya (Alamo) - all only picking up a single time-fault each. Moya’s Alamo is still only 13 but has a remarkable record, winning the FEI Jumping World Cup™ title for Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat in 2019 and always consistent. 

Talking about the horse, Moya said “everybody loves him, he’s a great horse, a great competitor, he’s easy at home and a beautiful horse. He’s owned by myself and Sergio Ramos, the best defender in the history of soccer who used to play for Real Madrid and who now plays with Paris Saint-Germain. He’s the player with the most games for the national team and a great guy too!”, the Spanish rider said proudly.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic individual bronze medallists Mikael van der Vlueten and Beauville Z kicked off with a clear round for The Netherlands, and when Sanne Thijssen followed suit with Con Quidam RB then the Dutch only had to count one of the four-fault results from Willem Greve (Carambole) and Harrie Smolders (Monaco) to qualify comfortably for Sunday.

Thijssen’s star has been rising rapidly this year, with sensational results from the 22-year-old athlete and her 15-year-old stallion. The pair had a successful run at Young Rider level together and she said today she was selected for this weekend’s prestigious Final because “my horse is in unbelievable form and he kept jumping clear and clear! He won the Grand Prix at Rotterdam and then at Oppglabeek and was second in the Grand Prix at Valkenswaard and he improved every time. I think we are a good combination together”, she said modestly.

And she’s an independent young lady. Asked if her father and former Dutch team rider Leon Thijssen is her trainer, she replied “no, he likes to let me do my own thing and I always did from the beginning. I learn a little bit from everyone but I don’t have one specific person that trains me and I like it that way!”, she pointed out.

Feeling the strain

As defending champions the Irish were feeling the strain when pathfinder Denis Lynch was eliminated. But Darragh Kenny, the only member of their winning team from 2019 competing again this time around, saved their day with a brilliant anchorman clear from VDL Cartello when Michael Duffy (Zilton SL Z) and similarly-named Michael G Duffy (Lapuccino 2) put five faults each on the board.

Kenny felt the heat going into the ring. “I knew that I had to be clear if we were going to try to be in the next round, but the horse was already jumping fantastic in the warm-up and I knew I just had to ride him well and he’d go the best he could. I was really happy with the way he jumped. We were a little unlucky with what happened with Denis, and the other two boys were great and we just have to pray we qualify now”, he said. As it happened they did. 

He described Ireland’s Olympic effort this summer as “disappointing for all of us, we did our best going there and we had the best team we could but it just didn’t work out and now we’re just trying to put it all back together again”, he explained. And that makes this weekend’s result in Barcelona all the more critical. 

“Staying in Division 1 is very important for us. It’s important for our owners and horses and for us as riders, and for younger Irish riders to get the chance to get to bigger Nations Cup shows - it’s all very important for all of us”, he insisted this evening.

That’s part of what makes the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ so appealing to every nation, and the decision about which country is relegated for 2022 will be made during tomorrow’s Challenge Cup which begins at 21.00 local time.

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Results here 

Team Belgium will be first to go when the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2021 gets underway tomorrow evening at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain. 

The draw took place today, with FEI Jumping Director Marco Fuste and CSIO Barcelona Show Director Daniel Giro doing the the honours. The order of go for the first round of the competition is as follows: 1, Belgium; 2, Germany; 3, Great Britain; 4, Ireland; 5, Italy; 6, France; 7, Spain; 8, Canada; 9, Brazil; 10, Uzbekistan; 11, Netherlands; 12, Sweden; 13, USA; 14, Norway; 15, Switzerland.

Getting the number one draw is never ideal for any Nations Cup team because they don’t have any information about how the course will jump, but that doesn’t bother Belgian Chef d’Equipe Peter Weinberg. 

“We have a good team here, Nicola Philippaerts with Katanga, Niels Bruynseels with Deluxe, Jerome Guery with Quel Homme and fourth Gregory Wathelet with Nevados, so even though we are first in the draw I hope we can do very well in the competition”, he said confidently.

All the team managers expressed their delight at being back at the venue that staged Jumping during the 1992 Olympic Games and which has been home to FEI Nations Cup™ Finals since 2003. The charm of the polo club located in one of Europe’s most popular cities is second to none.

Challenge

Team Canada is drawn eighth and manager, Mark Laskin, is looking forward to the challenge.  “I’m really happy to be back in Barcelona, this is definitely one of my favourite competitions of the year!”, he said. “None of our riders have ever ridden at this level so I hope it’s a positive experience and I guess we’ll find out tomorrow night!”, he added.

France have posted three wins in Barcelona over the last 18 years, in 2003, 2004 and 2013. French team manager Thierry Pomel is happy with his side’s number seven slot, “because we have strong teams going before us so we will have good information”, he pointed out.

Great Britain’s Di Lampard said “it’s wonderful to be back in Barcelona, last year it was definitely missed! We have a team that’s quickly gaining experience - Holly Smith will be our lead rider followed by Emily Moffitt, Harry Charles and the very experienced John Whitaker in fourth. So we are looking forward to great sport here over the next few days”, she said.

