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Show Jumping News

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Another German Victory in FEI World Cup Show Jumping Season

Monday 01 November 2010

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum recorded Germany's third consecutive victory of the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping season when topping the line-up at Lyon in France yesterday afternoon following a great performance from Checkmate. And it was a very special victory for the multiple-champion who most recently helped the German team to gold at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA.

"My last World Cup ride was in Las Vegas in 2009 - I have been out of the indoor sport for almost two years now so this was a big day for me today, and a great day for me too!" pointed out the 40 year old horse riding star. And her win wasn't easily achieved. She had the best of the draw when last to go in the nine-horse jump-off, but she had to chase the super-tight target time set by The Netherlands' Gerco Schroder in a competition that was filled with surprises. Not the least of these was the third-place finish for Colombia's Rene Lopez who nearly brought the house down with the excitement he created during his race against the clock with his brave mare Noblesse Des Tess.

The Track

Before the class began, course designer Frank Rothenberger talked about his track - "the oxers are wide, riders will need a scopey horse and plenty of control and I don't expect too many clear rounds - between eight and ten I think" he said. And he was pretty accurate as only nine of the 29 starters found the key.

With four fences at the maximum 1.60m and horses asked to shorten and lengthen throughout the course it was always going to be challenging and the questions began at the very first, a big oxer which was followed by the tall FEI vertical. Fence three was an oxer with water tray - "there are seven short strides to this one and it is difficult because the poles are white and there is no filler - it is the widest oxer at 1.80m" Rothenberger explained. There were five long strides from the oxer at four to the light-coloured double at five which had a very short one-stride distance inside, and horses were then asked to extend once again with three long strides to the vertical at six. The four long strides from the vertical at seven to the triple combination at eight - two big oxers followed by a vertical - proved the undoing of many. The majority of faults were accumulated at the combination which fell 12 times - the middle element hitting the floor on nine occasions. And there were plenty of further questions before the end of the track, including whether horse riders could control their horses on a very short four-stride distance from fence 10 to the skinny planks at 11, the final two oxers also taking their toll.

Difficult to Get

With nine French riders among the 39 starters it seemed the jump-off should be top-heavy with home runners but clear rounds proved difficult to get and three of the French were amongst the four retirements, while the only elimination was incurred by Finland's Mikael Forsten whose mare, Evli Nandele, dislodged him when slamming on the brakes in the middle of the double.

A total of 11 horses had jumped before Belgium's Jos Lansink recorded the first clear with the clean and careful grey stallion Calistro and then of course the fault-free rounds began to accumulate quickly. Lopez immediately followed suit and seven others joined these two in the timed round, but there was only one Frenchman amongst them - Kevin Staut who continues to wear the coveted green-and-gold Rolex armband that marks the No. 1 rider on the Rolex World Rankings.

Clever

The clever eight-obstacle jump-off track claimed its first victim when pathfinder Lansink's horse hit the white oxer, now located just three fences from home, but Lopez then set the arena alight and put it up to the rest of them when next into the ring. His first tour of the course had been exciting enough, but this time he truly threw caution to the wind as he galloped flat out all the way with Nobless des Tess. And the nine year old mare never flinched despite near-impossible questions, scorching home to set the target at 42.52 seconds.

Saturday's surprise winner of the Masters, Spain's Sergio Alvarez Moya, then set off with the fabulous Heartbreaker stallion Action-Breaker who had given an exhibition ride in the previous round, but two fences on the floor ensured they would finish down the order. Denmark's Karina Rie Truelsen was another surprise inclusion in the jump-off line-out, but she showed she well-deserved her place when producing another spectacular clear from her bay stallion Lord If de Chalusse to slot temporarily into second place and when Ireland's Denis Lynch (Abbervail Van Het Dingeshoeve) left two on the floor he presented no danger to the leaders.

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