Beezie Madden and Coral Reef Via Volo. Photo: Beatrice Scudo
Rotterdam, The Netherlands – Beezie Madden and Coral Reef Via Volo triumphed after a 10-rider jump off to win the Longines International Grand Prix of Rotterdam – the last day of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup Series.
In front of a sold-out arena, Madden edged out the Dutch rider Jeroen Dubbeldam, who ended up in second place on Bmc Van Grunsven Simon in a jump-off time of 39.11. Madden came in 0.8 seconds faster in a time of 38.31 seconds. German rider Carsten-Otton Nagel came in third on Corradina in a time of 40.33 seconds. Four riders jumped clear in the jump off.
“It was fantastic,” Madden said of her win on her 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare.
“The show grounds improved significantly and did great despite all the rain that has fallen today and over the past days,” she added. “Our horses became lighter, faster and more careful.”
Madden also won the overall Longines award for the leading rider – building on the strong form she has kept up throughout the summer, collecting top placings in both North America and Europe.
Sunday’s grand prix hosted 47 entries, with Madden returning after the U.S. Team’s disappointing Nations Cup performance on Friday to take the CSIO5* Grand Prix win.
Germany claimed team gold and all three individual medals at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships - (from left) Sandra Auffarth (silver), Michael Jung (gold), Frank Ostholt (bronze). Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI.
Lausanne (SUI), 28 August 2011 – There were jubilant scenes as Michael Jung (GER) was crowned European Champion and his team deservedly took gold in a nail-biting finale to the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships at Luhmühlen (GER).
Although a German victory had never been in doubt, the final score sheet was considerably re-arranged after the unfortunate Ingrid Klimke (GER), who had led the first two phases with such flamboyance, suffered the devastating experience of hitting six fences and dropping to 11th place.
The individual medals were still a German whitewash, though, as the hugely talented Sandra Auffarth jumped clear to take individual silver and Frank Ostholt moved up two places to achieve his first individual medal.
Ostholt’s wife, Sara, who was best of the fourth-placed Swedish team, also suffered a dramatic drop down the order. There had been a run of clear rounds as the higher-placed riders found the key to this technically-demanding track. Algotsson-Ostholt had her much-admired mare Wega jumping beautifully until a misunderstanding on the approach to the final double at fence 11. The mare hit the first part and then ran out at the second element. Eighteen penalties dropped her to 12th place but the team held onto fourth and, more importantly, earned their ticket to next year’s Olympics in London.
“It’s very disappointing for my wife,” Ostholt said. “I know how she’s feeling and feel very sorry for her. Most of the year she’s always been ahead of me. Normally her horse jumps so well so it was a real surprise. She’s completely devastated, but pleased that Sweden has qualified for the Olympics.”
The German team celebrate their double victory in Rotterdam (NED) tonight where they won the last leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 along with the series title - L to R - Carsten-Otto Nagel, Ludger Beerbaum, Otto Becker (Chef d'Equipe), Marco Kutscher and Thomas Voss. Photo: FEI/CHIO Rotterdam Press.
Rotterdam (NED), 26 August 2011 – Germany did the double when winning both the last leg of the series, and the overall FEI Nations Cup 2011 title, at the thrilling finale in Rotterdam, The Netherlands this evening. Birthday boy, Ludger Beerbaum, was the hero of the day, but it was a desperate fight to the very end, with a strong challenge from the impressive British that was only settled by a third-round jump-off against the clock.
The Dutch hosts, who headed the leaderboard throughout the closing stages of the eight-leg tournament, had seemed likely to clinch the honours in front of their home crowd following a great run of form. But yesterday German Chef d’Equipe, Otto Becker, warned that his side would pounce if the opportunity arose, and today, when it did, they seized it and held on tight.
It was a sad day for the USA however. Despite their best efforts they could only manage sixth place, one spot behind the Belgians who were also lying in the relegation danger-zone. And although Belgium collected 17 faults in a high-scoring competition, the 18 collected by the Americans was simply too much, and they now join the long-resigned Danish side in the Promotional League for 2012.
LYING LAST The Danes were already lying last at the end of the first round with 21 faults on the board. But the big surprise was the 16 faults collected by the Dutch who were positioned seventh of the eight competing nations at the halfway stage. Irish chances were hampered by the elimination of Alexander Butler when his grey, Will Wimble, slammed on the brakes at the 4-metre-wide open water at fence eight and they were carrying 14 faults, while the Belgians appeared to be seriously compromised when racking up 12-first round faults – 2010 world champion Philippe Le Jeune (Vigo d’Arsouilles), 2006 world champion Jos Lansink (Cavalor Valentina Van’T Heike) and Gregory Wathalet (Copin van de Broy) each coming home with single errors while young Nicola Philippaerts (Carlo VHPZ) had the discount score of nine.
Ingrid Klimke and FRH Butts Abraxxas jump out of the HSBC water complex on their way to a superb clear that put them on top in the individual standings and Germany at the head of the teams after the Cross Country. Photo: Kate Houghton/FEI.