Team Germany has posted the biggest number of victories at Nations Cup Finals in Barcelona with five in total including three-in-a-row between 2006 and 2008 and their last in 2016.

“It’s lovely to be here again in this beautiful place. The weather was wonderful today and there was a  beautiful atmosphere until Marco put us in number two starting spot!”, joked Otto Becker.

“But don’t worry”, he added with conviction, “we have a very good team here of Christian Ahlmann, Daniel Deusser, David Will and Andre Thieme and Kendra Brinkop as our younger rider in number five. So we look forward and we will try our best”.

Positive

Italy’s Duccio Bartalucci is feeling positive because his side is starting fifth, and five is his favourite number. “We start with new horses and new riders here so it’s not so easy for us, but I hope our team will have a good result”, he said. 

Dutch team manager, Rob Ehrens, admitted that his biggest problem was picking a team because so many of his riders wanted to compete this weekend. “We have a strong selection for The Netherlands because everybody wants to come to Barcelona but I’m in charge of that so we have some new ones here like Sanne Thijssen who did a marvellous job in Aachen (GER), and I think she is in the flow. We have Willem Greve here with the old Carambole who is in great shape, then we have Harrie Smolders with Monaco and Mikael van der Vleuten with his bronze medal individual horse from Tokyo (Beauville Z). So we have a strong team I think and it’s great to be here and we will do our very best!”, he said with determination.

Norwegian Chef d’Equipe, Mikael Kolind, said that he and his team “are very proud to be back here again. We are a small country among all these big countries and our goal is to stay in Division 1 next year again.” He admitted today that he doesn’t have so much pressure when making his selection because “I only have to pick one rider every time because I have a whole family here!”, referring to the Norwegian team stalwarts Geir Gulliksen and his son and daughter, Johan-Sebastian and Victoria who will line out alongside Marie Valdar Longem. “We look forward to the next days!”, he added.

Switzerland’s Michel Sorg was very happy to accept the number 15 starting spot. As last to go his country is in an enviable position and he knows he has a powerful side in Elian Baumann (Campari), Bryan Balsiger (TwentyTwo des Bisches), Steve Guerdat (Victorio Des Frotards), Martin Fuchs (Chaplin) and Edwin Smits (Farezzo).

Pleased

And Swedish Chef d’Equipe Henrik Ankarcrona was also pleased with the number 12 slot. “This is one of the greatest shows of the year and we are so happy to be back. I think I have an experienced team here with Malin Baryard, Rolf-Goran Bengtsson, Henrik von Eckermann, Angelie van Essen and Angelica Augustsson, so we are going to go in strong and see where it takes us!” said the man whose country has plenty to feel good about after grabbing glorious gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games just over two months ago.

Team USA is drawn 13th, and team manger Robert Ridland is in upbeat mood. “Thanks for us all being here in Barcelona and thanks for providing the same weather I left in California, it will be perfect if this keeps up!”, he said. “We have had a number of 20-year-olds on our team recently and again we have three 20-year-olds in Spencer Smith, Michael Hughes and Lillie Keenan. We’ve got an experienced rider who hasn’t been on a team for quite a while in Schuyler Riley, and our anchor rider is going to be Laura Kraut”, he explained. 

The defending champions from Ireland, led by Michael Blake, will be fourth into the arena when the action gets underway at 20.00 local time tomorrow night. “We have a team with youth and experience - Denis Lynch and Darragh Kenny are experienced but for the other three - Michael Duffy, Michael G Duffy and Eoin McMahon - it will be their first time to jump at this level. We are really glad to be here, it’s fantastic to be back in Barcelona where we won in 2019 and we want to put up another really good performance again this year”, he said.

However only eight of the 15 participating nations will qualify for Sunday’s deciding round of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2021, and with so many top-class teams it’s going to be a mighty battle from the outset.

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Website here 

The Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2021 promises to bring an incredible year of team Jumping to a close this week at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain.

Against all the odds in these Covid times there has been spectacular team sport throughout the summer months, beginning with four thrilling legs of the Division 1 series in which Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and The Netherlands all tasted success. 

Then it was on to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where Sweden pipped Team USA in a nail-biting showdown that went right down to the wire. And that was followed, just four short weeks ago, by the Longines FEI Jumping European Championships in Riesenbeck, Germany where Switzerland snatched team gold ahead of the hosts.

Barcelona presents the opportunity for some scores to be settled, and the horse/athlete combinations listed in the line-up of the 15 competing nations for the event which kicks off this Friday, 1 October, and which runs through to Sunday 3 October, suggests it’s going to be yet another mighty battle at this much-anticipated season-closer.

Once the draw for order-of-go takes place on Thursday (30 September) the stage will be set for this annual clash of the giants of the sport.

Defending champions

Team Ireland arrive as defending champions, but it is two years since they stood on the top step of the podium and also claimed the last remaining qualifying sport for the Tokyo Games.   

Darragh Kenny, ranked 12th in the world, is the only member of that 2019 winning side to line out again this year, and he will be joined by Denis Lynch and Michael G Duffy along with his near-namesake Michael Duffy and Eoin McMahon who were in the Irish side at Riesenbeck.

