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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
Swiss Jumping stars Steve Guerdat and Martin Fuchs will see their long-standing sporting rivalry play out in the polls as the public vote for the FEI Awards 2019 opens today.
An impressive billing of equestrian athletes, individuals and projects have been shortlisted across five Awards categories following the FEI’s call to action for nominations from the global equestrian community.
Flying the flag for 15 nations on five continents, the 22 shortlisted nominees have been selected for their outstanding achievements on the field of play, inspirational outlook and unparalleled dedication.
World number one Guerdat (37) and his great friend and rival Fuchs (27), who was crowned FEI European Jumping champion last month, are amongst the five nominees in the running for the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete Award 2019, along with Eventing legend Ingrid Klimke (GER), this year’s FEI Driving World Cup™ winner Bram Chardon (NED) and Dutch Paralympian and triple European gold medallist Sanne Voets.
Check out the amazing back stories of all the nominees in the five categories: Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete, Longines FEI Rising Star, Cavalor FEI Best Groom, FEI Against All Odds and FEI Solidarity.
The 2019 Awards winners will be celebrated at a star studded ceremony at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow (RUS) on 19 November.
The public now has 12 days (25 September to 7 October) to cast votes for their heroes. Make sure you have your say and vote here!
Shortlisted nominees for the FEI Awards 2019 are:
Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete - paying tribute to the athlete who over the past year has demonstrated exceptional skill and taken the sport to a new level.
Cavalor FEI Best Groom - for the behind-the-scenes hero who ensures the horses they look after are given the best possible care.
Longines FEI Rising Star – for the youth athlete aged 14 to 21 who demonstrates outstanding sporting talent and commitment.
FEI Against All Odds - for an inspiring individual who has pursued their equestrian ambitions and overcome challenges and obstacles along the way.
FEI Solidarity - for an FEI Solidarity or equestrian development project, an individual or organisation that has used skill, dedication and energy to expand the sport.
The winners will be decided through a system in which 50% of the public’s vote and 50% of the judges’ vote will be combined to give the final result. The nine expert judges are as follows:
Ingmar De Vos (BEL), FEI President
Matthieu Baumgartner (SUI), Longines Vice President of Marketing
Marina Sechina (RUS), President Russian Equestrian Federation and member FEI Solidarity Committee
Simone Blum (GER), Jumping athlete and winner of the FEI Best Athlete Award 2018
Peter Bollen (BEL), Founder and chief nutritionist of Cavalor
Martin Atock (IRL), Managing Director of Peden Bloodstock
Robin Parsky (USA), Vice Chairman of the Jumping Owners Club (JOC)
Harald Link (THA), President Thailand Equestrian Federation
Eve Van Den Bol (CAY), President Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation (CIEF) and member FEI Solidarity Committee
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Photo caption: Swiss athletes Steve Guerdat (L) and Martin Fuchs after winning first and second place respectively at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2019 in Gothenburg (SWE). FEI/Christophe Taniere
Notes to Editors
About the FEI Awards
The FEI Awards were launched in 2009 to put a spotlight on the individuals and organisations that are making an outstanding contribution to the progression and excellence in equestrian sport.
About Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) www.fei.org
The FEI is the world governing body for horse sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was founded in 1921. Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic movement since the 1912 Games in Stockholm.
The FEI became one of the first international sports governing bodies to govern and regulate global para sport alongside its seven able-bodied disciplines when Para Dressage joined its ranks in 2006. The FEI now governs all international competitions for Para Dressage and Para Driving.
The FEI is the sole controlling authority for all international events in the Olympic sports of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, as well as Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining.
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
Peden Bloodstock has today signed an agreement to become the FEI’s Official Equine Logistics Partner and new title partner of the FEI Best Athlete Award.
The company specialises in first class horse travel and the provision of associated equine health and logistics solutions required for the intercontinental movements of elite competition horses.
“We’re extremely proud to have a company with the expertise and experience of Peden Bloodstock supporting our logistics requirements,” FEI Commercial Director Ralph Straus said. “Competition horses are finely-tuned athletes and are equally as deserving of top-notch travel conditions as their human counterparts. After many years of working together, this new partnership will further cement the strong relationship between FEI and Peden Bloodstock”
Having operated their first horse flight in 1947, Peden has decades of experience transporting horses across the globe and finding logistical solutions to the most complex itineraries.