Lausanne (SUI), 27 August 2011 – An inspired German team rode like true champions across country at a rain-soaked HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships at Luhmühlen (GER) today and, with a massive 42.3-penalty lead over Great Britain, they now have the treasured gold medal well in their sights.
France have risen to bronze medal position, thanks to superb rounds by Donatien Schauly and Nicolas Touzaint, and have overtaken the Swedes, whose Sara Algotsson-Ostholt on the lovely grey mare Wega is in individual bronze position after a faultless performance.
German team members Ingrid Klimke, Michael Jung and Sandra Auffarth flew through the testing conditions and all finished on their Dressage scores to lie in individual first, second and fourth positions.
The top three teams each had a rider eliminated, and the Germans were under immediate pressure when their pathfinder Andreas Dibowski suffered a surprise fall at the big spread at fence 22.
“A bit of pressure makes you stronger, and the crowd was a fantastic help,” said Klimke. “It has been a dream of a day. My horse kept his rhythm all the time. It was really enjoyable.”
Sandra Auffarth (GER), who has been the discovery of the championships, looked foot-perfect on her athletic Opgun Louvo, and world champion Michael Jung (GER), the last rider on course, had perhaps the class round of the day. He rides La Biosthetique Sam with the lightest of touches, and said that his practising at water jumps had paid off handsomely.
Joe Yoder at the 2011 FEI World Driving Pair Championship. Photo: Marie de Ronde
Yoder Drives to Sixth in Dressage
Lexington, KY – At the 2011 FEI World Pair Driving Championship in Conty, France, American Joe Yoder drove to sixth place Friday in the dressage and the American team – all three drivers making their International Championship debut – sits in fifth place heading into Saturday’s marathon.
Led by Chef d’Equipe Chester Weber and Coach Michael Freund, the U.S. is being represented by Yoder, the 2011 USEF National Pair Driving Champion, and Katherin Dancer and Misdee Wrigley-Miller. The trio drove at Reisenbeck CAI in July and earned valuable international experience as they represent their country this week.
Thursday morning marked the beginning of the dressage competition phase and it was Wrigley-Miller drawn as the first and only U.S. competitor on opening day. Wrigley-Miller is in the top half of the pack of 69 drivers, in 20th place on a score of 52.86.
The pressure then passed to Dancer and Yoder on Friday. Dancer is in 34th individually with a score of 58.88. Yoder’s impressive sixth-place mark of 44.03 means the team sits in fifth with 96.9 penalties. Germany leads with 84.1 over Switzerland, The Netherlands, and France. The top two scores from each phase count for the Team Classification.
Individually, German Driver Carola Deiner leads with a score of 35.58.
Germany’s Ingrid Klimke and FRH Butts Abraxxas lead the individual standings at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships and Germany is on top in the teams after the Dressage. Photo: Peter Nixon/FEI.
Lausanne (SUI), 26 August 2011 – Outstanding performances by Germany’s Ingrid Klimke and Michael Jung have put the home side into a fabulously strong position before tomorrow’s Cross Country phase at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships at Luhmühlen (GER).
The host nation, bidding for a first European team gold since 1973, is now more than 20 penalties ahead of defending champions Great Britain as the first team to score under 100 in the Dressage at European level. The Italians, who won silver in 2009, hold a fractional advantage in third over Sweden, who last won gold back in 1993.
Klimke is no stranger to brilliance in the Dressage arena, but even she was overwhelmed by FRH Butts Abraxxas’s mark of 30.0, which included six 10s: three for the entry and halt; two for her final halt and one, from Ground Jury member Christoph Hess, for her riding.
“Hans Melzer [German team trainer] told me I should do a 29, so he put me under pressure,” Klimke revealed.
The ever-smiling Klimke also admitted to despondency after her fall at Badminton (GBR) in April, in which she suffered a knee injury which kept her out of the saddle for 12 weeks.
“I was very depressed about it all because I just love to ride,” she said. “But then Abraxxas was in good shape at Aachen and Malmö and now I’m just thankful to be here.
Lexington, KY – The U.S. Jumping riders have a big task before them in tomorrow’s FEI Nations Cup at CSIO5* Rotterdam. They take to the final leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup Series in the Netherlands and jump to maintain their position in the Series for 2012.
Currently ranked seventh out of the eight teams in the Series, the U.S. needs to finish at least three places ahead of Belgium tomorrow in the Nations Cup to earn a spot to return in 2012. Belgium is currently two points ahead of the United States. The two lowest-placed teams will be relegated after Rotterdam, and Denmark is already out of consideration.
The four riders set to represent the U.S. are up for the challenge for Chef d’Equipe George Morris:
Lauren Hough and Quick Study just won the Longines Grand Prix at CSIO5* Dublin in an epic victory over a top-flight field. She will lead off the U.S. effort.
