SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE WITH FEI 2007 - PRESS RELEASE NO. 12

HOME TEAM GETS BEST OF DRAW IN AACHEN......

The rain may be still falling in Aachen this afternoon, but German eyes were smiling as the home team was drawn in the most favourable position for tomorrow's leg of the 2007 Samsung Super League with FEI series.

Deputising for Chef d'Equipe Kurt Gravemeier, top German rider Markus Beerbaum was delighted when his country was drawn last to go of the eight nations but British Chef d'Equipe Derek Ricketts was less enthusiastic when his side was pulled out of the hat in No. 1 position. "We've had an up-and-down season so far" said the manager of the British team which won the second leg of the series in Rome before suffering elimination in St Gallen and then winning again at the last outing in Rotterdam two weeks ago - "somehow I think it could be our turn to finish last this time!" he said with a mixture of amusement and resignation.

The order-of-go for the competition which begins at 19.00 hours tomorrow evening is as follows:

1. Great Britain
2. Switzerland
3. USA
4. Belgium
5. The Netherlands
6. Sweden
7. France
8. Germany.

"This is the fifth leg of the Samsung Super League with FEI series and, as usual, Germany is in the lead!" said FEI First Vice-President Sven Holmberg, "but we are looking forward to a very exciting competition and it will be interesting to see how the new formula, with the second round jumped under floodlights, will work out" he added. If the weather continues as it has been today however then the first round could also be jumped under lights - Aachen, which is well known as a wet-spot, has not escaped the downpours that have been plaguing most of Europe in recent weeks and riders were obliged to battle with some very difficult conditions during today's classes.

The Swiss team has already lost one of it's most important assets - Christina Liebherr suffered a very nasty accident yesterday (Tuesday) and will not compete for the rest of the week. "She was riding down to the oxer which was the third-last jump on the course and she got a bit close and her horse crashed into the fence" explained Chef d'Equipe Rolf Grass. "The horse then came back up and hit her hard in the face - she was knocked out cold for a few minutes" he added. Christina was rushed to hospital and kept under observation overnight. However although she was back at the showgrounds today her team manager is determined she will not compete for the remainder of the fixture. "She has a big black eye and I don't want her to ride again until she is well recovered" Mr Grass insisted.

His team therefore consists of Theo Muff, Markus Fuchs, Niklaus Schurtenberger and Pius Schwizer and the remainder of the managers also named their sides. British pathfinder will be Nick Skelton who will be followed by Rotterdam hero David McPherson and Ellen and Michael Whitaker. George Morris listed Richard Spooner, Margie Engle, McLain Ward and Beezie Madden and they will be under considerable pressure. They had a horrible day in Rotterdam and dropped to last on the series leaderboard - that needs to be addressed this time out.

Just ahead of them, by only a single point, are the Swedes and Maria Gretzer knows that Helena Lundback, Royne Zetterman, Rolf-Goran Bengtsson and Lotta Schultz have no room for error while the French are only marginally better off. Gilles Bertran de Balanda will be looking for a strong performance from Florian Angot, Olivier Guillon, Michel Hecart and Roger-Yves Bost.

Vincent Voorn will be first into the ring for The Netherlands, currently fifth on the league table, and will be joined by Marc Houtzager, Albert Zoer and Gerco Schroder while the fourth-place Belgian side includes Patrick McEntee, Francois Mathy Jnr., Mark Van Dijck and Jos Lansink. The German strangle-hold on pole position has been eroded by strong British performances and just 4.75 points separate the two sides at the top of the order but it would be difficult to forecast a German defeat tomorrow. Marcus Ehning, who heads the Leading Rider table, is joined by Christian Ahlmann, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Ludger Beerbaum and, like all riders, they like to do their best work in front of their home crowd. It will be a particularly special day for Ludger too because he will be competing in his 100th Nations Cup competition - the only other German rider to match that record was the great Hans Gunther Winkler.

Two double-clear performances - at La Baule and Rome - and single clear rounds in St Gallen and Rotterdam leave Ehning at the top of the 2007 Samsung Super League with FEI Leading Rider rankings with a total of eight faults, while Christina Liebherr, Holland's Angelique Hoorn, Britain's John Whitaker and Frenchman Olivier Guillon all share second place with four points each. As the series moves into the second-half, the going gets tougher every time out and with the weather adding to the challenge tomorrow's competition looks set to be a thriller.....

SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE WITH FEI - LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 4 AT ROTTERDAM:

1. Germany - 25.75
2. Great Britain - 21.0
3. Belgium - 20.75
4. Switzerland - 19.75
5. Netherlands - 16.0
6. France - 10.75
7. Sweden - 8.5
8. USA - 7.5

SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE - NATIONAL PRIDE, INTERNATIONAL PASSION!

FOR for further information on the Samsung Super League with FEI in Aachen, Germany check out WEBSITE www.chioaachen.de. Show President is Klaus Peter Pavel, Show Director is Frank Kemperman and Press Officer is Nels Knippertz - Email niels.knippertz@chioaachen.de, Tel: +4924191710.

SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE WITH FEI - 2007 CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

ROUND 1 - La Baule (FRA) Friday 11 May; ROUND 2 - Rome (ITA) Friday 25 May; ROUND 3 - St Gallen (SUI) Friday 1 June; ROUND 4 - Rotterdam (NED) Friday 22 June; ROUND 5 - Aachen (GER) Thursday 5 July; ROUND 6 - Hickstead (GBR) Friday 27 July; ROUND 7 - Dublin (IRL) Friday 10 August; ROUND 8 and FINAL - Barcelona (ESP) Sunday 16 September.


You can access all the latest Samsung Super League with FEI news and information on website www.samsungsuperleague.com.

Want to know more? You can check the comprehensive MEDIA GUIDE for the series, which is available in print and for download at www.samsungsuperleague.com under "Media Guide" heading.

PHOTOGRAPHS - a Photo Gallery of pictures is available on the Samsung Super League with FEI website for use by professional media only. The gallery will be regularly updated with low and high-resolution photographs and is password protected. To obtain a password follow the simple instructions when clicking on the link.

The Samsung Super League with FEI consists of the eight most prestigious horse shows at which the world's eight best national teams compare their merit. The Samsung Super League with FEI is connected to the FEI Nations Cup series through a promotion/relegation system at the end of each season.

Samsung Electronics, one of the world's largest electronics companies, is committed to supporting international sporting events, thereby returning corporate profits to the public and working towards a more harmonious and equitable society.


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