Canada’s Isabelle Lapierre became the first rider two win multiple events on the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League this year when she rode Cescha M to her second victory of the season in Calgary (CAN). Lapierre (CAN) and her own 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare were one of just three horse-and-rider combinations to […]
via Lapierre Wins Second Longines Event of 2017 in Calgary — newfanzoneblog
Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League receives further boost in Canada and USA as FEI and Horse Network sign multi-year agreement Top level Jumping action from the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League will be available for millions of fans in the United States and Canada, thanks to a new multi-year […]
via Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League Receives Further Boost — newfanzoneblog
In a picture-perfect setting, with a full crowd and a top-class, turf field, the United States’ Marilyn Little and Corona 93 executed a skillful double clear to win the $100,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping at the Live Oak International CSI3*-W in Ocala, Florida. In the final event of the inaugural North American League, the 34-year-old rider, and double-gold medalist in Eventing at the 2015 Pan American Games, showcased her multi-discipline talent by expertly answering all the tests in Leopoldo Palacios’ (VEN) course design aboard the 12-year-old, Hanoverian mare (Cordalme Z x Lenz XX), claiming victory over a starting field of 32.
The 1.40-metre to 1.60-metre course, with 14 obstacles and 17 jumping attempts, incorporated challenges like a wide, plank fence similar to the one at the legendary Hickstead and a big scope test in the design’s final three jumps. But it was a big wall to a wide triple bar and a steady double vertical combination that posed the biggest questions on course.
“I tried to do the best for the field,” said Palacios. “I have a good feel of the riders and the conditions were very good. I needed to build it strong for the conditions. When you have a ring with such good footing as we have here and we have very good set of fences and how the ring is now is way better after all the improvements that Live Oak did (like enclosing the ring); it’s fantastic.
“I had a lot of pressure. Walking the course, some riders complained it was too hard, but I believe that with the good footing, the conditions were super good, (the horses and riders) can jump harder courses.”
After the first two riders on course incurred time faults, the time allowed was extended by 3 seconds to a new limit of 90 seconds. Ten riders were clear in the first round to advance into the jump off.
“I thought the course was a little deceiving, a little on the low side,” said Little. “It was very progressive, and Leopoldo turned up the volume exponentially by the time you were midway through the course. By the end, there were a lot of technical, scope and stamina questions. It was a very long course, and the horses jumped to the best of their ability. It was a real thrill for both horse and rider.”
“There are no more challenging courses to jump than Leopoldo’s courses,” she added. “There’s always a number of tricks hiding in there and this was no different. It was brilliantly designed, and he had a beautiful, incredible field to work with in an electric atmosphere.”
All-female podium sweep
Out of the ten, talented horse-and-rider pairs, only three of America’s leading ladies went double clear to secure an all-female sweep of the top results. Little set the bar high as the first to leave the rails standing in the jump-off order, followed in hot pursuit by the youngest rider in the class, 19-year-old Chloe Reid, riding 9-year-old, Irish Sporthorse stallion Codarco (Darco x Orame). Last to go, 22-year-old Katie Dinan and 11-year-old, Irish Sporthorse gelding Dougie Douglas (Ard VDL Douglas x High Roller) chose a slightly more conservative track to finish in third.
“I’m set to graduate from Harvard in May and I’m going to be riding full time after graduation,” said Dinan. “I’m really looking forward to that. I’m going to try to take my riding further and focus on that full time. It’s really exciting.
“I’m in the process of making more definite plans, but over the last few years, I’ve been competing in Europe over the summers when on holiday from school and during the school year I’ve been in America. So when I graduate, I’ll have more flexibility. I’ll be able to choose my competitions around my horses rather than around school, and I’ll see what happens with that.”
Dinan acquired the horse that she rode to a podium finish in the final North American League event from the Goresbridge Supreme Sale of Showjumpers last November.
“I got Dougie at the end of last year and our first show together was at the beginning of January,” she said. “I believe this was our fifth competition together. I’m really grateful that so far, he’s been just wonderful. He’s so much fun to ride, he has a great personality, he seems to love show jumping, he has a lot of experience, which I feel very fortunate I can draw off of because he’s been to a lot of different venues.
“He’s jumped on a lot of grass fields, and that was one of the reasons why I decided to bring him to Live Oak because this is as beautiful as a grass field as there is to ride on, and I thought it would be a really good venue for him.”
A family affair
The well-regarded, annual competition, Live Oak International, is held on second-place finisher Reid’s grandmother’s farm and is organised in partnership by her uncle, Chester Weber and her mother, Juliet Reid.
“I couldn’t ask for a better placing at a better venue than right now and to do it and sit up here (in the press conference) with my uncle and my mom is incredible,” said Reid. “It’s a dream come true today and everything that’s happened this week.
“I have to give my success to my family. Without their support behind me, I wouldn’t be where I am today. And also to the group of people, my trainers, grooms, everyone who has helped me to be able to bring my horses and be best prepared for this moment.”
The 2016 season is set to be a breakout year for the young, American rider, who trains with Germany’s Marcus Beerbaum and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum. Last month, she was also the youngest entry in the $130,000 Adequan Grand Prix CSI3* and placed third.
“I was actually talking to my dad before we started the class today and I was like, ‘I hope the course is challenging enough this morning,’” Reid said. “Because if the first go around at a show is challenging, that just makes me ride even better, I think. I was looking for the additional pressure today, but anytime you enter a class with the amazing riders that were in the class today is always such an honor and today definitely proved to be.”
“I think that Juliet and I often talk about Aachen as a model for the best annual horse competition in the world and that’s something that we look to,” said Weber. “When we started the show jumping, we did that together with the team from Spruce Meadows because we felt like that they could help bring us knowledge. We learned a lot from them, we still call them if we have questions; they’re great at answering those kinds of things. We have a great team in place, and we are talking back and forth about perhaps adding eventing.”
“There are about 2,000 eventing horses in Ocala in the winter; it’s a kind of mecca for eventers,” he added. “We have some big challenges to work through and whether 2017 is the right time, or if the right time will come, but I think not unlike Aachen, you’ll see some other sports happen here, but they have to come at their own logical time.”
Double threat
Speaking of eventing, Little has based her winter operations out of Ocala for the last two winter seasons to best prepare her eventing and show jumping strings at the same time. During the warmer months, Little and her family’s Raylyn Farms return to Frederick, Maryland, where her parents settled 36 years ago.
“It’s easier to get the eventing horses fit in Ocala,” said Little. “And also, I have 28 horses in the stable at the moment, primarily between ages 5 and 7 that I’ve bred, and it was a financial decision to develop the young horses here in Ocala. I am looking to return to Wellington next year.”
The grand prix show jumper turned to eventing in 2010, quickly working her way to the 4* level, the highest level of competition. “Anytime you’re entering another world or learning another sport or language, the best way to do it is full immersion program,” she said. “The goals that I had in eventing, there was really no other way to do it other than to completely immerse yourself and put everything, your whole heart and whole head, into it and that has been a focus for five or six years now.”
“I think that there’s certainly a way to play both sports at a very high level, if you have the team behind you that’s helping you play that game,” she added. “Because we all know that this looks like an individual sport, but it’s far more a team sport than the public may realise. I do hope to be able to do both and believe that it’s possible.”
Little’s eventing experience played a role in her approach to today’s course, especially in the long gallop to final oxer in the jump-off round.
“There, I was lucky; I knew that when I landed from the second to last fence, I could ask her for some speed then kick her into her highest gear then back off,” said Little. “I hoped that I would see the distance as far off as I possibly could, going at 750 metres a minute and trying to see a distance 12 strides out – that was a bit of eventing.
“I think eventing makes me sharper (for show jumping), and there are things that I feel that I do better than I did before I evented, and I wouldn’t trade those things for anything. And I think that being here in the show jumping ring will help me stay sharp for what I hope is coming in the eventing arena.”
