FEI World Cup Jumping Update: Vigo

Austria's Thomas Fruhmann raced to his third victory in the 2005/2006 FEI World Cup Jumping series at Vigo in Spain tonight with another magnificent performance from his 10 year old gelding, The Sixth Sense, who devastated the opposition with a scorching last-to-go run in the 14-horse jump-off.

The 55 year old rider has created a major sensation since, to the amazement of everyone including himself, he headed the line-up in Geneva in December and with the points collected when taking pole position in Leipzig last month, and now 20 more to add after tonight's win, he lies in second place on the Western European leaderboard with 63 points to his credit.

"Like I keep saying, my horse just keeps getting better and better" Fruhmann said afterwards. "Again tonight he did everything right - but so did I ! " he added with loud laugh.

The first-round course set by Spanish course-designer Avelino Rodriguez Miravalles, the man who built the tracks for the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, produced 14 clear rounds and longtime league leader, Gerco Schroder from Holland, was pathfinder against the clock with Eurocommerce Milano, returning with four faults on the board in a time of 35.78 seconds. Next in was the second sensation of the evening - home runner Susana Garcia Cereceda riding her 11 year old stallion Hello Pierville. The almost-unknown Spanish partnership had produced an early surprise when making the first track look easy and they came out and did it again second time around when home and clear in 38.01 seconds. However their lead was short-lived as on-form Irish star Jessica Kurten blazed a trail in 35.16 seconds with Quibell only to be immediately demoted from the top spot by Germany's Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly who set the new target in 34.58.

Frenchman Jean-Marc Nicolas and JPC Modesto were more than a second off the pace but Ireland's Cian O'Connor and his nine year old mare Irish Independent Echo Beach were well in touch until lowering the penultimate vertical and the final oxer for eight faults. Britain's Robert Smith then set off with Kalusha but a fence on the floor scuppered their chances while Belgium's Patrick McEntee picked up a total of six faults with Sherry Mury Marais Z. Norway's Geir Gullikensen opted for caution with Cattani and it paid off when he left the course intact although his time of 39.43 seconds was never going to be seriously competitive.

With just five left to run Italy's Juan-Carlos Garcia set off with Loro Piana Albin but the winners at Bordeaux one week earlier were out of luck this time around when paying the price for a single error. Philippe Leoni from France ensured a good place in the line-up when steering Cyrenaika FRH home without penality in 37.53 but then Toni Hassmann followed with a temperature-raising round that demoted fellow-German Michaels-Beerbaum when breaking the beam with Lolita in 33.44 seconds and this looked unbeatable with just two left to go. Sweden's Rolf-Goran Bengtsson and MacKinley presented no major challenge when picking up four faults and it seemed extremely unlikely that, last into the ring, Fruhmann could better the time set by Hassmann but this is a man who, it seems, should never be under-estimated.

Fruhmann has developed an extraordinary relationship with his 10 year old gelding who, the rider says, "finds the bigger fences much easier to jump" and the big horse has no fear of speed, taking on his fences wherever he finds them. Racing down to the last the Austrian duo were well up on time and the clock showed 32.80 seconds as they galloped through the finish to seal another superb success.

So did he feel he needed to be really quick to win this one? "I knew I had to be like lightning!" Fruhmann said, "but that's no problem for this horse. He is growing in confidence all the time". The Sixth Sense is not a complete push-over however as Thomas explained. "At home when he is outside he is a bit crazy - always jumping away from things and being very spooky - but once he goes in the ring he has only one thing on his mind and he totally concentrates on his jumping so nothing else really matters". Now the Austrian rider hopes to go to the FEI World Cup Jumping final in Kuala Lumpur in April - "if he continues to be in good form then we will be there" he said, but in the meantime he will give him a short break, although he may line out at Dortmund. "I will see how he is after today and later this week, then we will decide" he added.

Spain's only jump-off contender, Susana Garcia Cereceda, was also celebrating in style tonight as the 37 year old amateur rider could hardly believe that she had jumped double-clear and battled it out in the closing stages with some of the greatest stars in the world of international show jumping. Married to French rider Julien Epaillard, Susana rides only three days a week because she works as a Professor of Political Science at Madrid University and sets off from her home in France every Monday to spend much of her week in Spain before returning home to her husband and horses. "Last year I competed in the Grand Prix at La Coruna with Hello Pierville and we finished 10th, but I never expected to finish seventh in a World Cup qualifier this year - I'm amazed but it is fantastic!" she said. And will she compete in some more World Cup competitions now? "Well I don't know about that" she said, "I have a job to go to!".

In her very first FEI World Cup competition she picked up 10 points but she is a long way off the leading pack and the hunger for those desperately needed late qualifying points will guarantee that the second-last leg of the series, at s'Hertogenbosch in Holland in six weeks time, will see some more sharp action.