The full list of teams is Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA and Uzbekistan.

All ten from Division 1 (BEL, FRA, GBR, GER, IRL, ITA, NED, NOR, SWE, SUI) have automatically qualified for the Final this year, but relegation to the EEF series in 2022 is still on the cards for the tenth-placed nation from this group next Sunday, so that piles on extra pressure.

Canada and USA represent North/Central America, and Uzbekistan have earned their slot as clear winners of the 2021 Eurasian League.

Extraordinary form

The Belgian team includes world number 8, Jerome Guery, who has been showing extraordinary form with Quel de Hus this year, and Gregory Wathelet who finished individually ninth in Tokyo with Nevados S.

Harry Charles, Emily Moffitt, Holly Smith, Jack Whitaker and his uncle, the legendary John Whitaker, will fly the British flag during the week while Team France are likely to come out with all guns blazing. They had gold in their sights in Tokyo but it fell apart in the closing stages so Matthieu Billot, Frederic Cottard, Marc Dilasser, Penelope Leprevost and Olivier Robert will be on a mission to put that to rights.

Maikel van der Vleuten who took individual Olympic bronze in August with Beauville Z will headline the Dutch selection, while America’s Laura Kraut and Baloutinue who were so impressive in Tokyo will also be ones to watch.

The Swedes look really strong, with two of their three Olympic gold medallists - Malin Baryard-Johhnsson and Henrik von Eckermann who also finished fourth individually - in action again alongside Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli, Rolf-Goran Bengtsson and Angelie von Essen.

Biggest battle

Possibly the biggest battle however will be waged between the Germans and Swiss.

The hosts of the FEI Jumping European Championships had plenty to celebrate when Andre Thieme clinched the individual title with the fabulous mare DSP Chakaria on the final day. But Steve Guerdat, Martin Fuchs, Bryan Balsiger and Elian Baumann pinned Germany into silver medal spot in the team competition and there was some banter going on between the two sides during that week.

Switzerland fields the same four athletes this week along with Edwin Smits, but Germany sends out world number one Daniel Deusser together with Thieme, David Will, Christian Ahlmann and Kendra Claricia Brinkop and they’ll be keen to turn the tables and lift the coveted Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2021 trophy.

All teams, consisting of four horse/athlete combinations, will line out in the first round of the Final on Friday night, and those place ninth and above will go through to Saturday’s Challenge Cup while the top eight teams will qualify for Sunday’s title-deciding final competition which will begin at 15.00 local time.  

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Website here https://csiobarcelona.com/ 

 

The BWP, WESTF and KWPN Studbooks shared the glory at the 2021 edition of the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses at Lanaken in Belgium which drew to a close yesterday with German riders claiming victory in all three categories. 

Christian Ahlmann steered the Belgian-bred Querido VG Z to win the 5-Year-Old category, Philip Weishaupt topped the 6-Year-Olds with the Westphalian, Coros, and Harm Lahde and the Dutch-bred mare Just a Dream galloped home to win the 7-Year-Old division.

5-Year-Olds

A total of 231 budding talents lined out in Thursday’s first qualifier for the 5-Year-Old title won by the BWP Quabriolet van het Bildeken (Anakin van Schuttershof/Burgraf) which is owned by bred by Koen Gaublomme and ridden by Arnaud Gaublomme. In Saturday’s second qualifier it was budding Dutch star, 22-year-old Sanne Thijssen, who came out on top with her own NRPS gelding, Vosje.

In yesterday’s Final in which the top 55 competed however the Dutch duo picked up 15 faults, but Gaublomme’s gelding jumped clear to go into a 16-horse jump-off in which they posted the second-quickest time to take silver.

Gold went to Christian Ahlmann on his home ground at Zangersheide Stud when steering the BWP stallion Querido VG Z (Dominator 2000 Z/Chellano), bred by Alois van Gorp and owned by Zangersheide, home in 37.49 seconds for the win against the clock. 

Ahlmann said afterwards that he didn’t feel confident of victory until the Irish challengers coming after him had taken their turn. But although Jason Foley and the ISH mare Killossery Karma (x SIEC Livello) owned by Castlefield Farm and bred by Frank and Laura Glynn posted the quickest time when scorching home in 36.17, they had to settle for fourth place and just off the podium with a fence down this time out. 

Only three combinations jumped double-clear and bronze went to The Netherlands’ Nicole Eggens with her own KWPN mare Loharna-P (Carrera VDL/Bruggraaf Nv) which was bred by BJ Platzer/Ommen and who stopped the clock on 40.99 seconds.

6-Year-Olds

From a field of 259 starters it was the Irish-bred BP Limitless (Elvis ter Putte/Laughton's Flight), owned by Breen Equestrian and bred by Austin Broderick, who topped the line-up in the first 6-Year-Old qualifier on Thursday with Max O’Reilly-Hyland on board. The Zangersheide-bred Cadiz Z (Corydon van T&l/Caesar van de Helle), bred by Emily Elliot, won the second qualifier for owner/rider Emily Sage of Great Britain.