Christine McCrea and the ultra-consistent Romantovich Take One will follow Hough into the ring; they have been quietly racking up solid results all summer. They jumped two clear rounds in the Nations Cup at CSIO5* St. Gallen and went on to finish third in the Longines Grand Prix of Switzerland two days later.
FRENCH GET THE BEST OF THE DRAW, AT LAST by Louise Parkes
The draw for the eighth and final leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 series took place in Rotterdam (NED) today.
Rotterdam (NED), 25 August 2011 – The luck of the draw went in favour of France for the first time this season today, so the defending double-champions will be last into the arena for tomorrow’s final leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 in Rotterdam (NED). French form has been unexpectedly weak throughout the series, and they are one of three nations that could possibly face the prospect of joining Denmark, already assured of relegation, in the Promotional League in 2012.
The order-of-go for the eighth leg of the series is as follows: 1, Germany; 2, The Netherlands; 3, Denmark; 4, Great Britain; 5, USA; 6, Ireland; 7, Belgium; 8, France. And there is plenty of tension in the air ahead of the final clash.
The rules dictate that, after the last of the eight legs in the premier tournament, the two lowest-placed nations are demoted to the second-tier Promotional League. And the countries in most danger of joining the Danes are the Americans and Belgians. But after the previous round in Dublin (IRL) three weeks ago, the French are lying fifth on the leaderboard and just four points ahead of Belgium. Should they experience yet another bad day, the country that has dominated the sport of Nations Cup Jumping for the last two seasons could be in a very vulnerable position.
Sandra Auffarth (GER) and Opgun Louvo hold the individual lead and have put the German team out in front after the first day of Dressage.
Lausanne (SUI), 25 August 2011 – German riders gave an exhibition of Dressage-riding to fill six of the top eight individual places and take a commanding lead in the team competition at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in Luhmühlen, to the evident delight of their home crowd.
Sandra Auffarth (GER), 25, who sprang to prominence when finishing second in the HSBC FEI Classics at Luhmühlen CCI4* in June, was the big sensation on a hot sunny afternoon today, producing another exquisite picture of harmony and suppleness with the nine-year-old Opgun Louvo.
She earned a perfect 10 for her entry and halt from Ground Jury member Anne Mette-Binder (DEN) and finally wound up with the excellent score of 35.4 penalties.
“It’s the best mark I’ve had at this level,” said a delighted Auffarth, who has been riding the chestnut gelding by Shogun ll since he was six.
“At one point in the walk, I thought ‘oh no, don’t be nervous’, but he concentrated very well and was relaxed so I could ride him like I do in training. He has a very good character – he is like a pony at home.”
Auffarth added: “It was quite a surprise to be picked for the team, but perhaps in another way it wasn’t so unexpected, because we’ve had a good season as a combination.”
ECCLES AND LOOSER MAINTAIN SUPREMACY AND GERMANY CLAIMS DOUBLE TEAM GOLD by Louise Parkes
Great Britain's Joanne Eccles showing the spectacular style that helped her win her second consecutive Senior Female Individual title at the FEI Open European Vaulting Championships for Seniors and Juniors. Photo: FEI/ www.pixbank.org
Lausanne (SUI), 24 August 2011 – Great Britain’s Joanne Eccles and Switzerland’s Patrick Looser maintained the form that clinched their 2010 world titles when winning the Female and Male Individual gold medals at the FEI Open European Vaulting Championships 2011 at Le Mans, France last weekend. German vaulters were strong however, taking both Senior and Junior Team gold, and the Pas de Deux and Junior Male titles, while Italy’s Silvia Stoppazzine claimed the Junior Female Individual honours.
Over 200 competitors from 19 countries – Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Italy, Hungary, Great Britain, Russia, Republic of South Africa, Mauritius, Belgium, Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, Finland and Sweden – gathered at Le Mans for the 15th edition of these Championships. The success of the Vaulting competitions at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA has led to a tremendous upsurge of interest in this sport which originally emerged from ancient Greece, where warriors were trained to ride independently of their horses as they brandished weapons. Today it is a competitive discipline, open to both men and women, in which both dynamic and static gymnastic elements are combined and performed on a catering horse. It demands outstanding physical fitness from the vaulter and a harmonious relationship with the horse and longeur.
SENIORS
Germany got off to a great start when pipping Switzerland in Thursday’s Senior Team Compulsory Test, but the result was reversed on Saturday when it was the Swiss who came out on top in the Freestyle while, once again, Austria slotted into third. And it was a close-fought affair in Sunday’s decider with the judging panel of Veronique Girard, Elzbieta Dolinska, Gaby Benz, Heddy Boelsma Den Hartog, Ute Schoenian and Anna Kull unafraid to award high marks where appropriate. The biggest score of the day came from Ute Schoenian, at E, who awarded 9.773 to the German side whose longeur Jessica Schmitz and horse Arkansas 51 rounded up a great performance. The final German total of 8.300 left them just .053 clear of the Swiss silver medallists, while Austria completed in bronze medal position with 7.980 on the board.
