Michael Jung (GER) is back as world Eventing number one after his brilliant third-place finish with La Biosthetique Sam FBW at last month’s Luhmühlen CCI4* (GER) presented by DHL, fifth leg of the FEI Classics™.
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Jung (32) jumped to the top of the FEI World Eventing Rankings in May for the first time in his career, breaking the one-year reign of William Fox-Pitt (GBR). Fox-Pitt then toppled Jung in June to take back his lead.
Michael Jung (GER), pictured here with La Biosthetique Sam at last month’s CCI4* Luhmühlen, fourth leg of the FEI Classics™, has jumped back to the top of the FEI World Eventing Rankings. (EventingPhoto/FEI).
Now Jung, the first Eventing athlete to hold the European, world and Olympic titles simultaneously in 2012 after scoring individual and team gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Fox-Pitt, the multiple Olympic, World and European medallist, have switched places yet again!
Jung now has a 17-point lead over Fox-Pitt (591 points), with New Zealand’s Jonelle Price up into third (520 points). Germany’s Ingrid Klimke – winner at Luhmühlen and current leader of the FEI Classics™ series – has also moved up and is now in fourth (504 points). Australia’s Stuart Tinney has leapt into the top 10 and is now in ninth from 17th in the FEI World Eventing Rankings.
Belgian rider Julien Despontin, who is competing in only his second CCI4*, leads a distinguished field of Olympians after Dressage at Luhmühlen (GER), presented by DHL, the fifth and penultimate leg of the FEI Classics™ 2014/2015.
“It’s amazing. Unbelievable,” exclaimed the 25-year-old rider, who managed to hold his first-day lead over Olympic gold medallists Ingrid Klimke (GER), Michael Jung (GER) and Sir Mark Todd (NZL) after a Dressage phase of particularly high standard.
Despontin scored 31.9, one of the highest Dressage scores at CCI4* level, on the 14-year-old Waldano 36, a Hannoverian by Wolkenstanz. He has lived in Germany for eight years and trains with Andreas Ostholt (GER).
“I just went in there and did my best, but my horse moves beautifully; his strength is definitely in his walk and trot. He did well in the Dressage at Pau (FRA) last year as well, but ended up in 14th place [with several Cross Country time penalties], so it will be interesting to see how it goes here,” commented Despontin. “The riders will need all their concentration.”
The Belgian newcomer will certainly need all his focus to remain in the top spot after Cross Country. Two female riders known for their Cross Country speed are in close contention, both riding mares: Ingrid Klimke, the current leader of the FEI Classics™, is lying just 0.8 penalties behind Despontin in second place on FRH Escada JS, and Jonelle Price (NZL) is third on Faerie Dianimo on a score of 32.8.
The top 11 placed riders in the field of 38 all scored in the 30s. The reigning Olympic champion, Michael Jung, is fourth and fifth with fisherRocana FST, second last year, and La Biosthetique Sam FBW, the winner here in 2009 and European champion in 2011.
Julien Despontin (BEL) and Waldano 36, who lead a distinguished field after Dressage at Luhmühlen (GER), fifth leg of the FEI Classics™ 2014/2015. (Hanna Broms/FEI)
Jung revealed that both horses are being entered for Burghley (GBR), the final leg of the FEI Classics™, and that he has a choice of potential rides with which to defend his title at the Longines FEI European Eventing Championships at Blair Castle (GBR) in September.
“I’m lucky that I have so many nice horses,” he said. “I always enjoy coming to Luhmühlen because it has a championship feel and horses always learn something here.”
The Australian Olympic rider Christopher Burton is in sixth place on Graf Liberty on 36.4 penalties, just a fraction at 0.1 ahead of double Olympic champion Sir Mark Todd, seventh on NZB Campino, the horse on which he won team bronze at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Riders have been assessing Mark Phillips’s Cross Country course, which runs in the opposite direction to last year and contains several accuracy tests in the form of narrow fences and corners, and twists and turns which could make the optimum time difficult to achieve.
Klimke, who is yet to win her home CCI4*, is looking forward to the challenge. “It looks super,” she said. “It’s very friendly and inviting but there are some technical questions, especially the Ariat question near the end of the course which is asking for precision and concentration.”
Ingrid Klimke (GER), who is enjoying a great run of form, has an obvious chance to extend her lead in the FEI Classics™ 2014/2015 if she can produce a good result at her home CCI4* at Luhmühlen, presented by DHL, this weekend (18-21 June).
Klimke, who won Pau (FRA) last year and recently finished second at Badminton (GBR) on Horseware Hale Bob, rides FRH Escada JS, the good mare on which she won European team gold and individual silver medals in 2013.
No German has won the FEI Classics™ since its inception in 2008, but, going into the fifth leg, the supremely talented rider already has a four-point lead over three-time series winner and world number one William Fox-Pitt (GBR) who does not have a ride at Luhmühlen.
Klimke’s team mate Michael Jung is also expected to climb the leaderboard, on which he is currently lying third. The reigning Olympic and European champion has entered fisherRocana FST and La Biosthetique Sam FBW, the horses on which he finished first and third at Kentucky (USA) in April.
Established German riders Andreas Dibowski, Peter Thomsen and Dirk Schrade plus young talents Niklas Bschorer and Claas Herman Romeike all have rides and their team chef d’equipe Hans Melzer said that he wants to see as many combinations as possible qualified for next year’s Olympic Games in Rio (BRA) where Germany will be defending their title.
New Zealand holds perhaps the strongest entry of all the 13 nations represented at Luhmühlen. Last year’s winner Tim Price, a runner-up to Jung at Kentucky, rides the promising CCI4* debutant Bango, and the 2013 victor, Andrew Nicholson, has the lovely Spanish-bred mare Qwanza back in action.
Ingrid Klimke (GER) is pictured here with Horseware Hale Bob on Cross Country at last year’s FEI Classics™ in Luhmühlen (GER). Klimke is now heading back to her home CCI4* presented by DHL this weekend (18-21 June) with “Bobby”, and with an obvious chance to extend her lead of this year’s prestigious FEI Classics™ series. (Jon Stroud/FEI)
Surprisingly, neither of New Zealand’s Olympic champions, Sir Mark Todd and Blyth Tait, can boast a CCI4* victory at Luhmühlen in their CVs, but both their respective mounts NZB Campino and Xanthus lll, recently first and third in the CIC3* at Tattersalls (IRL), could deliver exciting results.
The Kiwis also field the 2013 Boekelo CCI3* (NED) winner Lizzie Brown on Henton Attorney General plus world number five Jonelle Price, acknowledged as one of the world’s best female Cross Country riders, on the attractive grey mare Faerie Dianimo.
Event director Julia Otto has expressed her delight at the high-class entry and Cross Country Course Designer Mark Phillips (GBR) has revealed some radical changes made to his track, which runs in a reverse direction to last year.
“It is a completely new approach,” explains Capt Phillips, adding: “The DHL Water Complex doesn’t come up so early in the course, giving horses and riders a better chance to warm up.” He has also redesigned the famous Meβmer water complex, which is lighter and more open after trees have been cut back, and has increased the use of frangible devices in consultation with Technical Delegate Martin Plewa (GER).
The experienced German official commented: “Another safety aspect that is often overlooked is the ground, but, to my mind, the conditions here in Luhmühlen are fabulous. It’s like walking a golf course.”
The action starts with the first horse into the Dressage arena at 1.30pm local time on Thursday. Follow the competition with live coverage on FEI TV (www.feitv.org) and live results on http://www.luhmuehlen.de.
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