However of the 40 through to yesterday’s medal-decider it was Germany’s Philipp Weishaupt who reigned supreme with the Westphalian stallion Coros (Cornet Obolensky/Arpeggio) owned by Joachim and Ursula Rosendahl and bred by Werner Buschsieweke.  

There were 11 into the jump-off here and only six jumped double-clear, Coros breaking the beam in 33.77 to clinch it ahead of German compatriot Angelique Rusen riding Christian Ahlmann’s Crowny NW (Crown Z/Pontifex 9) which was bred by Norbert Wentrup. 

Bronze went to Belgium’s Virginie Thonon on the BWP mare Parequita vh (Jamal vd heffinck/Cumano bd) owned by Ecurie Fabien Schrieber and bred by Willem Hoecke.

7-Year-Olds

The 7-Year-Olds faced a 1.45m track in yesterday’s finale in which only four of the 41 starters qualified for the jump-off and KWPN mares took both gold and silver.

Germany’s Richard Vogel was in flying form in Thursday’s first qualifier when taking the top two spots. The Hannoverian mare Looping Luna (Lord Fauntleroy/Calido I), owned by Andrea Sigrist Murphy and bred by Andreas Middelkampf, was best of the 187 starters while Misham Bisharat’s Junior Kannan (Kannan/Diamant de Semilly) bred by MJA Hoppen and RBJ Dijkhuis slotted into second.

And in Friday’s second qualifier Vogel came out on top again, this time with the Holsteiner mare Charisma S (Uriko/106HT39) owned by Hugo Simon and bred by Christoph Schmidt.

But it was the KWPN, Just a Dream (VDL Zirocco Blue/Carano), who lived up to her name to take the title yesterday for Germany’s Harm Lahde and Gestut Eichenhain. The grey mare bred by the Nooren family produced the quickest of just two clears in the second-round jump-off, pinning J Comghorla van Beeck (Comme Il Faut/Padinus), owned and bred by Guido Herijgers 'T Eirbissemhof and ridden by Gilles Thomas, into silver medal spot.

Bronze went to the Selle Francais gelding Etundel de Marocy (Diamant de Semilly/President) owned by Gilbert de Roock and Bayard SA and bred by Pascale Morelle who had just a single fence down second time out with Dominique Hendrickx on board.   

Results here 

Swail bests blockbuster four-horse jump-off with the exciting Vital Chance de la Roque

It was a triumphant return for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League as Conor Swail (IRL) jumped to victory in front of a packed crowd at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, BC (CAN) in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Vancouver.

A compact but competitive field took on Peter Holmes’ (CAN) 1.60m track with the aim of getting an early jump on points toward qualifying for next April’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Leipzig (GER). A total of 14 athletes from the NAL will punch their tickets to the Final, including seven east coast U.S. athletes, three west coast U.S. athletes and two athletes apiece from Canada and Mexico.

A clear round did not materialise until more than halfway through the starting order, when world number 13, Kent Farrington (USA) executed Holmes’ test with ease. Three riders would join the former world number 1 for the shortened track. Farrington blazed the trail in the jump-off with a blisteringly quick round, but a rail at the final fence left the door open for another to overtake him.

Swail then put his focus on keeping the fences up, and he accomplished that mission despite losing a stirrup during the round. He crossed the timers in 38.98 seconds, and the remaining riders could not catch him. Swail’s student Vanessa Mannix (CAN) and Catinka came closest, finishing second as the only other double-clear performers (40.59 seconds), while Farrington ultimately settled for third (4/36.12).

“If Kent had been clear, I imagine he would have been the winner. He would have been hard to chase,” Swail said. “I did a little bit, after Kent, [because] he was very aggressive and so fast, thought that if I just dialed it back a notch, it would hopefully still be enough to get a win.”

Swail has been partnered with the 12-year-old “Vinny” for less than a year, but the barefoot bay gelding has quickly proven his merit. His World Cup win marked the fourth international grand prix victory for the pair since June 20. The duo also won the $75,000 CSI4*-W tbird Cup at the venue three days prior.

“I’m extremely proud [of my horse],” Swail said. “He’s had a wonderful week: He’s been first, second and first. He jumped so well today, he deserved it for being so good.

“We’re off to a great start [in the North American League],” he added. “This is the first [qualifier]. We’re going to Sacramento and Las Vegas; we’re going to be on a little tour doing [World Cup events]. We’ll see how we’re going after that.”

Swail claims the early lead in the North American League standings with 17 points. As an Irish rider based in North America, he competes as an “extra” athlete. Mannix sits second with 14 points, two points ahead of Farrington, who earned 12 points. The North American League heads next to Sacramento (CAN) on 9 October 2021.

Results

Standings

British riders have long had a phenomenal record in the sport of Eventing, and today they proved untouchable once again when not only clinching the team title but taking all the individual medals at the FEI Eventing European Championships 2021 in Avenches, Switzerland.

In the lead from day one they held on tight, and when today’s result is added to double-gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 and the team title along with individual silver at this summer’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, they clearly reign supreme in every sense.

