Germany's Markus Beerbaum secured his place at the 2006/2007 FEI World Cup™ Jumping final in Las Vegas, USA next April when recording his second victory of the qualifying series at Amsterdam in The Netherlands this afternoon.
Soaring up from 25th to fifth spot on the leaderboard he now carries a total of 45 points and lies just behind his wife, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, in the current rankings.
Britain's Mark Armstrong slotted into second position today and Sweden's Malin Baryard-Johnsson was third at the end of a thrilling 14-horse jump-off that kept spectators on the edges of their seats.
It was a truly international field with seven nations represented in the second-round race against the clock including four from Germany, three from Holland, two from both Sweden and Belgium and a single rider each from Britain, Ireland and Italy. Sweden's Helena Lundback, who had established when second into the ring in the opening round that the course was jumpable, led the way against the clock with the 11 year old mare Madick who picked up just four faults at her second attempt.
Both Belgium's Marc Van Djick and Verelst Goliath and Holland's Marc Houtzager and Opium VS did likewise but home spirits were lifted when, fourth to go, Yves Houtackers and the 14 year old stallion Gran Corrado left the timber intact to set the first real target in 39.46 seconds.
Irishman Denis Lynch is well-known on the European circuit, although not at World Cup level. However the 30 year old German-based rider absolutely justified his selection for the series when bringing the 10 year old gelding, Lancelot, across the line clear in 40.09 seconds to slot into second spot temporarily. The leader's target however was about to be blown away by a great round from Juan Carlos Garcia and the astonishing gelding Loro Piana Albin who, at 19 years of age, is still as game as ever. Breaking the beam in 36.54 seconds, the Italian partnership shaved almost three seconds off Houtackers' time before Germany's Heinrich Hermann Engemann showed that it was possible to be even quicker. However as Engemann and the veteran Aboyeur galloped through the finish in 34.98 seconds they left the very last fence on the floor and it was Britain's Mark Armstrong and Thesaura who would be next to take over at the head of affairs as they cleared in the line in 36.18 seconds to snatch the lead from Garcia.
Daniel Deusser has only recently taken over the ride on the Zangersheide stallion Air Jordan Z from Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa, and the talented German 25 year old steered his new mount home in 36.48 seconds to ensure a good place in the line-up, while Sweden's Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Butterfly Flip squeezed in ahead of him when stopping the clock in 36.31 seconds. So when the on-form Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst also failed to challenge for the lead when settling for a clear round in 36.67 seconds with Candy it seemed that Armstrong might well have an FEI World Cup victory in his hands. That was, however, reckoning without the intentions of Markus Beerbaum who had calculated all the risks and decided to take all the chances. Setting off with the 15 year old mare Leena who clinched the London leg of the series at Olympia last month, he put his foot to the floor and brought her home in 36.02 seconds to take over the lead.
With only two more left to go he watched the final stages unfold and when Belgium's Patrick McEntee opted for a careful clear from the consistent Ever Mury Marais Z and, last into the ring, Holland's Albert Zoer and Lincoln were denied their moment in the limelight by a mistake at the final fence then Beerbaum was celebrating his second success in the current series - "it's fantastic!" Beerbaum said afterwards.
"It was a quick fast jump-off and two riders were faster than me - Heinrich Hermann and Albert - but they both had the last fence down. It was very close, there was so little between the top few and Leena was very good today. The course suited her because you needed to add strides and that's the way she likes it, although it also suited some of the other horses too" he pointed out.
He was hardly out of the saddle before he was on the phone to his wife, Meredith, who has been competing at the Swisslife CSI in Zurich this weekend and it is now going to be quite a family affair at Las Vegas because both of them are now well qualified for the FEI World Cup™ Jumping final. Making it all the better is the fact that Leena, like Meredith's two super rides Shutterfly and Checkmate, is owned by Nancy Clarke of Octavia Farms in the USA "so it will be great to ride the horses over there" Markus pointed out.
Armstrong picked up 17 valuable points today but with only 28 on the board the British rider is still well outside the qualification zone of approximately 40 points while Malin Baryard-Johnsson's third-place finish has left her with a running total of 36 and Daniel Deusser's fourth place sees him carrying 30 with just four qualifying opportunities remaining.
They may both be hoping to pick up those last few tantalising points when the series moves on to Bordeaux in France next weekend.
