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Samsung Super League with FEI - Rome, Italy

Media updates
28 May 2006 Author: webmaster
Vive la France - vive la Différence ...

In somewhat of a renaissance, the French stormed to victory in the
third leg of the Samsung Super League with FEI series in Rome, Italy
today and while the Germans maintain the lead at the head of the table,
their advantage has been significantly reduced after a disappointing
performance at the Italian fixture.

Finishing joint-fifth along with Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and
Holland, Germany only collected 1.5 points but the Americans, who
shared second place with the much-fancied British, added a further six
to their tally and lie just 1.5 points behind the leaders going into
the fourth leg in Lucerne next Friday. The French have moved into third
and today's result saw a different, more focused French effort along
with a welcome return of the kind of spirit that earned them the
Samsung title during both the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Course designer Giovanni Bussu presented a clever track that was not
over-big but still tested horses and riders and created a drama-filled
finale to the competition. The water jump at five created a few
problems but it was the following double - vertical to oxer with water
trays under each element - that was the bogey of the day while the
triple combination three from home, and the flimsy penultimate rustic,
found out tiring horses.

Trailing the leaderboard going into this third leg, the Irish were not
favoured by the first-to-go draw but pathfinder, 23 year old Ryan
Crumley, was not fazed on his Super League debut when producing a
foot-perfect tour of the track. The first-line riders generally
followed suit with apparently little effort but as the competition
evolved the problems began to emerge and Olympic medalist Ulrich
Kirchhoff did nothing for German chances when Carino stumbled after the
second element of the treble and ground to a halt, returning a score of
18. Holland's Wim Schroder fared even worse when Eurcommerce Vancouver
landed in the water, slipped and crash-landed while Mylene
Diederichsmeier did well to return an eight-fault result for Germany
with Countess G who almost jammed on the brakes in front of the double
at six. The most spectacular dismount of the day however was reserved
for Italy's Natale Chiaudani who took a horrible fall from Hariane
D'Authieux when they got their distance wrong in the double after the
water.

At the halfway stage the Germans were in deep trouble, carrying 16
faults due to Kirchhoff's elimination. Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and
Holland were all sharing a tally of 12 faults while the much-improved
Irish shared second slot with the British and Americans with just four
on the board and the French already led the field on a zero score when
dropping the 12 faults collected by Simon Delestre and Inedite de
Balme.

Another 12 faults for Germany saw them complete with a total of 28 and,
in a rather strange sequence, four more nations finished with exactly
the same score. An uncharacteristic four fences down for Loro Piana
Albin and Juan Carlos Garcia did nothing to enhance Italy's position,
the Swiss failed to record a single clear round, the Swedes looked to
be making a recovery when Lotta Schultz produced a fault-free
performance from Calibra but three mistakes from Svante Johansson and
Nostradamus put paid to that, and the Dutch joined the 28-fault group
when they had to add 16 more to their tally.

A battle was played out between the Irish, British and Americans, and
Irish chances were diminished when Crumley's second-round 12 faults
could not be discounted as Charles came home with four fences on the
floor to leave them with a total of 20. The British were just not
quite as sharp as had been expected with rising star Tim Gredley less
impressive than of late when collecting 12 faults and when all four
riders made a single error second time out they completed with 16.
Laura Kraut fought a strong rearguard action for the USA with Miss
Independent when following her single-error first round with a clear at
her second attempt but with 12 to add the US was forced to join Britain
on a 16 fault final scoreline while Jean Marc Nicolas did not have to
jump a second time as the French were clear winners.

Pierre Jarry's Haxelle Dampierre clipped the second element of the
double after the water second time out but Simon Delestre (Inedite de
Balme), who provided the discard score with 12 faults in round one, was
foot-perfect while Stephan Lafouge and Gavelou des Ores recorded one of
just two double-clears to seal victory - the other completed by
Ireland's Cameron Hanley.

Of course French Chef d'Equipe Jean Maurice Bonneau was very happy
indeed. "I think we have renewed the French team and I'm delighted
with the performance of my young rider Simon Delestre - he is only 24
year old and won a medal at the Mediterranean Games last year" he said,
adding, "and Stephan Lafouge jumped a wonderful double clear". He
described Jean-Marc Nicolas as "an old rider who gives confidence to
his team". Nicolas pointed out that he first came to Rome to compete
in the Nations Cup 25 years ago "and I promise you that in 25 more
years I will still be doing it again!". Lafouge was competing in only
his second Samsung Super League with FEI competition.