Peden has provided horse transportation for multiple FEI World and Regional Championships, including the FEI World Equestrian Games™, the Olympic Games for over four decades and the Paralympic Games since Atlanta 1996.
“We’re delighted to be teaming up with the FEI as equestrian sport is truly global and we are proud to play a major supporting role,” Peden Bloodstock Managing Director Martin Atock said. “We know that our experience with equine logistics will help athletes and their entourage travel with ease and confidence knowing that their horses are in good hands wherever in the world they may be.”
The company was involved in the largest-ever commercial airlift of horses for last year’s FEI World Equestrian Games™ when they transported horses from six of the world's seven continents.
At this year’s FEI Awards Gala presented by Longines in Moscow (RUS), the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete Award will be given to the athlete who has demonstrated exceptional skill in competition over the past year and taken the sport to a new level. Last year’s award was won by Jumping world champion Simone Blum (GER) and previous winners have included other luminaries such as Isabell Werth (GER), Nick Skelton (GBR), Boyd Exell (AUS) and Jeroen Dubbeldam (NED).
The Awards ceremony, which will be attended by more than 250 distinguished guests and top sporting legends, will honour the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete as well as winners in the other four categories – Longines FEI Rising Star, Cavalor FEI Best Groom, FEI Against All Odds and FEI Solidarity.
The nominations will be shortlisted by the FEI in each of the five categories and winners will be selected by a public vote and the judges’ panel. Voting for the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete Award and the other four awards will take place between 25 September and 7 October 2019.
Cavalor, the Belgian based equine nutrition brand, today signed a deal to become the FEI’s Official Nutrition Partner and Title Partner of the FEI Best Groom Award.
A world leader in equine nutrition for high-performance horses, Cavalor has helped thousands of horse owners and athletes achieve top level performance through proper nutrition and care.
“Horse welfare is at the top of the agenda for both Cavalor and the FEI which makes this partnership a natural fit,” FEI Commercial Director Ralph Straus said. “With over 30 years of experience, Cavalor brings a wealth of equine nutrition knowledge to the table along with a strong brand reputation and we look forward to a productive working partnership.”
At this year’s FEI Awards Gala presented by Longines in Moscow (RUS), the Cavalor FEI Best Groom Award will be given to the person working behind the scenes to ensure the horses he or she looks after are given the best possible care. Lee McKeever (USA), groom to four time Olympian McLain Ward, was the recipient of last year’s accolade.
The Awards ceremony, which will be attended by more than 250 distinguished guests and top sporting legends, will honour the Cavalor FEI Best Groom as well as the winners in the other four categories – FEI Best Athlete, Longines FEI Rising Star, FEI Against All Odds and FEI Solidarity.
“Cavalor has a history of working with top athletes and their horses and this partnership with the FEI now provides an opportunity to reach a more international audience,” Lieselot Hamerlinck, Managing Partner of Cavalor said. “We believe in fostering long term relationships and we know that together with the FEI we can bring our experience in this field to more people.”
The company’s products are based on years of intense research and development, the selection of the highest quality ingredients, as well as strict manufacturing and quality control processes.
The Cavalor name is trusted by champion athletes like Simone Blum (GER) who won individual Jumping gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 and the Fosun Best Athlete Award at the FEI Awards Gala presented by Longines last year in Manama (BRN).
“As an elite athlete, I have benefitted greatly from Cavalor’s expertise which has allowed me to fine tune my horses’ nutritional programme,” Simone said. “Cavalor really understands the feeding requirements and needs of my competition horses and I appreciate their holistic approach to equine care and welfare.”
The nominations for the Cavalor FEI Best Groom Award will be shortlisted by the FEI in each of the five categories and presented to the public vote and the panel of judges. Voting will take place between 25 September and 7 October 2019.