RESULTS: 1, The Sixth Sense (Thomas Fruhmann) Aut 0/0 32.80; 2, Lolita (Toni Hassmann) Ger 0/0 33.44; 3, Shutterfly (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum) Ger 0/0 34.58; 4, Quibell (Jessica Kuerten) Irl 0/0 35.16; 5, JPC Modesto Equifoam (Jean-Marc Nicolas) Fra 0/0 35.79; 6, Cyrenaika FRH (Philippe Leoni) Fra 0/0 37.53; 7, Hello Pierville (Susana Garcia Cereceda) Esp 0/0 38.01; 8, Cattani (Geir Gulliksen) Nor 0/0 39.43; 9, Kalusha (Robert Smith) GBR 0/4 34.79; 10, Eurocommerce Milano (Gerco Schroder) ned 0/4 35.78; 11, MacKinley (Rolf-Goran Bengtsson) Swe 0/4 35.95; 12, Loro Piana Albin (Juan Carlos Garcia) Ita 0/4 36.04; 13, Sherry Mury Marais Z (Patrick McEntee) Bel 0/6 43.51; 14, Irish Independent Echo Beach (Cian O'Connor) Irl 0/8 34.43; 15, Gladdys S (Ludger Beerbaum) Ger 4/69.50; 16, Loreana (Lars Nieberg) Ger 4/70.21; 17, Andante (Tina Lund) Den 4/72.50; 18, Granie (Markus Fuchs) Sui 4/72.56; 19, Montender Z (Marco Kutscher) Ger 4/74.49; 20, Icare du Manet (Julien Epaillard) Fra 4/74.92; 21, Chatman (Ludo Philippaerts) Bel 475.81; 22, Ideal de Prissey (Philippe Rozier) Fra 8/71.02; 23, Aquino (Franke Sloothaak) Ger 8/71.14; 24, Unique (Pius Schwizer) Sui 8/72.14; 25, Hofgut Liederbach's Abrisca (Pia-Luise Aufrecht) Ger 8/72.30; 26, Madick (Helena Lundback) Swe 8/73.22; 27, Semsaladem Berkenbroeck (Jose Alfredo Hernandez) Mex 12/74.54; 28, Cagliostro (Noora Pentti) Fin 16/75.92; 29, T-Systems Malica Des Berger (Jesus Garmendia) Esp 17/95.82; 30, Lui (Syed Omar Abu Bakar Almohdzar) Mas 22/82.37; equal 31, Kesberoy de St Aubert (Cayetano Martinez de Irujo) Esp, Yeguadaaragon.com Rex (Alfonso Salguero) Esp Elim; 33, Tiquila (Dirk Demeersman) Bel Ret; 34, Frimousset (Rutherford Latham) Esp DNS.

FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING 2005/2006 - LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 10 AT VIGO:

1. Gerco Schroder - 65
2. Thomas Fruhmann - 63
3. Beat Mandli - 56
4. Robert Smith - 55
5. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum- 54
6. Juan Carlos Garcia - 53
7. Jessica Kurten, Marcus Ehning - 48
9. Philippe Leoni - 42
10. Heinrich H. Engemann - 41
11. Nick Skelton, Patrick McEntee, Toni Hassmann - 34
14. Jean-Marc Nicolas - 33
15. Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst - 32
16. Rolf-Goran Bengtsson - 30
17. Ludger Beerbaum, Pia-Luise Aufrecht - 27
19. Piet Raymakers - 26
20. Geir Gulliksen, Gregoire Oberson, Harrie Smolders - 25.

At Vigo - Show Director is Mercelino Cendon Estevez, Show Secretary is Irene Gonzalez Garcia and Press Officer is Alejandra Mier Rodriguez - Tel (mobile)             +34657 593093       or email amier@csivigo.com.

The next leg of the series takes place at s'-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands from 23-26 March. For all information check out WEBSITE www.indoorbrabant.nl or email Show Director and Press Officer Frank Kemperman at frank.kempermann@chioaachen.de. Show President is Gerrit Jan Swinkels and Sport Secretary is Joyce Lebon, email secretariat@indoorbrabant.nl or tel (mobile)             +31 6534 72520      .

For all information on the FEI World Cup Jumping final in Kuala Lumpur (26-30 April) check out the WEBSITE www.klworldcupfinal.com or contact Press Officer Lo Wai Fai at email waifai@asiapromote.net or Tel (mobile)             +6012 209 0068      . Show Director is Peter Winton, email paw@asiapromote.net.

2005/2006 FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING SERIES - CALENDAR OF EVENTS:1, Helsinki (Finland) - 6/9 October; 2, Oslo (Norway) - 14/16 October; 3, Verona (Italy) - 4/6 November; 4, Stuttgart (Ger) - 16/20 November; 5, Geneva (Switzerland) - 8/11 December; 6, London-Olympia (Great Britain) - 13-19 December; 7, Mechelen (Belgium) - 26/30 December; 8, Leipzig (Germany) 19/22 January; 9, Bordeaux (France) - 3/5 February; 10, Vigo (Spain) - 9/12 February; 11, 's-Hertogenbosch (The Netherlands) - 23/26 March; 12, Goteborg (Sweden) - 13/16 April. Final Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 26/30 April.

BIOGRAPHIES of riders competing in the FEI World Cup Jumping series are available at www.horsesport.org.

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE RULES for World Cup Jumping riders from FEI website www.feiworldcup.org.

FEI World Cup Jumping has entered its 28th year. The series, created in 1978, today comprises 13 leagues on all continents. The best riders from 116 World Cup preliminary competitions will qualify for the Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which takes place from 26 to 30 April 2006. The title-holder is Germany's Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum.

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 - and the FEI has relentlessly concerned itself with the welfare of the horse.