Rio dreams
But despite the recent success in show jumping, not only winning the Longines FEI World Cup™ qualifier but also the $35,000 Live Oak International the day before and finishing in second in the $10,000 speed class on Friday, Little’s 2016 plans of focusing on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for eventing have not changed.
“I have a very special horse in RF Demeter for high-level, performance eventing,” Little said. “She is in top form, and I can’t help but look toward Rio with her. So I have to stay the course for her and her owners and for myself because we’ve had a lot of years preparing for this season. We’re heading into the final Olympic trials prepared and fit, so a lot will have to go into that to make sure she’s on point.
“In jumpers, things are evolving quickly, and I can’t say that I have a solid plan for what’s coming in the next few months. There are a few things on the table but the plans will have to be made with Demeter in mind and her goals.”
Little’s return to the international show jumping ring largely stemmed from Corona’s development since Little acquired the talented mare last year from American rider Lauren Tisbo.
“There’s no question that Corona wouldn’t be part of the eventing string because dressage wouldn’t be a part of her repertoire,” said Little. “I think the judges’ comments would be that she’s not submissive and I would have to agree with them. “She is an extraordinary woman and she knows it and we have to treat her as such. She is 12 years old, and she’s in a new program so we have to find our way and it’s give and take. But she is a wonderful competitor, and I know she’s going to give 150 percent when she walks through the in gate.”
Despite the win, Little’s late start to the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping season means she will not head to the Final in Gothenburg, Sweden next month but will keep the next Final in mind for planning after Rio. “That’s an incredible goal,” she said. “I have a very special horse that is telling me that she’s ready for that, and that’s a dream and I will work toward that. At this point, it’s still one show at a time, one class at a time and hopefully the road I’m part of leads to the World Cup Final.”
Gothenburg calling
Following the final event of the North American League, the qualified U.S. riders are already planning the upcoming weeks that lead up to traveling to Europe.
“I am planning on going to the Final and will take Lucifer and New York,” said second-place finisher in the East Coast league, Hardin (Jack) Towell (USA).
The East Coast league’s third place finisher Quentin Judge (USA) finished in fifth in the $100,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping in Ocala with HH Whisky Royale, but plans to take HH Copin van de Broy to Sweden.
“I thought Whisky Royale was great today,” Judge said. “He jumped really well in the first round, very easy to jump clear. But in the jump off, I cut the turn to the first fence too tight and knocked the standard with my foot. He jumped double clear; the rail was my fault.
“I’m planning to go to the Final with Copin and will jump him in two small classes before we head over to Gothenburg in a few weeks, to make sure he’s fit and ready to go.”
Current Longines Rankings number four Beezie Madden (USA) also plans to head to the Final, despite missing the last two East Coast league events. “We’re hoping to be able to go, that’s for sure,” Madden said. “Right now, Simon and Cortes will not go, but we have two horses, Quister and Breitling, who are doing really well and we just have to see which ones of those two we’d like to take the Final. Breitling just jumped double clear at last week’s Nations Cup so we’re really excited about him.”
Kent Farrington and McLain Ward do not plan to travel to Europe next month, instead opting to focus on qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In their place, it’s likely that alternate Dinan will receive a bid.
“I was waiting to see after today that if it does work out, I’d plan on taking Nougat du Vallet,” Dinan said. “He competed in the World Cup qualifier at the Wellington Masters two weeks ago. I will figure out what makes most sense because I’ll be qualified on multiple horses but that would be my plan.
“I jumped him in the World Cup Final at Gothenburg in 2013 and always wanted to go back there. I’m heading back to Boston right now and come back to Wellington to jump in Florida in the next two weeks. If I end up getting into the Final, then I’ll organise my schedule around that.”
In the West Coast league, all three top U.S. riders, Karl Cook, Rich Fellers and Richard Spooner plan to compete in the Final.
“I would like to do the World Cup Final with the horse because I really need to get to know (new horse, Big Red),” Spooner said. “I really want to feel confident on the horse and I want to feel 100 percent, if Rio were to be in his future, that I would feel 100 percent confident in our ability to do that and I have a short time to do it.”
“I just have a simple rule with what I do with my show jumpers, which is I just let them tell me how they feel and I go with that, and he feels really good,” Fellers said of 20-year-old stallion Flexible and their plans to travel to the Final. “I don’t have any explanation for it, but he just feels as good as ever.”
The Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 23-26 March (www.gothenburghorseshow.com/in-english).
See full Longines FEI World Cup Jumping North American League standings here: http://www.feiworldcup.org/jumping-north-american-league-standings.html
Results – Ocala:
1. Corona (Marilyn Little), USA, 0 faults/43.34 seconds (JO);
2. Codarco (Chloe Reid), USA, 0/45.19 (JO);
3. Dougie Douglas (Katie Dinan), USA, 0/48.61 (JO);
4. Uppie de Lis (Andrew Kocher), USA, 4/42.35 (JO);
5. HH Whisky Royale (Quentin Judge), USA, 4/44.64 (JO);
6. Indigo (Margie Goldstein-Engle), USA, 4/45.85 (JO);
7. Callisto (Cian O’Connor), IRL, 4/47.03 (JO);
8. Casper (Sharn Wordley), NZL, 4/47.61 (JO).
Under the desert sun, Egypt’s Nayel Nassar showcased his close partnership with longtime mount Lordan to win in the $100,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Thermal CSI3*-W. In the seventh and final event on the West Coast, the 25-year-old rider guided the 12-year-old, Hanoverian gelding (Lordanos x Landor) to a double clear that bested a field of 20.
Competing over a sprawling course designed by Germany’s Martin Otto, the riders tested their skills and their horses’ scope against the demanding double and triple combinations, short distances, wide oxers, and problematic shadows. From walking the course, competitors noted that the course would jump with difficulties, which ultimately proved true when only three pairs finished the first round without faults.
“Today was the final World Cup qualifier on the West Coast so I designed the course to be more like one in an indoor because the Final is in an indoor,” said Otto. “We had top level riders and horses so I was really fine with the outcome of three in the jump off.”
Risky business
France’s Eric Navet and Catypso (Catoki x Calypso II) and the United States’ Jamie Barge and Luebbo (Lord Pezi x Stakkato) joined Nassar and Lordan in the final round. First to go, Navet had an uncharacteristic misjudgment of strides in the course’s first line, and the 9-year-old, Hanoverian gelding forced a rail down.
“All three of us were fighters, and I was lucky enough to go last, and Eric had to go first and he had to take a big risk,” said Nassar.
“I’ve ridden Catypso since he was 6,” said Navet. “He’s come a long way. It took a good time to get him to understand (jumping clear). He has unbelievable, with easy scope, and I feel like I can jump anything; he just needed to figure it out and improve his technique.
“I’m very proud of him and very satisfied to have such a great finish in a challenging course. I really feel like he did that easily (today) which makes me optimistic for the rest of the year and the rest of his career.”
On the rise
Next in the jump-off order, Barge continued to build her consistency in delivering clear rounds, leaving all the rails standing aboard her 11-year-old, Oldenburg gelding. A long gallop to the final Longines oxer also helped her take seconds off the clock to finish in 49.64 seconds, but a more conservative track left the door open.
“I worked with him a lot on his flatwork and his rideability in the summer,” said Barge about her partner for the last two years. “If I can get the rideability, he’s got the scope and the heart to do it. I’m excited that it’s come together.”
In November, the 29-year-old rider finished second to McLain Ward (USA) in the $100,000 Coachella Valley Classic at HITS Sunshine Series II CSI5*, also held at the HITS Desert Horse Park.
“My horse is a really good horse,” she added. “He’s a little bit spunky and has some attitude but that’s what I love about him. This was his first World Cup qualifier class, and it was the biggest class that I’ve seen here in three or four years that I’ve been coming (to Thermal).”
Back with a bang
But it was Nassar with his deceptively fast gelding that managed to stop the timers at 48.19 seconds, despite adding an extra stride in the second line. An inside turn and a faster gallop proved strategy enough to steal the lead and seal the victory.