Dominican Republic’s Giorgia Ieromazzo claimed the FEI Jumping World Challenge Final 2019 title at Club Rancho San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador with a brilliant double-clear performance in last Sunday’s closing competition. The 32-year-old, who represented her country at the Pan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2007 and again at the Bolivarian Games in 2013, pinned New Zealand’s Christine Cornege into silver while South Africa’s Mathiew Morrison took the bronze.
“I did a clear in the first round and then I was telling myself in the second round “you have to concentrate!” When I’m in the ring I’m in my zone, I don’t even remember what happens, I just ride!” Ieromazzo said afterwards.
The FEI Jumping World Challenge Final was created in 2001 under the sponsorship of PSI, and was organised together with Dressage for five years at the Kasselman Stables in Hagen, Germany. It then moved to Santiago de Chile in South America in 2008 and 2009 before changing continents again when held at Kyalami Equestrian Park in South Africa in 2014. It visited Central Asia for the first time last year when Israel’s Nadav Sternbach came out on top in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and the 2019 edition at Quito was the 18th in the popular series.
The FEI Solidarity Department oversees the running of this developmental competition which provides less experienced athletes from remote countries with the opportunity to compete internationally. A total of 21 riders from 16 nations flew the flags of Algeria, Bermuda, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatamala, India, Indonesia, Israel, Morocco, Panama, Republic of South Africa and Zimbabwe in a week of great sport and camaraderie that began with last Wednesday’s Welcome Stakes.
Chile dominated this opening test when Ignacia Munoz galloped into pole position ahead of compatriot Nicolas Fuentes, while Algeria’s Lena Boutekedjiret lined up in third and Costa Rica’s Diego Loria finished fourth. One of the biggest challenges faced by all the competitors is that they must ride borrowed horses, and the Ecuadorian NF secured a choice of 27 mounts, 19 of which were generously provided by the Ecuadorian Police service (Policia Nacional de Ecuador).
Riders were only paired with their horses the previous day when they were allowed a 30-minute warm-up before a 15-minute familiarisation period in the main arena during which they were permitted to jump a few fences. And it seemed that Morocco’s Sami Cherkaoui had found his perfect partner in the eight-year-old Argentinian gelding Quinchan with which he won Thursday’s First Qualifier. It was a convincing victory when they were the only pair to finish the course clear and inside the time, but the 18-year-old rider was eliminated in Saturday’s second qualifier won by Ecuador’s Agustin Baca.
As all the best athletes know, life-lessons are part and parcel of every day in equestrian sport, and Baca also had a major disappointment when his horse had to be withdrawn from Sunday’s medal decider. He was however permitted to compete in the Farewell class in which he finished third with his replacement ride UIDE Bischochuelo behind Chile’s Fuentes and Feroz in second, while Morocco’s Cherkaoui and Quinchan put their partnership right back together again to win it with the only clear round.
The top ten went though to the Final proper in which everyone started from scratch and competed in reverse order of merit from their standings after the first two qualifiers. In the first round only Ieromazzo, Morrison and Lucas Dieudonne from the Democratic Republic of Congo went clear over another testing track set by Ecuadorian course designer Jaime Morillo.
Cornege, Zimbabwe’s Judy Riddle (Tambo Othar) and South Africa’s Victoria Lavelle (Chaman) however were close behind with just four apiece. Lavelle added four more second time out but Riddle piled on the pressure when foot-perfect in a time of 82.65. Her advantage was cut short when 36-year-old Cornege and the 10-year-old Palugo were also clear but two seconds quicker, and when Dieudonne was eliminated for taking the wrong course with the lovely skewbald Pontiac, only Morrison and Ieromazzo stood between the Kiwi rider and the coveted gold medal.
It drew ever closer when 17-year-old Morrison and the 10-year-old Waldo left a fence on the floor in 81.94 seconds, but, last into the arena, Ieromazzo had victory in her sights and wasn’t about to let go. Although her horse, Magnus Jarea, was pulling hard and eager to run, she held her nerve to clinch gold with the only double-clear of the competition. With the quickest four faults Cornege slotted into silver, while Morrison took the bronze and Riddle just missed out on the podium with her slower time.