It was a tough day for the defending champions from Germany as the dream of a seventh victory for the team and a third consecutive individual gold medal for Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD didn’t come true as they had to settle for silver. But in true sporting fashion the German team “elder”, Andreas Dibowski, said this evening, “we won the silver, but we didn’t lose the gold. The Brits did an amazing job, and we just couldn’t beat them”.

Team Sweden stood on the third step of the podium.

First

Ros Canter and Allstar B were first of the British into the ring as the final showjumping phase got underway. Theirs was not a counting score for the team standings that left her side still out in front last night, but the pair who claimed double-gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 were back to their classy selves today when producing a quality clear, and that proved a good omen for the rest of their team. 

A total of 52 horse-and-athlete combinations made it through to this final test, with 13 nations still in the mix, and by the time it came down to the last ten riders the tension was palpable. As the action began, the Germans were just under 10 penalty points behind the British at the head of affairs, with France lying in bronze medal position another 18 points further adrift but with only three team members left after the elimination of Gwendolen Fer yesterday. So when Stanislas de Zuchowicz and Covadys de Triaval hit the first element of the double at fence nine and Jean Lou Bigot’s Utrillo du Halage left three fences on the floor then French chances were slipping away.

Andreas Dibowski and FRH Corrida produced an opening clear for Germany before Anna Siemer and FRH Butts Avondale also fell victim to the first element of the triple combination. But Michael Jung steered fischerWild Wave home with nothing to add and then only Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD were left to go. 

However it was only an individual medal Klimke was chasing by the time she took her turn, because as Dibowski said later the British were just too good for the rest. Team member Kitty King’s Vendredi Biats hit the second fence but Piggy March’s Brookfield Innocent was foot-perfect. And when Nicola Wilson’s JL Dublin went clear she not only finalised the British tally at 73.1 for the winning team score but she also had individual gold in her grasp while, lying fourth as the action began, March had the silver and British individual Sarah Bullimore had the bronze. It was a staggering result.

Pressure

Fifth-last to go, Bullimore piled the pressure on the remaining four with a fabulous clear from Corouet. And when Frenchman Maxime Livio, lying in bronze medal spot, faulted in the middle of the combination and then Klimke, holding silver, hit the vertical three from home it would be an all-British individual podium for the seventh time in the history of these Championships. The last British threesome to do the same were Ian Stark (Glenburnie), Richard Walker (Jacana) and Karen Straker (Get Smart) at Punchestown (IRL) in 1991.

Meanwhile Sweden also had plenty to celebrate when clears from both Malin Jesefsson (Golden Midnight) and Malin Petersen (Charly Brown) and a single error from Sara Algotsson Ostholt (Chicuelo) saw the team that also included Christoffer Forsberg (Hippo’s Sapporo) rise from overnight sixth place to take bronze.

“I’m back in the team for first time in ten years and it’s great to be with the girls!”, Forsberg said. “I’ve been really happy with the team spirit and I want to thank the organisers very much for putting on this show”. And that was echoed by everyone else at the end of this extraordinary event that was put together so successfully in a short few months.

Trainer

At the post-competition press conference Germany’s Ingrid Klimke said with a laugh,  “I have one thing to say to the Brits - they stole our trainer!”, referring to Britain’s Eventing High Performance coach Chris Bartle who helped her country to many successes in previous years. “But I’m very happy for them, they did a wonderful job!”, she added. 

Her compatriot, the effusive Anna Meier was thrilled to earn her first medal at Senior Championship level. “I feel like I’m always in a team with my horse, but to be in a team with these guys is wonderful, they’ve won millions of medals between them but this is my first!”, she said, looking around at Dibowski, Klimke and Jung.

Bullimore described her 10-year-old gelding Corouet as “just a freak of nature! He’s phenomenal in all phases, he could do pure show jumping and pure dressage, he’s unique” she said. “He has a huge attitude in a small package, he knows how cool he is and he’s been fantastic all week”, she added. Her individual bronze was an especially precious result because she bred the horse and also competed his dam at the FEI European Championships in Blair Castle (GBR) in 2015.

March, team gold medallist at the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2018 and team silver medallist at the last FEI European Eventing Championships two years ago described her individual silver medal winning ride Brookfield Inocent as “definitely one of the best I’ve ever ridden - in all three phases he couldn’t have done any more!” And she added, “personally I think that if we’re ahead of Ingrid Klimke and Micky Jung then that’s a medal in itself, wherever we’d finish! This has just been a fabulous week!”

Reflected

Meanwhile newly crowned individual European champion Wilson reflected on the enormity of it all with her trademark modesty. “This has been very very special, being with this fantastic group of girls who all get along really well. It’s been fun all the way and the horses have been phenomenal. 

“It’s a first championship for Dublin, he missed a bit of time when I injured my neck (two years ago) and then Covid came long but now I’m so proud for my owners. I was delighted with his dressage, it just felt very solid and good and then he stormed around the cross-country and produced a beautiful round in the show jumping. How lovely it is to have had him since he was a young horse and to build that lovely partnership and trust between us”, she said with quiet pride, adding “and thank you to Switzerland for putting on these Championships!”.