“I only kind of saw Jamie go, but people said that she didn’t go inside the Longines oxer, going away from the gate, so I knew if I slipped inside there, I didn’t have to go crazy to catch her,” Nassar said. “I did six strides in the first line, eight in the second line; my horse has small stride. But then it was just a matter of jumping the last two jumps clean.”
So as the palm trees dotted the skyline and the California temperatures soared, he returned to the winter circuit showgrounds of his formative, junior years by making a big mark, after a year spent developing young horses and bringing Lordan back from an injury.
“I graduated Stanford in 2013, and I’ve been based in San Diego with my own horse business,” he said. “I’m mostly a horse trainer, with one client that I teach; I like to work with horses more than people. I’ve been lucky so far, with a great group of horses that I’ve been able to produce to the top level.
“We bought Lordan at the end of his 6-year-old year and started him as a 7-year-old. He’s coming off an injury. He was off almost all of last year. I’ve basically been without my best horse for an entire year, but I was able to build up the string behind him. Now he’s back, and Thermal is just his second show. I took him to the World Cup qualifier in Mexico, and he was in great form. I was just rusty, and we had one down. He’s missed the sport just as much as I missed him.”
Although Nassar and Lordan have had a late start to the World Cup season, the pair still hope to qualify for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg, Sweden, for Egypt. “I’ve gone twice already to the World Cup Final, and I hope to go again,” he said. “I really love Gothenburg. Lordan’s jumped there before, and it was unbelievable there.”
West Coast growth
The top three finishers are frequent visitors to the HITS Desert Horse Park, and President and Chief Executive Officer of HITS, Inc., Tom Struzzieri voiced his excitement for the area’s growth in the sport.
“It was super to have Longines here for the World Cup qualifier,” he said. “I was excited to have Longines here because the presence of sponsorship raises the bar, it raises our game. It was an afternoon class, but it had an electric, almost evening atmosphere. Hats off to Longines for being involved in the sport. It’s really exceptional. Great sponsors make for a great class.”
Struzzieri also expressed his high expectations for the coming years of the newly launched North American League and its stop in Thermal. “Especially next year, with the World Cup Final being in the United States and later in the season, that’s going to make for great sport here,” he added. “Those particulars are going to make next year very cool for us.”
Results
1. Lordan (Nayel Nassar), EGY, 0 faults/48.19 seconds (JO);
2. Luebbo (Jamie Barge), USA, 0/49.64 (JO);
3. Catypso (Eric Navet), FRA, 4/81.59 (JO);
4. Flexible (Rich Fellers), USA, 4/76.31;
5. Tembla (Karl Cook), USA, 4/77.27;
6. Chacna (Enrique Gonzalez), MEX, 4/80.80;
7. NKH Quanto (Christian Heineking), GER, 8/76.86;
8. Cat Balou (Tamie Phillips), CAN, 8/78.67.
Esther Hahn
Four events remain in the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League, setting an exciting stage for the race to the finish of this first season.
With just two more events on the East Coast and two on the West, top athletes will be competing with the goal of qualifying for the Final in Gothenburg (SWE) on 23-26 March 2016.
The new league was launched in the summer of 2015 to standardise the level of FEI World Cup™ competition in North America, with the luxury Swiss watchmaker Longines as title partner and supporting with data handling and timekeeping excellence.
With the top four results counting towards final scores, athletes in the North American League have been going all out to make the cut for the Final.
After a brief break for the month of December, the competition will resume at Valle de Bravo (MEX) presented by Scappino on 23 January. The West Coast will then conclude with a final event at HITS Thermal Desert Circuit CSI3*-W on 13 February. Meanwhile, the final two events on the East Coast will be held at Wellington presented by Sovaro and the Live Oak International CSI3*-W on 7 February and 28 February.
“It’s been an interesting process all the way, from limiting the number of events to having organisers bid to host qualifiers in order to elevate the quality of the league,” FEI 1st Vice-President and Chair of the FEI Jumping Committee John Madden said. “The sponsors and the organisers have really embraced the idea of having a unified league, and the best North American riders have been able to focus on attempting to qualify for the Final.”
Winter season heats up
Warmer climates will be a common theme when the North American League resumes at the end of January, when over 60 athletes and 140 horses will head to Valle de Bravo.
“Mexico is pleased to host a qualifier on the road to the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final,” said Ricardo Castañeda Chavez, spokesperson for the Valle de Bravo CSI4*-W competition. “The class is a proud addition to a show with a lot of tradition, the Triple Copa Scappino, featuring three different sports, showjumping, golf and sailing at the same time, at the same venue.”
Riders will be greeted by four arenas, fair weather and the hospitality of the Mexican fans in Valle de Bravo, an equestrian paradise nestled in the middle of a forest outside of Mexico City.
“I’ll be at the Mexico and Thermal events,” said Karl Cook (USA), current leader in the West Coast standings. “I’ll be taking Tembla. She’s the one I’ve ridden so far in the qualifiers and she’s doing great, always getting better. It’s my first time to the horse show in Valle de Bravo. I’m excited to check out a new show. I hear it’s beautiful.”
Two weeks after the league’s stop in Mexico, Wellington will host the qualifier at Deeridge Farms, the 300-acre oasis of serenity and beauty set in the heart of Wellington, Florida.
“I’m very excited for the show,” said Mason Phelps, Jr., spokesperson for Wellington. “The showgrounds are as pretty as they come, and the Grand Prix ring is grass with top notch footing in all arenas. It’s going to be as classy an event as possible.”
The show also provides variety during the 12-week Winter Equestrian Festival, which will serve riders and horses well for international competition, according to Madden.
“What’s different here in the US is that we also have outdoor events to qualify for indoor championships due to the nature of our sport in North America,” he said. “Everyone either moves to Thermal on the West Coast or Palm Beach on the East Coast, and Wellington is a different venue to where we compete for 12 weeks. It’s a breath of fresh air.
“One of our other qualifiers is in Ocala at Chester Weber’s farm, also a beautiful location. In preparing horses for major international competition, it’s very important to go to and be exposed to different venues. When riders go to Rotterdam, Dublin and Hickstead, they and their horses have to be ready to compete in a strange environment. Take Rio for example – no-one will have jumped in Rio until the Olympic Games.”
Top prospects
Veterans and rising stars alike continue to vie for top positions to qualify for March’s prestigious finale. Young talents Hardin Towell (USA) and Karl Cook (USA) lead their respective leagues with consistent performances, while Olympians Beezie Madden (USA) – who won the FEI World Cup™ in 2013 – and Will Simpson (USA) follow closely behind.
“The new league has helped America to be on par with Europe,” said Towell. “Longines has done a very good job bringing the league together, with FEI TV for every single qualifier and more media attention to help inform the public about the sport. There’s also double the prize money than in prior years, which makes jumping a tough 1.60-meter course worth the effort.”
Although Towell is positioning his top mount Lucifer for the Final, he plans to ride a younger horse, New York, at Wellington.
“Now that I feel pretty confident that I’ll make the Final, I’m trying to prepare more for it and to have my horses peak at the right time, especially now that it’s earlier in the season. The past year was my best year to date, and I feel more comfortable myself at this level.”
The West Coast leader Karl Cook also noted significant improvements to qualifiers in North America with the new league. “Fewer events was a smart plan,” he said. “It’s easier to fit into my show schedule, and the quality of the shows is better. With the support of Longines, the shows feel special in the way that they’re set up, which inspires me to do better.”
Close behind Cook is the seasoned competitor Simpson. Paired with a younger, inexperienced mount The Dude, he’s hopeful that two more solid results in Mexico and Thermal will secure them a position to travel to Sweden.
“I’m aiming for the Final,” Simpson said. “The new league is great. It brings together the West Coast nicely with Canada and Mexico. I competed at the first one (on the West Coast) at Thunderbird. I had never been there before, and the league got me to some new places. I’ve been really happy with the quality and the standards of the events. The Dude isn’t ready for the Final right now, but by March he’ll be ready.”