FEI WORLD CUP™ QUALIFIER AT AMSTERDAM presented by BMC
RESULT: Leena (Markus Beerbaum) Ger 0/0 36.02; 2, Thesaura (Mark Armstrong) GBR 0/0 36.18; 3, Butterfly Flip (Malin Baryard-Johnsson) Swe 0/0 36.31; 4, Air Jordan Z (Daniel Deusser) Ger 0/0 36.48; 5, Loro Piana Albin (Juan Carlos Garcia) Ita 0/0 36.54; 6, Candy (Alois Pollmann-Schwekhorst) Ger 0/0 36.67; 7, Gran Corrado (Yves Houtackers) Ned 0/0 39.46; 8, Lancelot (Denis Lynch) Irl 0/0 40.09; 9, Ever Mury Marais Z (Patrick McEntee) Bel 0/0 42.55; 10, Aboyeur (Heinrich Hermann Engemann) Ger 0/4 34.98; 11, Lincoln (Albert Zoer) Ned 0/4 35.49; 12, Madick (Helena Lundback) Swe 0/4 39.12; 13, Opium VS (Marc houtzager) ned 0/4 39.24; 14, Verelst Goliath (Marc Van Dijck) Bel 0/4 42.22; 15, Bleuwendraad's O'Brien (Angelique Hoorn) Ned 4/70.19; 16, Van Schijndel's Optical (Piet Raymakers) Ned 4/70.52; 17, Hofgut Liederbach's Abrisca (Pia-Luise Aufrecht) Ger 4/71.72; 18, Queen Liesa (Felix Hassmann) Ger 4/72.52; 19, Jalisca Solier (Steve Guerdat) Sui 4/73.02; 20, Exquis Oliver Q (Harrie Smolders) Ned 4/73.37; 21, Van Schijndel's Rascin (Piet Raymakers Jnr) Ned 4/73.75; 22, Aquino (Franke Sloothaak) Ger 4/74.09; 23, Common Sense (Mikhail Safronov) Rus 4/75.22; 24, Camiro (Tony Andre Hansen) Nor 4/75.52; 25, Rendez-Vous (Uriel Taken) Ned 5/76.29; 26, Eurocommerce Vancouver (Wim Schroder) Ned 5/77.59; 27, Dover (Luciana Diniz) Por 8/69.34; 28, Audi's Paloma (Eric Van der Vleuten) Ned 8/71.95; 29, Gestion Priamus Z (Vincent Voorn) Ned 8/72.51; 30, Galet D'Auzay (Michel Robert) Fra 8/73.30; 31, Eurocommerce Acapulco (Gerco Schroder) Ned 8/73.94; 32, Nelson Z (Richard Davenport) GBR 8/75.64; 33, Noor (Carry Huis In 'T Veld) Ned 12/72.44; 34, Godsend du Reverdy (Thomas Velin) Den 12/72.44; 35, Cartoflex Gazelle Beauval (Gregoire Oberson) Sui 12/72.48; 36, 11th Bleeker (Gerfried Puck) Aut 12/73.98; 37, Grandino (Manuel Fernandez Saro) Esp 13/78.04; 38, BMC Octavia (Jurgen Stenfert) Ned 13/78.04; 39, BMC's Skybreaker (Mikael Forsten) Fin 16/75.70; 40, Ilostra Dark (Eugenie Angot) Fra Ret.
FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING 2006/2007 - WESTERN EUROPEAN LEAGUE LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 9 AT AMSTERDAM:
1, Christian Ahlmann - 78
2. Beat Mandli - 64
3. Albert Zoer - 56
4. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum - 48
5. Markus Beerbaum - 45
6. Judy-Ann Melchior - 44
7. Gerco Schroder - 42
8. Rene Tebbel - 42
9. Patrick McEntee - 42
10. Michael Whitaker - 39
11. Malin Baryard-Johnsson - 36
12. Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst - 34
13. Steve Guerdat - 30 -
14. Daniel Deusser, Leopold Van Asten - 30
16. Marcus Ehning, Mark Armstrong- 28
18. Jos Lansink - 27
19. Eugenie Angot - 27
20. Tony Andre Hansen - 25
For further information on the FEI World Cup™ Jumping qualifier in Amsterdam, The Netherlands contact Press Officer, Charlotte Gunnick, Email charlotte@eqi.nl, Tel (mobile) +31 638 325326. Show Director is Chris Van Dam, Show Secretary is Noelle Nanning and WEBSITE is at - www.jumpingamsterdam.nl.
2006/2007 FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING SERIES - CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR WESTERN EUROPEAN LEAGUE:
1. Oslo (Norway) 13-15 October: 2, Helsinki (Finland) 19-22 October; 3, Verona (Italy) 10-12 November; 4, Stuttgart (Germany) 15-19 November; 5, Geneva (Switzerland) 7-10 December; 6, London-Olympia (Great Britain) 12-18 December; 7, Mechelen (Belgium) 26-30 December; 8, Leipzig (Germany) 18-21 January; 9, Amsterdam (The Netherlands) 25-28 January; 10, Bordeaux (France) 2-4 February; 11, Vigo (Spain) 8-11 February; 12, Gothenburg (Sweden) 22-25 February; 13, 's-Hertogenbosch (The Netherlands) 22-25 March. Final - Las Vegas (USA) 19-22 April.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE RULES FOR THE FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING RIDERS FROM FEI WEBSITE www.feiworldcup.org
FEI World Cup™ Jumping has entered its 29th season. The series, created in 1978, today comprises 14 leagues on all continents. The best riders from 132 preliminary competitions will qualify for the final in Las Vegas, USA which takes place from 19 to 22 April 2007. The title-holder is Germany's Marcus Ehning.
The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), founded in 1921, is the international body governing equestrian sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and includes 133 National Federations.
Equestrian sport has been on the Olympic programme since 1912 with three disciplines - Jumping, Dressage and Eventing. It is one of the very few sports in which men and women compete on equal terms It is also the only sport which involves two athletes - horse and rider. The FEI has relentlessly concerned itself with the welfare of the horse, which is paramount and must never be subordinated to competitive or commercial influences.
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