Gratitude

Everyone expressed their gratitude to the Organising Committee headed up by Jean-Pierre Kratzer, President of the Institut Equestre National d’Avenches where this week’s event has taken place. A total of 21,000 spectators came through the gates of the fabulous venue, including over 10,000 on cross-country day yesterday.

“I built this place 20 years ago for racing, and to expand our business we then built a training centre for 150 horses. Last year during Covid we were asked to help riders in preparation for Tokyo and we took the opportunity to plan for the future and help develop Eventing here”, he explained.

“When we got the opportunity to organise these Championships I talked with Mike Etherington-Smith in July about how to make it the best and he asked if he could work with Martin Plewa. It was one opportunity for a lot of people and we took it and put it together in a few weeks with good team spirit. So I’m delighted to see all the teams happy and hear them say they want to come back, that’s the best thank you we could get!”

Results here 

When asked what she thought of the cross-country course after completing her Dressage test with JL Dublin at the FEI Eventing European Championships 2021 in Avenches, Switzerland on Thursday, Great Britain’s Nicola Wilson described it as “positively terrifying!” But on a day of mixed fortunes for the British side who still managed to maintain the lead they established on the opening day, the pair rose from third to the very top of the Individual rankings after a spectacular run that further stretched the gap between her team and the defending champions from Germany.

And it was a very exciting afternoon for France. An unfortunate tip-up for Gwendolen Fer and Romantic Love in the water at fence 23 piled plenty of pressure on her compatriots who, however, rose gallantly to the challenge to hold on to bronze medal spot going into tomorrow’s final Jumping phase. 

The British tally of 69.1 leaves them just over nine penalty points ahead of Germany, while on 96.8 the French are a good distance behind. Team Switzerland shot up from ninth to fourth today while the Irish climbed from eleventh to fifth, and the stage is set for a sizzling conclusion to the 35th edition of these Championships which are taking place against the odds during these troubling Covid times. 

It’s only six short weeks since course designer, Great Britain’s Mike Etherington-Smith, started work on the track that embraces the beautiful racing venue at Avenches, but the horses, riders and the enthusiastic crowd that turned up to see Europe’s best battle it out were treated to a great day of sport today. 

And the British maintained their supremacy despite a disappointing performance from the reigning World Championship partnership of Ros Canter and Allstar B. Sitting in Individual silver medal spot as the day began, the pair plummeted to 55th with two run-outs late in the course.

Set things up

Piggy March and Brookfield Inocent produced one of just seven fault-free rounds today to set things up for the British side. 

“Everything is easy when you have a horse like him! The time was tight enough but he’s a real cruiser. What a horse and how lucky am I to have him!”, March said. 

And when Wilson followed suit they were already looking very secure. Despite her earlier reservations, Wilson admitted that “the course rode beautifully, and my horse was very honest”. So when Kitty King and Vendredi Biats added just 0.8 time penalties  to her dressage mark then Canter’s additional 56 penalties could be dropped as they were comfortably in control.

German pathfinder Anna Siemer also had a great day, adding just 1.6 to her scoreline with FRH Butts Avondale. She was over the moon after her ride. “It was so much fun!”, she said. “For her the dressage was done and now this is what we are here for! She’s like a pony, I know her for 10 years now, and from the moment she jumped her first cross-country fence she was a cross-country machine!”, said the rider who walked the track seven times in order to ensure she met with no surprises.

Andreas Dibowski was next out for the German side, adding 15.2 penalties to his scoreline with FRH Corrida. But Michael Jung pulled it back with a classic clear with the nine-year-old fischerWild Wave, demonstrating the skill that has earned the German superstar the title “The Terminator”. 

“He’s a young horse but amazing, with a lot of talent in all three disciplines. Today he showed how light and easy he can gallop and he has super endurance, he’s fast and has a lot of scope for the bigger, tougher courses. Right now all he he needs is just more experience - to learn to be clever and to think. I’m really happy with him”, Jung said. 

Weight of expectation

Now only the individual leader, Ingrid Klimke, was left to go for the German side, with a huge weight of expectation on her shoulders. If she can take the individual title tomorrow she will be the first athlete in the long history of the FEI Eventing European Championships to do so with the same horse on three consecutive occasions. But 1.2 time penalties saw her lose her grip on pole position and she goes into tomorrow’s final phase just 0.5 penalties behind Wilson at the head of affairs.

“He was bold and brave like he always is”, Klimke said of her beloved Bobby. “I had lots of time at the 7-minute mark, and then in the end there were two seconds (added) because I just couldn’t go any faster, especially in the turns. I had to take my time so I didn’t have a run-out, I had to be precise to the end and I felt it was the fastest I would like to go through the corners and the deeper ground. I thought I would make it, but unfortunately we didn’t - but he did a lovely job really and he finished full of himself!”, she said.

Meanwhile Jean Lou Bigot got the French off to a great start when delivering a fault-free run with Utrillo du Halage, but Gwendolen Fer’s fall left them looking very vulnerable. However when Stanislas de Zuchowicz and the lovely grey Covadys de Triaval added only 14 time penalties to their score the French situation began to stabilise. And he was thrilled with his result, produced under pressure.