And for Madden, juggling separate strings for an Olympic year, the league and the Final offer the opportunity to develop the depth of her team of horses.
“I’m planning to compete at Wellington with a younger horse, Breitling LS,” she said. “He’s probably the one that I’ll take to the Final, if I qualify. I’m going to show him in a 2* at WEF then he’ll have a week off from showing before the qualifier. We’re designing his schedule around the qualifiers and the Final.
“The new league has had a great start. I like the fact that there are fewer events, because it makes each one more important with better competition.”
A total of 14 riders will qualify for the Final from North America: seven from the United States’ East Coast, three from the United States’ West Coast, two from Canada, and two from Mexico.
Raising standards
“I think, in a lot of ways, the World Cup leagues have played a significant role in the development of the sport and its athletes, over the years and around the world,” John Madden said. “The better the league, the more valuable it is for preparing for the Olympic Games and other major Championships.”
The show organisers have played a crucial role in talent development by capping the entry fees for qualifiers. And with over $1.8 million in prize money in the North American League’s qualifiers, and over $3 million when including the additional classes for each leg of the series, it’s a clear and notable jump in significance.
“Longines and the FEI truly understand that it’s about the sport and about offering opportunities in an objective way for riders and horses to develop,” Madden said. “Qualifying for the World Cup Final is an accomplishment that every rider cherishes, and there’s a lot of money in the World Cup competition because the classes and the title are important.”
And with the crown jewel of Longines FEI World Cup™ Champion at the end of the league’s inaugural journey, the best has been saved for last. Great expectations continue to mount as the final four legs approach. The major question hangs in the air: will the veterans prevail or is it a year for the young guns? Eight rounds of technical courses hold the answer, bringing North American riders one step closer to Longines glory.
Current Standings
East Coast
1. Jack (Hardin) Towell (USA) 50
2. Elizabeth (Beezie) Madden (USA) 45
3. Kent Farrington (USA) 43
4. Samuel Parot (CHI) 40
5. Laura Kraut (USA) 39
6. Quentin Judge (USA) 37
7. McLain Ward (USA) 36
8. Callan Solem (USA) 35
West Coast
1. Karl Cook (USA) 33
2. Will Simpson (USA) 30
3. Rich Fellers (USA) 28
4. Ben Asselin (CAN) 23
5. Richard Spooner (USA) 23
6. Allyssa Hecht (USA) 22
7. Lisa Carlsen (CAN) 21
8. Eric Navet (FRA) 15
Esther Hahn
The United States’ Kent Farrington and Voyeur used their long-term partnership to produce the fastest round in a 13-rider jump off, winning the $250,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League qualifier at the CSI4* CP National Horse Show. Already with a victory in a grand prix class earlier in the week, on a different horse Willow (Guidam x Little Rock), Farrington proved his close knowledge of his two mounts could deliver the fastest clears in competitive company.
“I know those horses really well and that’s my advantage this week,” Farrington said. “I brought two really experienced, qualified horses to compete and both went great. Both are owned by the Nusz family, and I’m really grateful to have horses of that caliber.”
For the North American League qualifier, Farrington chose the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Tolano van’t Riethof x Goodwill) that he described as having a hot character, and which allowed Farrington to ride extremely tight turns to the jump-off design’s double combination and large oxer.
“The horse is very hot to ride,” Farrington said. “Physically, he’s very strong, and it’s taken a long time to get him rideable. And for him to add strides in an indoor ring, it’s due to his experience. It’s taken me a while to get him there.”
“I think the ring here is actually quite big so it gives course designers freedom to make what they want to build,” he continued. “I actually thought the time allowed [in the first round] was pretty generous. If it were a shorter time allowed, it could have been a different outcome.”
Course designer Guilherme Jorge (BRA) also noted that the time allowed played a factor in the outcome of the class.
“This is a fantastic venue and it’s a great group of riders and horses, and of course we want to start a little easier and make it tougher throughout the week,” Jorge said. “But it looks like the riders had the same kind of idea as I did because they kept jumping better and better. In this level, it’s a very fine line and I think the riders today jumped it great and that’s the reason why we had 13 clears in the jump off.”
An American product
With the Maclay Final, an American junior equitation division sharing the spotlight with the North American league qualifier on the final day of competition, Farrington had the opportunity to reflect on his own experiences coming through the riding ranks in the country.
“I think that today, I’m a product of a lot of different systems,” Farrington said. “Early on in my career, I did some equitation riding and the Finals. But even more than the riding, it was the experience of the pressure that was even more important at those events than anything else. You build up to a Final and then you build on a round and deliver it on a specific day,” he said. “There were only so many shots at it. I think all of that experience is the most beneficial thing. Of course, at the lower level, it was about building the fundamentals and the basics of learning how to ride, but the most important thing was just learning to deal with pressure and big shows and how to handle those situations.”
The ability to handle the pressure to deliver a step-perfect round played a factor in Farrington’s win, in addition to riding later in the order of go.
“Both [Laura Kraut and I] had a later draw so there were a lot in it but we got to watch the first couple – we actually watched them together,” Farrington said. “It really comes down to what plan is going to suit your horse at that time. The first line was seven strides to the wall, and I think we both did the same. And then it was really what suited your horse, how tight you could roll back to the vertical and how fast you could go to the double and the last fence. Today I was on a much more experienced horse than Laura and that was probably my advantage.”
It’s still too early in the season for Farrington to decide on a specific horse to qualify and take to the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg (SWE) in April. Next on Farrington’s schedule is to fly to California to campaign a different string of horses, with a possible West Coast qualifier appearance in Las Vegas.
“I’m sort of shuffling around with different horses,” said Farrington. “I have really good owners behind my career, so I’m lucky I can map out a schedule where I’m showing horses in a few places.”
Modern-day jumper
Farrington and runner-up Laura Kraut (USA), who also earned the title of Leading Lady Rider at the show, credited their horses with the ability to perform in a variety of settings, including large, outdoor tracks and indoor arenas.
“I think that’s today’s modern show jumper,” Farrington said. “He’s a really versatile horse that’s rideable and fast and scopey and careful. That’s overall what most of the experienced horses are in this sport. They can usually do both. I think he’s better outside than indoors, but this indoor is quite big so that’s why I thought it would quite suit him to bring him here.”
“[Voyeur’s] pretty wild actually,” he added, when asked about what his horse was like in the barn. “Laura and I were joking around about what we consider a normal horse and what everyone else considers a normal horse. We’re both known for riding sort of erratic or special horses. He’s very fresh, so you usually have to be a little bit awake when you’re riding him because he can spin very quickly and he can spook at a lot of things. He’s a handful but I think most of the good ones are.”
Kraut picked up the ride on Deauville S (Diamant de Semilly x Lux) when her partner and British Jumping professional Nick Skelton did not match well with the Holsteiner gelding.
“Deauville actually came from Germany and the owner sent him for Nick to ride,” Kraut said. “So Nick started jumping him in Wellington this winter and about halfway through he didn’t have the right temperament for him. He said, ‘Why don’t you get on him and show him.’ So I jumped him in a 1.45-meter class and won the first class I rode him in, and he said, ‘Well, that’s it, I’m never riding him again.’ So that’s how I got him. I might add that my clients were wonderful in that they went ahead and purchased him for me and I’m so thankful for that.”
Much of Kraut’s strategy with Deauville comes from her experience with a Thoroughbred that she rode in the past.
“I’ve had some really special horses,” Kraut said. “I rode a Thoroughbred horse years and years ago called Simba Run, and [Deauville’s] as close to Simba as I’ve had since then. In the warm up, he’s really special. Again, I’ve learned he likes to just stop and stand. And if I just let him stand, you can then make him go to a fence and he’ll jump it then he likes to stand. As long as you don’t make him keep going, going, going, then he seems fine with that. In the stable, he’s a puppy, he’s very sweet and really a kind horse.”
