Host country heads Leaderboard as Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ comes to Switzerland

Swiss Chef d'Equipe, Rolf Grass, is taking no chances as the Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ arrives at his home venue of St Gallen this week.  He has selected the best possible team in an effort to cement the lead his country has established after the first two legs of the series, and for Swiss show jumping fans there is an extra edge to the 2009 event. 

They will be saying goodbye to one of the greatest riders their country has ever produced when Markus Fuchs officially retires at this year's prestigious fixture.  Fuchs has been the back-bone of many successful Swiss sides over his long and hugely successful career during which the five-time Olympian won the World Cup title in 2001, took individual and team silver at the European Championships in Hickstead in 1999 and European team silver in San Patrignano in 2005.  Many of his major successes were recorded with the great Tinka's Boy with whom he forged a special relationship.  For his final week in the limelight however the 53 year old rider will bring Granie and La Toya from his home close to the Gruendenmoos Stadium in St Gallen.

Mr Grass has chosen Daniel Etter, Steve Guerdat, last year's St Gallen Grand Prix champion Christina Liebherr and Pius Schwizer to join Fuchs on his squad on this important occasion.

FEITV

All the action from the third leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ in St Gallen, Switzerland will be broadcast LIVE and in high quality on the new official video website of the Fédération Equestre Internationale,  www.FEITV.org

The broadcast, presented by English commentator and horsesport specialist Philip Ghazala, will start at 13:25 CEST and cover both rounds. Additional features such as the draw, a virtual course walk and interviews will also be made available to users.

Simply register on www.feitv.org to witness all the passion and excitement as your favourites teams and riders battle for the ultimate honours.

AUDIO

The Meydan FEI Nations CupTM is now available on iTunes both to listen and download. The latest podcast features interviews with Ashlee Bond (USA), Michael Whitaker and Ben Maher (GBR), Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Maria Gretzer of Sweden.

LEAD

The Swiss have a 3.5 point lead over the Americans who won last Friday's second leg of the series in Rome and US team manager, George Morris, sends out the same side once again.  The US riders were really impressive at the Piazza di Siena, and 24 year old rookie, Ashlee Bond, continues to amaze with Cadett who, for the second consecutive leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series, produced an extraordinary double-clear performance.  Richard Spooner picked up just four faults in the team competition but he seemed the unluckiest man alive when just pipped for the Rome Puissance honours by Britain's Michael Whitaker last Saturday night and then squeezed into runner-up spot again in Sunday's Grand Prix by Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa.  Bond and Spooner line out alongside Lauren Hough, Laura Kraut and Christine McCrea.

The French are lying third on the leaderboard and Timothee Anciaume, Kevin Staut, Julien Epaillard, Michel Robert and Roger-Yves Bost will be hoping to hold that position.  Otto Becker's German squad includes Marcus Ehning, Max Kuhner, Carsten-Otto Nagel, Franke Sloothaak and Philipp Weisthaupt and, currently fourth on the league table, the Germans will be hoping to stay ahead of the fifth-placed Dutch. New recruit, 43 year old Nathalie Van der Mei, proved a very useful addition to Rob Ehrens' Dutch line-out with just one fence down last Friday, so she is called up again along with Angelique Hoorn, Marc Houtzager, Jur Vrieling and Albert Zoer.  The Dutch are defending Nations Cup champions in St Gallen and they could prove hard to beat once again.


CONTRAST

The Swedish team suffered huge disappointment last time out when failing to make it into the second round - in stark contrast to their opening second-placed performance.  The Swedes are made of steel however, and Maria Gretzer brings back 19 year old Alexander Zetterman who sparkled with just a single error in La Baule while their hero of that day at the French fixture, Svante Johannson, takes a break.  Adding extra edge to the Swedish effort this time out is the inclusion of Rolf-Goran Bengtsson with his Olympic silver medal winning ride Ninja la Silla while Henrik Von Eckermann, Erika Lickhammer and Malin Baryard-Johnsson complete the line-up.

Great Britain lies seventh on the leaderboard, and for a change there are no Whitaker family members on the British side.  Derek Ricketts still has plenty of hardened campaigners on call-up however as Peter Charles is joined by Nick Skelton, Robert Smith, William Funnell and Ben Maher.  Belgium lies eighth, with just three points on the leaderboard to date, so Lucien Somers will be looking for a good result from Niels Bruynseels, Frederik Cattebeke, Jos Lansink, Philippe Le Jeune and Ludo Philippaerts - and there is no shortage of talent and experience in his selection. 

The two struggling nations are the Irish and Italians, the former holding only a 0.5 point advantage over the latter at the bottom of the league table.  Ireland's Robert Splaine brings Cian O'Connor back into play for St Gallen and introduces army rider Capt David O'Brien while American-based Shane Sweetnam who has proved rock-solid so far, completes his line-up together with Billy Twomey and Denis Lynch.  Giulia Martinengo is the only remaining member of last week's Italian side, Emilio Puricelli sending out Piergiorgio Bucci, Giuseppe D'Onofrio, Gabriele Grassi, and Giuseppe Rolli to join her as the fight for survival at the top end of Nations Cup jumping begins to get serious.

FACTS AND FIGURES

The team from The Netherlands were the winners at St Gallen in 2008.  This was only their third victory in the 82-year history of the Swiss Nations Cup.

The Swiss Nations Cup was first held in Lucerne in 1927 when the winning team came from France.

The French and British have both won the Swiss Nations Cup on 11 occasions.

The Swiss have also won their own Nations Cup on 11 occasions.

Teams from Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Sweden and Belgium have won CSIO Switzerland just once, the USA and Ireland have each taken the trophy six times, Italy has reigned supreme on seven occasions but the biggest winners have been the host team's close neighbours from Germany who have taken the honours 20 times.  

The CSIO Switzerland has an annual budget of CHF 2.5 million.

The show attracts between 32,000 and 46,000 spectators - depending on the weather!

A total of 360 staff, including 60 department heads, have helped create one of the world's top equestrian events.  The majority of the staff are volunteers.

60 tons of material is used in the footing of the arena at the Gruendenmoos Equestrian Stadium in St Gallen.

For all the latest news, standings, results on the MEYDAN FEI NATIONS CUP™ - www.meydanfeinationscup.org