“It was his first time at 4-Star level and my Chef d’Equipe told me I had to be clear,  but my horse was fantastic! My job was to be careful about his balance because his jump is always fantastic and his canter is always very good. We had a slip on the turn after fence 15 and that was a tricky moment, but I had the face of my coach in my head and I knew we had to stay on our feet!”, said the man from Fontainebleau who first rode for the French team in 2009.

Great round

And then Maxime Livio secured that bronze medal position definitively with a great round from Api du Libaire. 

“The trainer told me to be quick enough to secure the bronze medal place but not to take any stupid risk like I might if I was only an individual rider, but the plan was not to take too big risk with that horse because he’s not really experienced. So I was quite comfortable with that. He (the horse) allowed me to take the straight route at 6/7, because he’s very straight. So I took that risk and he answered very well but I just felt when I jumped the water when I came back on the race-track that his jumping was not as energetic at the beginning. So I decided ok, now we try to hold it together. He was a bit tired in the body but not in the mind. He was listening to me, looking at the fences, fully focused, and I’m very pleased because he fought with me to the very end for the French team. And also his score is really good, so I am very happy!”, Livio said.

That’s no wonder, because that score of 22.5 leaves him seriously challenging Klimke and Wilson when the final day’s action kicks off tomorrow morning at 11.00, following the second Horse Inspection at 09.00.

It’s all so very close, and the result could go any which way on the exciting final day….

Results here https://www.rechenstelle.de/de/veranstaltungen/2021/avenches-2/#

Great Britain maintained the lead in the Dressage phase today, but there will only be a hair’s breadth between them and the defending team champions from Germany when the cross-country phase of the FEI Eventing European Championships 2021 gets underway tomorrow morning at 11.00 local time.

A margin of 4.9 penalty points is all that separates the two sides as the best horse-and-athlete combinations from all across Europe continue to battle it out for the prestigious team and individual medals at these 35th bi-annual Championships.

Today Germany’s Ingrid Klimke took another step towards an historic first-ever three-in-a-row individual title with the same horse, when steering the brilliant SAP Hale Bob OLD into pole position in the Dressage arena. But Great Britain’s Ros Canter and Allstar B, who took double-gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games two years ago, came dangerously close to toppling them when third-last to go.

Scoring 20.6, Canter lies just 0.4 behind Klimke when the horses set out to do what they love best tomorrow, taking on the challenging cross-country track designed by Great Britain’s Mike Etherington-Smith which consists of 40 jumping efforts and 32 fences over a distance of 5,678 metres that must be covered in 10 minutes 7 seconds to avoid time penalties.

And lying third, only 0.3 further behind, is Canter’s team-mate and first-day Dressage leader Nicola Wilson with JL Dublin, while a super test from Maxime Livio and his attractive 11-year-old grey gelding Api du Libraire leaves him individually fourth and secured overnight third place for Team France.

Reshuffle

Klimke was always expected to reshuffle the order with her 17-year-old gelding whose career record includes Olympic team silver, individual World Championship bronze and four European gold medals, the last two of the latter clinched on home ground in Luhmuehlen two years ago. He certainly didn’t disappoint again today, but Bobby was full of beans before starting his test.

“Maybe he thought we were in cross-country already!”, Klimke said. “I didn’t warm up for long because he knows all the movements and I thought it would be good if he was a bit fresh because the ground is a bit deep (in the arena), but I didn’t know he was that fresh! I should have cantered a few more rounds outside!

“I had to take an extra loop to calm him down, but the moment I entered the ring I knew exactly that he knows his job inside out and I could really enjoy it and I could ride very precisely from point to point. After so many years now it is really a pleasure to ride through the test knowing he is absolutely focused and there is so much trust between us”, she pointed out. 

She says the cross-country course reminds her of the track at Wiesbaden in Germany “which feels like seven minutes in a jump-off - you can’t breathe very much!” But Bobby is a a past-master over fences. “The good thing is that he has a very handy canter for the turns, and he doesn’t mind the ground”, she explained.

His lazy self

Canter gave the German star a real run for her money when third-last to go. Albie, as her 16-year-old horse is known to his friends, didn’t make it entirely easy for her though because, as she explained “he was his usual lazy self! I wanted everyone to clap and cheer as we came in and he pricked his ears for about half a second but then he went ahhh….he’s always listening to me, and in a way it’s a benefit, but I was possibly sweating more than he was!”, she said.

“But honestly he’s just the most rideable horse I’ve ever had in a dressage test. He doesn’t change, regardless of the atmosphere or anything else, he just lets me ride for every mark and that’s where his heart shines really and always has done. Time and again he does mistake-free tests. It’s a lot of pressure coming out on him again (after their World Championship success) but I want to try and enjoy every minute because I know I haven’t got many left with him”, she added.

Impressive

While both Klimke and Canter’s horses are super-experienced, Livio’s fourth-place ride with Api du Libaire was all the more impressive because it’s this pair’s first Championship together, and you’d never have guessed it.