Results
1. Voyeur (Kent Farrington), USA, 0 faults/33.19 seconds (JO);
2. Deauville S (Laura Kraut), USA, 0/34.05 (JO);
3. H&M Challenge vd Begijnakker (xx), BEL, 0/34.07 (JO);
4. Breitling LS (Beezie Madden), USA, 0/34.26 (JO);
5. Emilie de Diamant A S (Hardin Towell), USA, 0/34.32 (JO);
6. Sunshine (Jos Verlooy), BEL, 0/34.36 (JO);
7. Viva Colombia (Conor Swail), IRL, 0/34.76 (JO);
8. HH Azur (McLain Ward), USA, 0/35.40 (JO).
Full results: http://bit.ly/1ixpLEL
Esther Hahn
Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League: Chile’s Samuel Parot and Atlantis continue hot streak to win at Calgary…
Chile’s Samuel Parot continued his recent winning streak by adding the $132,200 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping qualifier at the CSI3* Royal West in Calgary to his growing list of grand prix victories. Already with one North American League win under his belt at the Sacramento International Horse Show in September, Parot partnered again with Atlantis (Andiamo x Royal Bravour L) to deliver the fastest clear of 39.23 seconds in a three-man jump off.
Following their win in Sacramento, the successful pair also notched up a CSI4* win at the Del Mar International Horse Show before Parot and his horses made their way to Calgary. During the ten days of the Royal West, Parot on Atlantis and his two other mounts, Couscous Van Orti (Nabab de Reve x Cash) and Tailormade Anna Chacca (Chacco Blue x Andiamo), made a clean sweep of the top three places in an early speed class. Parot then won three more speed classes ahead of his win in the FEI World Cup™ qualifier.
“My horse is very fast, very careful, and I saw from the first rider in the jump off that it would be very easy for my horse to make the better time,” Parot said. “The course was very technical and for this, there were only three clears.”
“In the jump off, Atlantis is a little excited,” he added. “In the first round, he’s quiet and jumps so good. He’s very fast, and he likes the jump off.”
“It’s very important [that I do well in the North American League],” said Parot. “I jump for this league and not for the South American League and I think with this win, I have a very good position [to qualify for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final]. I think with the two wins that I have a very good chance.”
Parot and his horses will travel from Calgary to their home base in Wellington, Florida, where the horses will have time off and a few more shows before Parot competes in the last two East Coast qualifiers in Wellington and Ocala in February.
New rides
The technical and challenging course designed by Werner Deeg (GER) kept nineteen riders from faultless first rounds. But in addition to Parot, seasoned Canadian competitors, Yann Candele and Jill Henselwood, jumped two double-clear rounds to finish second and third, respectively, both aboard unfamiliar horses.
Candele’s runner-up result came aboard Granit S (Faust Z x Graf Grannus), a 10-year-old gelding on loan from John Anderson, the Royal West Chairman, and one that Candele had only ridden since Monday.
“John [Anderson] tried to bring me here for quite a while, but with my schedule it was difficult and at the end, I had an opening,” Candele said. “So I took on the offer and came at the beginning of the week and had a little ride with the horse and for whatever reason, we matched because the horse is great and really trying and that’s why we’ve had a great week.”
“You just go day by day,” he continued. “I came on Monday night, very late. I rode the horse a little bit Monday on the flat, jumped him, and it was good chemistry. It was already clear on the first day, and after you go through the process, repeat the same thing: flat him every day, and he jumped clear actually through the whole week. It’s just a sign of a fantastic horse who’s trying his heart out and accepted my riding so that’s all it is. At the end of the day, it’s the quality of the horse that makes what happened to me this week.”
Henselwood also rode a fairly new mount, Farfelu du Printemps (Action Breaker x Darco), in the Longines FEI World Cup™ qualifier after she decided that her initial choice, Quidam Blue (Quidam’s Rubin x Come On), wasn’t fully up to the task this week.
“Farfelu is a new acquisition for a 19-year-old Canadian that I train,” Henselwood said. “She’s in engineering at Queen’s [University] so she’s tucked in with a full course load, and I have Farfelu so that was good planning. I didn’t really know what to expect. He’s got some good results from his Swiss rider, up to 1.55 [meters] and I’ve ridden him now for a few weeks. I kept inching up the bar, and my responsibility is to make sure that I develop him more as a girl’s ride and to protect him. So to go to the World Cup, normally I would have done the stallion, but he was a little bit off form this week so I thought, ‘Yeah, Farfelu should try.’ And then actually, ‘I think Farfeleu’s going to win, a lot.’”
Clear matters
As the rails dropped through the night’s rounds, riders quickly realized the challenging course demanded precise timing and decisions at every step.
“I think the course was very technical tonight,” Henselwood said. “The jumps came up very fast. Obviously there were only three clean, but there were quite a few with four faults.”
“Werner is a fantastic course designer and we’ve used him for numerous events at our place,” said Anderson, also a competitor and 5th place finisher in the evening’s class. “And of course, he was the course designer last year at Royal West. He knows the ring and he pays attention to all the horses that compete over the ten days. He gradually builds the horses to peak and then at the final event today, he sets the bar high and challenges us all. The jumps came up very quickly, you had to be on your game all the time, you didn’t have a lot of room to rest in this particular round and it showed. The cream rose to the top.”
With a triple combination, a double combination, and tight turns in the indoor space, rounds saw a variety of rails drop. But in particular, fence 12, off a short turn, caused some heartbreaking four faults, just one jump away from the course’s end.
“Who cares about three cleans,” Werner said, in response to how he reacted as the designer to the low number in the jump off. “It was, for me, a fantastic final. You can’t always talk about how many clear rounds [in relation to a good course].”
Results
1. Atlantis (Samuel Parot), CHI, 0 faults/39.23 seconds (JO);
2. Granit S (Yann Candele), CAN, 0/41.58 (JO);
3. Farfelu du Printemps (Jill Henselwood), CAN, 0/44.17 (JO);
4. Worlds Judgement (Lisa Carlsen), CAN, 4/72.44;
5. Terrific (John Anderson) CAN, 4/72.69;
6. Tomtom (Femke Courchaine), CAN, 4/72.97;
7. Roulett (Marion Ostmeyer), GER, 4/73.27;
8. Nirvana de Terlong (Vanessa Mannix), CAN, 4/73.34.
Esther Hahn
Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League: The Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders Claims Top Honours at the Washington International Horse Show
The Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders expertly navigated two challenging courses to win the $125,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Qualifier at the CSI4* Washington International Horse Show. In his third visit to the historic competition, the Dutch rider etched his name into the President’s Cup for a second time, having won the headlining class in 2006.
“This show suits me,” Smolders said. “I don’t know why, but the results are always good. And for our stable, it’s been very successful this week. My student Jos Verlooy (BEL) was fourth in tonight’s class and won the Puissance on Friday night, and is the leading rider of the show. It’s a bit busy with the classes going on and telling my students all the information that I know, but it really worked out.”
Smolders drew the final position in tonight’s order of go, which allowed him the advantage of basing his strategy on the others’ performances. Only one other rider, Callan Solem (USA), rode double clear in the jump off of six horse-and-rider pairs, directly before Smolders’ turn.
“I didn’t see many go in the jump off, but I heard the results, of course,” Smolders said. “So then there was no one clear until Callan put some pressure on because she had a fantastic round. She wasn’t super fast, but she put the pressure on. I was quite pleased that she was clear because that meant I had to go. I had to decide. There was no other option.”
At the beginning of his final round, Smolders lost valuable time when his mount Emerald (Diamant de Semilly x Carthago) slipped in an early turn, forcing the rider to add an extra stride.
“I knew I was getting close so I tried to make the turn to the last two fences quite short,” Smolders said. “I knew I was close. To be honest, I didn’t know if it was enough.”
But luckily for the Dutch rider, it was just enough, winning the class by 11-hundredths of a second.