"Samsung and the FEI have created a very special competition with the
Super League" Bonneau pointed out. "For three weeks in a row we must
have top teams to compete in this series and it has made it very, very
exciting. We still have five more competitions and it is really
important to stay in the Super League - it is the top competition for
teams and to fall out of it would be a catastrophe" he insisted.

The FEI's John Roche complimented the Rome organisers for presenting
their leg of the series "in one of the most beautiful showgrounds in
the world" and he thanked Samsung for their support - "the company has
been with the FEI for over 20 years now and we hope it will continue
for many years to come" he added.

"The course designer did a great job today" Mons. Bonneau continued.
"All riders should be able to jump a nations cup course and today it
was not over-big but you could see that in the second round many horses
were not clear. The course designer was clever and built the track
like a horseman, he did not have to raise the fences between rounds,
yet at the end of the competition it was not so easy."

He plans to bring a new team to Lucerne next week - Gilles Bertran de
Balanda, Florian Angot, Philippe Leoni, Christian Hermon and Patrice
Deleveau - and he is feeling very upbeat indeed. "It has lifted our
hearts to win again here in Rome" he said, "today my team showed
wonderful spirit".

And there was another special occasion at the Piazza di Siena today
when Mr John Hales, owner of Nick Skelton's ride Arko 111, was
presented with the FEI Owner of the Year Award for the second year in
succession. The bronze sculpture produced by artist Carolyn Wallace is
presented annually to the owner whose horse obtains the highest number
of points during the year based on the FEI Gandini World Jumping
Rankings.

RESULT:
1. France 4 faults - Haxelle Dampierre (Pierre Jarry) 0/4, Inedite de
Balme (Simon Delestre) 12/0, Gabelou des Ores (Stephan Lafouge 0/0, JPC
Modesto Equifoam (Jean Marc Nicolas) 0/DNS.
2. Great Britain 16 faults - Marius Claudius (Robert Smith) 0/4, Arko
(Nick Skelton) 0/4, Omelli (Tim Gredley) 8/4, Insul Tech Portofino
(Michael Whitaker) 4/4.
2. USA 16 faults - Vegas (Christine McCrea) 4/4, Tarco (Candice King)
0/8, Neuville (Molly Ashe) 0/8, Miss Independent (Laura Kraut) 4/0.
4. Ireland 20 faults - Baltimore (Ryan Crumley), Heritage Transmission
(Marion Hughes) 16/4, SIEC Hippica Kerman (Cameron Hanley) 0/00,
Panthera (Peter Charles) 4/16.
5. Italy 28 faults - Jeckerson Kapitol d'Argonne (Emiio Biocchi) 4/0,
Loro Piana Joyau D;Opal (Gianni Govoni) 8/12, Hariane d'Authieux
(Natale Chiaudani) Elim/0, Loro Piana Albin (Juan Carlos Garcia) 0/16.
5. Switzerland 28 faults - Lea C (Willi Melliger) 0/4, Peu a Peu
(Daniel Etter) 4/12, Plot Blue (Werner Muff) 8/4, Ilton Daye (Hansueli
Sprunger) 12/8.
5. Germany 28 faults - Aboyeur (Heinrich Hermann Engemann) 4/8, Carino
(Ulrich Kirchhoff) 18/0, Countess G (Mylene Diederichsmeier) 8/8,
Legurio (Franke Sloothaak) 4/4.
5. Sweden 28 faults - Grandina (Rolf-Goran Bengtsson) 12/8, H&M Magic
Bengtsson (Peder Frederickson) 0/8, Calibra (Lotta Schultz) 12/0,
Nostramus (Svante Johansson) 0/12.
5. The Netherlands 28 faults - Exquis Oliver Q (Harry Smolders) 0/4,
Gran Corrado (Yves Houtacker) 8/8, Eurocommerce Vancouver (Wim
Schroder) Elim/16, Nouvelle (Wout-Jan Van der Schans) 4/4.

SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE WITH FEI 2006 : LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 3 IN
ROME:

1. Germany - 21.5
2. USA - 20
3. France - 17
4. Great Britain - 13
5. Switzerland - 9
6. Ireland - 6
7. The Netherlands- 5.5
8. Sweden - 5

SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE - NATIONAL PRIDE, INTERNATIONAL PASSION!

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