The new champion was delighted with the performance of the police horse that carried her to victory, and was full of praise for the event organisers and the venue. Club Rancho San Francisco lies just 15 minutes from the centre of the Ecuadorian capital of Quito and has a majestic view of the active Cotopaxi volcano in the nearby Andes Mountains.
“It’s been amazing - the place, the horses, the organisation, the competitions, the people - we’ve all had a blast and this was a great experience!” Ieromazzo said.
Results here
Twice a Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final Champion, Elizabeth “Beezie” Madden (USA) has ridden some exceptional horses, but even she admitted that her expectations were exceeded when 8-year-old Garant jumped her to another Longines victory in New York (USA).
Madden and the chestnut gelding topped a jump-off field of six to win the $210,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ New York, the first east coast qualifier of the 2019/2020 North American League season. Using her mount’s footspeed and athleticism to her advantage, Madden crossed the timers of Alan Wade’s (IRL) shortened track in 40.89 seconds. Last to jump, Karl Cook (USA) and Caillou finished second on a time of 41.25 seconds, while Katie Dinan (USA) completed an American sweep of the podium with Brego R’n B. The only other double-clear performance, they finished in 41.94 seconds.
“He’s a young horse,” Madden said. “The plan was to step him up this fall. He jumped on Friday, and he went so well, we decided to go [today]. I wasn’t even sure I was doing class this week when came here. For Him to come through like that today is amazing.”
Seven combinations produced a clear first round, but Nicole Shahinian-Simpson (USA) elected not to return for the jump-off with Akuna Mattata, leaving a field of six. Dinan was the first to add a second clear to her scorecard, before Madden shaved more than a second off her time. The two-time Olympic gold medalist simply could not be caught.
“He has tremendous jumping talent, which as we all know, is not everything,” Madden said. “I also think he’s incredibly smart. He knows he’s not supposed to hit the fences! He then proceeds to know how to run fast and jump high, and I have no idea why!”
Madden has now skyrocketed to the top of the North American League’s east coast sub league standings. She boasts 35 points, having also finished fourth in Vancouver. Vancouver’s winner, Daniel Coyle (IRL), sits second with 20 points, while Dinan moved into third with 15 points.
Full results here.
Thaïs Méheust, who died tragically from injuries sustained in a cross-country fall during the French National Championships for Young Horses in Haras du Pin (FRA) on Saturday 7 September, was one of France’s rising stars on the international Eventing circuit.
The 22-year-old had already flown the French flag with huge success, competing in eight FEI Eventing European Championships in the Pony, Junior, and Young Rider categories. She earned five team medals, including gold at the FEI Eventing Young Riders European Championships 2016 in Montelibretti (ITA) and again on home soil in Fontainebleau 2018, her final year in Young Riders.
Soon after becoming French Junior Champion in 2017, she moved her top mount, the 14-year-old Selle Francais gelding Quamilha, up to three-star level to finish fifth in the CIC at Le Pouget (FRA) in November that year.
In May of this year, she made her FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ team debut at Houghton Hall (GBR) along with compatriots Cyrielle Lefevre, Francois Lemiere and Thomas Piejos.
In an interview with FEI.org last year, Thaïs Méheust said that her dream was to represent France at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
She was drawn to Eventing at a young age after watching her older siblings compete. She was based at her family’s Ecurie de Cerisier Blue stables in the small village of Cailly-sur-Eure, where she trained a string of four to five horses while also attending law school at the University of Rouen.
“The news of Thaïs’ tragic death has come as a great shock to us all,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said.
“We had the opportunity to get to know Thaïs when she participated in the Youth Panel which we hand-picked for the Sports Forum in 2018, representing not only the discipline of Eventing and France, but the next generation of equestrian athletes worldwide.
“Each of the panelists were selected for their experience and their commitment to the sport and all of us at the FEI were truly impressed by Thaïs’ passion, her maturity and her enthusiasm. She was a tremendous ambassador for the sport, really committed and willing to work hard to achieve her goals. The global equestrian community has lost a shining light and our hearts go out to all who knew her."
The FEI extends its deepest sympathy to Thaïs Méheust’s parents, her family and wide circle of friends and to the French National Federation (FFE).
The FFE tribute to Thaïs Méheust can be read here.
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