“I must say Callan did a super round,” Smolders said. “She put some pressure on. I was also pleased because I knew what to do. Otherwise, if there’s no one clear, you have to decide what to do, but now I had no choice but to go.”
Indoor challenge
The course designed by Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA) challenged the 28 riders by utilizing the long and narrow arena.
“There’s not an abundance of space, and the ring is quite narrow in relation to its length,” said D’Ambrosio, who also happens to hold the show’s Puissance record that he set in 1983. “It’s a particular type of ring, and it’s a little bit of a puzzle to get a World Cup Qualifier course in there. But for the most part, things ride fairly smooth, and we’ve had some nice competitions. I would say that it keeps me on my toes. I think it keeps the riders on their toes as well.”
Nonetheless, D’Ambrosio had predicted ahead of the class’s start that six would ride clear and into the jump off, which ultimately proved to be accurate.
“The first course was quite tough,” Smolders said. “When I walked it, I thought it was not too big, but my horse is quite scopey. The ring is quite long but not so wide, and the fences down the sides and right off the rail were quite tough for the horses.”
D’Ambrosio purposefully set a demanding course to ensure that the right horse-and-rider combinations would earn the valuable points toward qualifying for the culminating event in the spring.
“I strive to design a course that rewards the riders who are capable of going to the World Cup Final,” D’Ambrosio said. “World Cup Qualifiers have to have a standard that is somewhat similar in consistency. It’s to prepare the horses and riders to have the accuracy to jump the dimensions. That’s an important part of my job.”
Solem gave some credit for her final round to fellow competitor McLain Ward (USA) who inspired her to ride for the first double clear in the jump off.
“I was fortunate to have the counsel of McLain,” Solem said. “And he said, ‘Callan you have to try to win. Harrie’s going to be so fast. You have to do it.’ He encouraged me to do four in the first line, and he said, ‘You’re third a lot; try to win this class.’ I really appreciated that encouragement. Going to these shows on my own, trying to find my way a little bit, and producing the horses; I’m always trying to leave them better than I found them and sometimes it’s nice for me to have a little push to say, ‘Come on, you’re good enough, go ahead and try.’ I appreciate that.”
A breakthrough year
Smolders has had the ride on his flashy, 11-year-old, chestnut stallion for the past five years.
“I had him as a 6-year-old,” Smolders said. “He was always an amazing talent with great scope, technique, and rideability, but I must say this year is his biggest breakthrough. He’s very consistent in the big classes, the World Cup Qualifiers. Now that he’s 11, I feel that he has the experience in his body, and is physically able to compete at the highest level.”
The next stop for horse-and-rider team is the National Horse Show in Lexington, Ky. for their second Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League qualifier. Then Emerald will fly back to Europe, where he’s scheduled to compete in the World Cup qualifier in Madrid in November. Smolders hopes to qualify Emerald for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg (SWE) in March.
“He’s a very spectacular horse,” Smolders said. “He’s a bit of a stallion, a bit of a character, but his talent and technique are endless. When people see him once, they normally never forget him.”
Solem is also hoping to qualify her 12-year-old gelding, VDL Wizard (Gentleman x Ahorn), for the World Cup Final.
“I’m very lucky to have him and every day that I ride him is such a pleasure,” Solem said. “He loves this sport so much. He’s taken to whinnying at the in gate before he goes. He really likes to do it. He had a rough start when he came as a seven-year-old. He was riddled with this and that and he didn’t really do much for the first three years. So even though he’s 12, he’s more like a ten-year-old. He’s just getting fit and strong and ready to peak in this next year, I hope.”
“I am also going to do Kentucky next week and hopefully Toronto after that and those couple of last World Cups in Florida,” she continued. “I didn’t do the first two [World Cup qualifiers]. I had gone to Europe this summer so I thought the horses should have a little break and freshen up for the fall, so I’m a little bit behind. But if we keep doing a good job, hopefully we’ll be at the Final.”
Results
1. Emerald (Harrie Smolders), NED, 0 faults/39.32 seconds (JO);
2. VDL Wizard (Callan Solem), USA, 0/39.43 (JO);
3. H&M Forever D Arco ter Linden (Nicola Philippaerts), BEL, 4/38.17 (JO);
4. Sunshine (Jos Verlooy), BEL, 4/40.07 (JO);
5. Cafino (Victoria Colvin) USA, 8/38.93 (JO);
6. Emilie de Diamant A S (Jack Towell), USA, 8/41.91 (JO);
7. Simba de la Roque (Conor Swail), IRL, 4/66.00
8. Valeska (Charlie Jayne), USA, 4/66.12.
Esther Hahn
Against a field stacked with seasoned, international competitors, Beezie Madden (USA) reinforced her ranking as the USA’s number one Jumping athlete, and the world number two in the Longines Rankings, by riding the fastest clear in an eight-man jump off.
The stands in the indoor venue were packed as Madden strategically maneuvered 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Simon (Mr. Blue x Polydox) to the win in 37.33 seconds, over a second faster than Jack “Hardin” Towell’s 38.75-second round.
“I saw a couple of the earlier rounds, thanks to the TVs that Longines now provides in the schooling areas,” Madden said. “I planned to do seven strides up the first line, same as the others, but then to catch them on the turns later in the course.
“I actually didn’t see Hardin go, but I think my turns at least to the double combination and probably after the double combination – my horse is brilliant with that. He has a lot of practice trying to do short turns because running isn’t always his best thing. But I have to say, he and I together are figuring that part out a little better and doing seven up the first line wouldn’t always have been in our plan, but tonight and the way he’s been going lately, I’m very comfortable doing that with him. Indoors especially, he can be really fast with the short turns.”
Madden’s plan worked accordingly, and she and her veteran mount shaved additional time with tighter turns than the rest of the field.
“Simon has been my World Cup Final horse for the last three years,” according to Madden. “He doesn’t really have any quirks except that he whinnies at the in gate every time before he goes into the ring. He’s a pleasure to deal with and to ride.”
Earlier in the year, Madden helped launch the inaugural Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League, but tonight’s event was the first of the series that she could attend, without conflicting with her international commitments. She recently returned to the United States after competing on the country’s all-female team at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final in Barcelona in September.
“I like that the North American League has reduced the number of qualifiers and number of scores that count toward qualifying for the Final,” said Madden. “It gives more opportunities for international competition. This is the first one I’ve done in the League, but I can still get enough in to get four good scores and not really over jump my horses.”
The next qualifying class for Madden will be aboard Breitling LS (Quintero x Acord II) in Lexington, Ky. on November 1, followed by the East Coast stops in Toronto, Palm Beach, and Ocala. Madden will also compete in the CSI-5* in Thermal on November 8.
Leading the pack
“It feels great to be at my current rankings,” Madden said. “It’s the highest I’ve been in the world rankings. I’m just lucky to have a string of good horses that can let me be there and a fantastic owner in Abigail Wexner. It gives me a chance. I’m very lucky to have my whole team.”
Staying at the top is especially important this year as Madden hopes to be selected to represent the United States at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games next summer.
“We’re trying to hit the grand prix classes that are high on the list,” said Madden. “We’re not trying not to run around to a bunch of shows but trying to pick the ones that are worth the effort and trying to do well at them.”
With such high stakes on the line, Madden’s ability to focus on the task at hand while competing is both an asset and a testament for one of the country’s most decorated riders.
“Anybody who says that they never get nervous isn’t telling the truth,” according to Madden. “I get excited and anxious for sure and with some nerves. But luckily when I get on a horse, it all goes away.”
By mid-November, Madden will have the opportunity to rest herself and her horses before returning to competitions at the beginning of January.
Crème de la crème
The Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League class gave reason for many of the class’ 29 riders to schedule their first visits to the Del Mar International Horse Show in California.