“We knew since the beginning this horse’s talent for the three phases is really nice, he can fight with the best horses in the world. This is his first Championship so it’s good to be where we are today and it’s a good score for the team, but it’s a three-day event also so we take it day by day”, said the 34-year-old Frenchman.

He described his handsome and characterful gelding as “a strange horse, he’s like a kid but not a bad kid, just someone who is pleased to be here and wants to see everything! My job is to show him a lot, and I’m pleased because he was totally connected to me, and when he is like that he is a super student because he tries all the time”, he added.

Challenging

Meanwhile looking ahead to tomorrow’s cross-country test, Canter said this evening “it’s a really challenging course in terms of the full circles we do and all the accuracy questions and the difference in surfaces which will affect horse’s balance. We’ll need to prepare for every fence, riding and planning the bits in between. Albie gets very wound up at the start but he’s a wise old man so I’ll keep his warm-up limited and keep his energy and adrenaline for the course”.

Klimke said the most important thing will be to maintain the horse’s rhythm and “not lose any stride, just keep a wonderful flow”, all very possible perhaps when you are partnering a creature of the calibre of SAP Hale Bob OLD who she affectionately calls “the professor”. 

Livio agreed. “The rider who can be fluent in their riding will do the best. This course is a good test of the ability of the rider to be fluent - if we manage to do that it will go well”, he said.

Team France lies only 7.6 penalty points behind the Germans who currently hold silver medal spot. But the French will need to be on the button tomorrow because fantastic tests from Harald Ambros (Lexikon 2), Robert Mandl (Sacre-Coeur) and Lea Siegl (van Helsing P) moved Austria up into fourth today, less than two points behind.

The Dutch team is in fifth place, Italy in sixth, Sweden in seventh and Belgium in eighth while the hosts from Switzerland lie ninth. Spain, Ireland, Russia and Czech Republic fill the last four places this evening.  

It’s super-close between the leading pack, but the leaderboard could look very different by late tomorrow afternoon.

Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

Results here 

Cross-Country Startlist here 

After a year hiatus, the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League (NAL) is set to kick off its 2021-2022 season at Thunderbird Show Park in Vancouver, British Columbia (CAN), with a fresh look.

While the 2019-2020 NAL was able to complete its season in Ocala, FL (USA), that March, just days before the global pandemic brought the jumping calendar to a temporary halt, it’s been more than 18 months since North America has hosted a World Cup qualifying event.

Naturally, the scene will be a triumphant one in Vancouver, as a competitive group has lined up to get an early start on World Cup qualifying.

A newly implemented NAL calendar will feature just eight CSI4*-W events. The first and only opportunity to earn points in Canada, will be this Sunday 26 September, with the opening qualifier of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ season being hosted in Vancouver. The League will no longer be split into sub-leagues across the east and west coasts of the continent. Instead, a more cohesive calendar will bring athletes across the geographically diverse region between September 2021 and March 2022 as they battle for 14 qualifying places for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Leipzig (GER) in April 2022.

The best seven U.S. athletes from the east coast will punch their tickets, along with three U.S. west coast athletes, two Canadians and two riders from Mexico. Following Vancouver’s opening leg, the NAL will continue to Sacramento, CA (USA) before heading east to Tryon, NC (USA). Lexington, KY (USA), Las Vegas, NV (USA), Fort Worth, TX (USA), Puebla (MEX) and Ocala, FL (USA) complete the North American League lineup for the 2021-2022 season.

Athletes’ four best results from the events will count for points, requiring great strategy and execution. 

Known for its horse friendly venue and most welcoming management, Thunderbird Show Park will welcome athletes from five nations for World Cup competition. Former world number one, Kent Farrington (USA) headlines the group. Currently the World’s 13^th ranked rider on the Longines Jumping World Rankings, Farrington represented the U.S. in individual competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and was the highest placing American in 2016 at the Rio Olympics. He brings forward the winning machine that is the versatile and quick Austria 2, along with the 8-year-old stallion, Landon.

Among the winningest riders in Vancouver, Conor Swail (IRL) boasts a most exciting string of talented mounts. Rising star Theo 160 won three international events at the venue in August, which surely played a role in Swail’s rise into the world’s top 50. The Irish rider, who splits his time between Calgary (CAN) and Wellington, FL (USA), will bring forward the fresh Vital Chance de la Roque for World Cup competition. The 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding has won three international grand prix events since June, including the CSI4* Grand Prix at Saugerties in late July. In a strategic play by Swail, the bay has not competed since.

Swail’s longtime student, Vanessa Mannix, will also be a contender. She 32-year-old took a CSI3* Grand Prix victory at Thunderbird at the end of August and currently rides a hot streak with her veteran partner, Catinka 25.

Local favorites Tiffany Foster (CAN) and Brian Morton (CAN) will undoubtedly exploit their hometown advantage to the best of their abilities, while World Equestrian Games veteran Rowan Willis (AUS) and four-time World Cup Final veteran Charlie Jacobs (USA) invade from their U.S. bases.

On Sunday, the long-awaited North American League standings will once again take shape. With two Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final Champions to come out of this league since 2017, it will surely set the tone for a most thrilling season.