The solid, 13-obstacle track designed by Germany’s Heiko Wahlers presented multiple challenges to the horse-and-rider pairs that included optional striding and a very large triple combination. One of the biggest questions, according to the riders during the course walk, was the decision between six or seven strides from a double combination to a wide oxer over a liverpool. The decision to set a really big course stemmed from the many great riders featured in the class, Wahlers said.
When the evening’s first two riders, Richard Spooner (USA) and Kent Farrington (USA), both managed faultless rounds, it was clear to the full house of spectators that the riding level was elevated to an international caliber. Kirsten Coe (USA), Michelle Rodal (USA), Kevin Babington (IRL), and Christian Heineking (GER) joined Spooner, Farrington, Towell, and Madden in the jump off. All eight riders have extensive experience competing at international level, including multiple FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final and FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping appearances amongst them.
“I thought (before my jump-off round) that Kent had already gone and Spooner had already gone and had a rail and knew I had Beezie behind me, but with Lucifer this year, too many times I’ve gone too fast and had the last jump down in several grand prix in Europe that I could’ve easily taken one more,” Hardin said. “My turns on him are not great, and I knew from the beginning that Beezie was definitely going to be able to go faster. And going to the last jump, I saw one less and then I thought, you know what, I’m probably going to gallop down there, knock it down, and I would’ve still been slower than Beezie.
“So I decided to take one more, and Beezie beat me. But I’ve been the bridesmaid a lot in the past couple months, so it is what it is. But having Beezie behind me, you can only do so much, and I was thrilled with my horse. He’s really improved in the past two years, and even in the past year. This was his first World Cup last year, and I hope next year that he’ll have a bright future ahead of him.”
Heineking managed a clear first round despite his horse losing a shoe after the liverpool. The pair successfully completed the remaining eleven fences and had the shoe reattached ahead of the jump off, finishing in third overall.
Results
1. Simon (Beezie Madden), USA, 0 faults/37.33 seconds (JO);
2. Lucifer V (Jack “Hardin” Towell), USA, 0/38.75 (JO);
3. Nikh Quanto (Christian Heineking), GER, 0/40.80 (JO);
4. Czardas (Kirsten Coe), USA, 0/41.83 (JO);
5. Cristallo (Richard Spooner) USA, 4/37.45 (JO);
6. Gazelle (Kent Farrington), USA, 4/38.85 (JO);
7. Darius de la Ferme Rose (Michelle Rodal), USA, 4/46.62 (JO);
8. Mark Q (Kevin Babington), IRL, 12/40.52 (JO).
Longtime partners, and perennial crowd favorites, Rich Fellers (USA) and Flexible yesterday topped a field of 25 to claim the victory of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League class at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, British Columbia.
Sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted a record-breaking number of spectators to the beautiful, green show grounds, where the sport’s top athletes attempted to clear the first round of 13 obstacles with 16 jumping attempts. A variety of rails dropped throughout the 1.60-meter track, indicating a well designed course. And multiple riders accrued faults at the triple combination that followed the sliced turns from the jump-eight oxer.
The questions asked by course designer Alan Wade (IRL) proved difficult for the inexperienced and the experienced pairs alike. Just a few months after appearing at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Las Vegas, Vinton Karrasch (USA) and Coral Reef Follow Me II were eliminated after two refusals. Two additional horse-and-rider teams did not finish the round.
Sixteen pairs unsuccessfully attempted clears before the first clear round came from America’s Will Simpson and The Dude. Following a record-breaking HITS Thermal winter circuit earlier in the year, the 2008 Olympian efficiently maneuvered the sprawling course without a single fault.
“When you’re riding The Dude, anything can happen,” Simpson said about the nine-year-old gelding.
A few rounds later, 2012 Olympian Fellers and his 19-year-old chestnut stallion added a second clear round to make for a jump off. Canada’s Ben Asselin, aboard Plume de la Roque, was the third and final clear as the 24th in the order of go.
Winning experience
“We’re probably the most experienced pair in the world, if you add our two ages together,” Fellers, 55, commented, as he and Flexible exited the arena after their first round. “He’s just a dream. He keeps getting smarter and better.”
Fellers drew on this experience in the jump off, shaving just over a second off of Simpson’s clear round. Asselin attempted to improve on Fellers’ score, but a pulled rail in the seven-obstacle course forced him to settle for third place.
“I have so much experience with that horse that there’s not too many things that I see anymore that we haven’t seen before,” Fellers explained. “I really thought it was a difficult course when I walked it, but I rode just like I walked it, and he rode just like I wanted him to ride.”
But Fellers knew he would have to push hard to beat Simpson. He and Flexible entered the ring for the jump off after only jumping one, small vertical as a warm up. The first round had taken a lot out of the horse, and Fellers wanted to allow for Flexible’s breathing to return to normal before asking for another big effort.
“I watched Will (ride the jump off), and I’ve seen him ride for years,” Fellers said. “I think he’s a phenomenal and fast jump off rider, perhaps the fastest in the world. I watched him win and win at Thermal this year. He laid down a brilliant round, and the horse jumped super all the way around and was quite fast. I knew I couldn’t take it easy.”
So in his plan of attack, he shaved tighter turns, almost hitting his knee on a ditch jump in the ring. He also opted to take out a stride in his approach to the double combination.
“It went great,” he said. “It was one of those rounds that everything came up sweet, so there wasn’t a lot of stress on Flexible, which is one of my goals at this state in his career. He’s never been better. I know that doesn’t make any sense with his age – that he could be as good as he ever was – but he feels as good as ever.”
Simple planning
Regardless of winning the first West Coast event for the North American League, Fellers’ goals for Flexible aren’t set on the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg (SWE), just yet.
“He’s never sharp coming out of the winter, and I think it might have something to do with his testosterone and that he’s a stallion,” Fellers explained. “I know the Finals are in March so that makes it a little more unlikely (in terms of timing).”
Flexible is scheduled to remain at Thunderbird for another week to compete in an upcoming three-star class on Sunday. Then he’ll return home to Oregon for a couple of weeks to rest before traveling to the Spruce Meadows Masters and to the next North American League event on the West Coast at the Sacramento International Horse Show.
“At this stage, he’s feeling great, super sound and loving the sport and craving competitions,” Fellers explained. “As long as that’s the same, I’ll keep carefully picking and choosing where he competes. I’m into ‘simple.’ That’s how I evaluate everything (for Flexible).”
Results
1. Flexible (Richard Fellers), USA, 0 faults/40.51 seconds (JO);
2. The Dude (Will Simpson), USA, 0 faults/41.71 (JO);
3. Plume de la Roque (Ben Asselin), CAN, 4 faults/43.01 (JO);
4. Agrostar (Ashlee Bond), USA, 4 faults/79.90;
5. S F Ariantha (Andres Rodriguez), VEN, 4 faults/82.56;
6. Tembla (Karl Cook), USA, 4 faults/83.29;
7. New York (Jack Towell), USA, 4 faults/84.11;
8. Calero (Allyssa Hecht), USA, 4 faults/84.76.
Facts & Figures
The course designer was Alan Wade (IRL). Every year, he designs at least three to four FEI World Cup™ qualifier events. He is confirmed to design the courses at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League classes at the American Gold Cup and at the Sacramento International in September.
Three riders, out of a starting field of 25, jumped clear in the first round to advance into the jump off.
In the first round, there were six horse-and-rider pairs with four faults, two pairs with five faults, two pairs with eight faults, three pairs with nine faults, a pair with ten faults, a pair with 12 faults, a pair with 13 faults, a pair with 22 faults and two pairs with 24 faults. Three pairs were eliminated.
Hannah von Heidegger (USA) was the youngest competitor, having just turned 18 in May. She finished in ninth place aboard Geledimar with four faults.
Rich Fellers and Flexible have a combined age of 74.
Quotes
Alan Wade (IRE): “I’m sure most of the four faulters, if they had a second chance, they would jump clear.”
“I prefer grass for footing. When you have proper footing, it takes a lot of pressure off me as a course designer. I liked that the footing (at Thunderbird) was the same from start to finish.”
Rich Fellers (USA): “I think (the long-term partnership with Flexible) is similar to any long-term relationship in life – you just have more knowledge, more experience, more details and you can anticipate the outcome better.”
Thunderbird Show Park
Thunderbird Show Park is one of North America’s premier equestrian facilities. Situated on 85 acres, it is located just 35 minutes from Vancouver, in beautiful Langley, British Columbia. It is the largest venue of its kind on Canada’s West Coast, and it features seven competition arenas with award-winning footing.
“The first priority is footing, next is great sponsors, like Longines and Noel Asmar, and the final touch is a welcoming attitude,” said Jane Tidball, co-owner of Thunderbird and the President and Tournament Director.
Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League
A total of 14 athletes from the new North American League will qualify for next year’s prestigious Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final, which will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden on 23-28 March 2016.
The top seven athletes from the East Coast US, top three from West Coast US and the two best-placed athletes from Canada and Mexico will qualify for the Final, alongside winners of the 13 other leagues from around the world.
Esther Hahn
The brand new Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League was launched in Miami (USA) today by three of the biggest names in the sport – Beezie Madden, the most decorated US female equestrian athlete of all time and currently the only woman in the top 10 of the Longines world rider rankings, American Gold Cup winner and FEI Solidarity Ambassador Jessica Springsteen, and Hannah Selleck, team and individual gold medallist at young rider level and one of the sport’s up-and-coming stars.
The trio, who all started riding almost as soon as they could walk, are already gearing up for the new league, which kicks off in August 2015 across seven East and seven West Coast venues in three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The North American League boasts a minimum of US $2.4 million prize money across the series, and offers the best Jumping athletes from North America and around the world the chance to qualify for the jackpot of more than US $1.4 million (€1.3 million) on offer annually at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final.
Elegance is an attitude
“Longines’ motto is ‘elegance is an attitude.’ It’s true of their core business but it also rings true for equestrian sport”, Beezie Madden said. “Our sport is about elegance and the harmony we achieve with our horses is essential to success. Longines is the perfect partner for equestrian sport.”
“We are part of an exceptional sport because we get to rely on a very special partner: the horse”, Jessica Springsteen said. “Our horses are so much more than an animal. They are hard-working talented athletes with their own personalities. It’s an awesome sport and I’m so excited to share my passion for it with you today.”
“Horses are a great leveler”, Hannah Selleck said. “As riders we know that you can be winning one day, and on the ground the next. Riders can have very long careers which last for many years. Some of the more mature riders are old enough to be my father, but I quite like the one I’ve got!”
The 14 events* that will host legs of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ North American League were selected after a rigorous screening process from a long list of 25 applicants. Impressively, 11 of the events featured in the recently published North American Riders Group Top 25 rankings.
The Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ North American League will be showcased on a broad range of global platforms, from live TV broadcasts to streaming on digital outlets and mobile, focusing on the drama of equestrian sport with fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary-style coverage.
US passion
“The Longines FEI World Cup Jumping North American League is a massive boost to our sport and will dominate the headlines in 2015,” FEI 1st Vice-President and Chair of the FEI Jumping Committee John Madden (USA) said. “The new league is a huge opportunity for our athletes to shine on a North American stage and showcase top-level equestrian sport to fans across North America and the world.
“This league is also ideally suited to wide-ranging global brands that want to reach out to North American and international audiences, drawing very clear affinities with their own visions and values alongside Longines.”
Longines equestrian boost
Longines, the FEI’s Official Top Partner, Timekeeper and Watch of the FEI, is a major supporter of the Olympic sport of Jumping around the world, and is already title partner of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Western European League and Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping China League.
Longines is now looking forward to supporting the further growth of Jumping across North America as the official Title Partner and Watch of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League. In addition, Longines will also provide a dedicated timekeeping team and data handling service for each of the 14 legs.
“We are proud to be partnering the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League”, Juan-Carlos Capelli, Vice President of Longines and Head of International Marketing said. “This association is part of our long-term commitment with the FEI as we are its Top Partner, but also the Title Partner, Official Timekeeper and Watch of the Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Western European League, Chinese League and, as of today, the North American League.”
The Swiss watchmaker’s timing heritage in the United States goes back to the 1870s, and by 1886 the company’s popular chronograph engraved with a jockey and his mount was being used by most sport judges in New York.
To celebrate this time-honoured legacy and the launch of the new league, the coveted Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping trophy will be showcased at Morays Jewelers boutique in Miami, before being transported to Las Vegas for this year’s Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final. The world’s best riders, including many of those that will go on to contest the new season North American League, will be bidding to be crowned the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping champion in Vegas (15-19 April).
Today’s launch was held at SPORTELAmerica, the annual sports media industry convention in the USA.
Beezie Madden (20/11/1963)
Elizabeth (Beezie) Madden is the most decorated US female equestrian athlete of all time and was the first female Jumping rider to earn over US $1 million in prize money. The three-time Olympian’s long list of accolades includes two Olympic team gold and an individual bronze medal, team and individual silver (2006) and team and individual bronze (2014) at the FEI World Equestrian Games™, and two team gold and an individual silver at the Pan-American Games. The four-time winner of the USEF Equestrian of the Year title and 2013 Rolex FEI World Cup™ champion, last year became the first woman to win the prestigious Longines King George V Gold Cup at Hickstead (GBR) shortly after returning six weeks on the sidelines with a broken collarbone.
Jessica Springsteen (30/12/1991)
Jessica Springsteen may have one of the most iconic surnames in the international rock music scene, but the accolades and titles she has earned in the show ring are all her own. Spurred on by her parent’s passion for horses, the Duke University graduate won multiple national titles in her junior and young rider career, and has continued to excel in the senior ranks of the sport. The FEI Solidarity Ambassador, who trains with Olympic gold medallists Laura Kraut (USA) and Nick Skelton (GBR), enjoyed a banner year in 2014. She was a member of the winning US team in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ in Dublin (IRE), won the American Gold Cup at the New York venue in North Salem, and was one of 10 riders to be long-listed for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy (FRA) with Vindicat W. She was also declared leading rider at the Washington International Horse Show in October. This season she has already notched up eight top-10 finishes with her string of horses, headlined by Vindicat W, Lisona, and Davendy S.
Hannah Selleck (16/12/1988)
Actor Tom Selleck’s daughter, Hannah has her sights set firmly on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. She began riding at the age of four and achieved great success during her years as a Young Rider. She had a standout year in 2008, winning team and individual gold at the North American Young Riders Championship and the United States Equestrian Federation Talent Search Finals West. In 2013, Selleck was third in the Showpark Summer Festival Grand Prix with the mare Barla. In 2014, the pair cruised to a fifth-place finish in the Amalaya Investments Trophy class at the Longines Los Angeles Masters. Olympians Will Simpson, Leslie Burr Howard, and Ian Millar have all supplemented her training over the years.
Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League calendar*
East Coast
August 2015
Bromont, QC (CAN) – International Bromont
September 2015
New York, North Salem (USA)
October 2015
Washington, DC (USA) – Washington International Horse Show
Lexington, KY (USA) – National Horse Show
November 2015
Toronto, ON (CAN) – Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
February 2016
Wellington, FL (USA)
Ocala, FL (USA) – Live Oak International
West Coast
August 2015
Langley, BC (CAN) – Thunderbird
September 2015
Rancho Murieta, CA (USA) – Sacramento International Horse Show
October 2015
Del Mar, CA (USA) – Del Mar International
Calgary, AB (CAN)
November 2015
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Las Vegas National
February 2016
Valle de Bravo (MEX)
Thermal, CA (USA) –HITS Thermal
Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League
A total of 14 athletes from the new North American league will qualify for next year’s prestigious Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final, which will take place in Gothenburg (SWE) on 23-28 March 2016.
The top seven athletes from the East Coast US, top three from West Coast US, and the two best-placed athletes from Canada and Mexico, will qualify for next year’s Final, alongside winners of 15 leagues around the world.
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