Tag Archives: Edwina Tops-Alexander

Tops-Alexander Makes It a Back-to-Back Double at La Coruña

Edwina Tops-Alexander with Vinchester. (FEI/ Manuel Queimadelos/Oxer Sport)

“Pretty amazing!” was how Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander (44) described her victory in the seventh leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2018/2019 Western European League series in La Coruña, Spain.

For the second consecutive year she out-paced all her rivals to head the line-up at the Casas Novas Equestrian Centre where the packed stadium of spectators enjoyed a thrilling 10-horse jump-off that held them on the edges of their seats to the very end. Last year she came out on top at the same venue with the mare, California, who was just 10 years old at the time. But what made her success all the more spectacular was the fact that she was partnering a nine-year-old stallion called Vinchester who was jumping the biggest track of his entire career.

“I never would have believed that this would happen – he only jumped 1.50m for the first time earlier this week and today was his first 1.60m! If you told me he’d have a few down I wouldn’t have been surprised, so I’m a little bit taken aback!” — Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS)

Runner-up spot went to another nine-year-old, Chalou, ridden by Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano (32) while German legend, Ludger Beerbaum (55), slotted into third with his new ride Cool Feeling.

It was Beerbaum’s compatriot Christian Kukuk who set the target over Javier Trenor’s jump-off track, bringing the handsome stallion Colestus home with a smooth run in 46.85 seconds when first to go. Next in, Sweden’s Irma Karlsson looked set to seriously improve on that, but her quick 10-year-old mare Ida van de Bischop misunderstood the instructions on the approach to the remaining two elements of the triple combination and ran past the second element to put paid to their chances.

Faster rounds were then posted by Frenchman Olivier Robert (Tempo de Paban) and Belgium’s Jos Verlooy (Igor), and when both Helsinki winner Gudrun Patteet (Sea Coast Pebbles Z) and The Netherlands’ Leopold van Asten (VDL Groep Beauty) left a fence on the floor, then it was Verlooy’s 44.24 seconds that Tops-Alexander was chasing. And despite her horse’s inexperience, she set off like a rocket to produce a cracking round that demonstrated the extraordinary courage and ability of her young mount, shaving almost a full two seconds off the target time when clearing the line in 42.26 seconds.

Gaudiano gave it his best shot when breaking the beam in 43.01 with the enigmatic Chalou, whose toe-stretching jumping technique sets him apart from the rest, and when Austria’s Max Kuehner and Chardonnay hit the second fence. then only Beerbaum could steal Tops-Alexander’s thunder. The German giant has only been riding the 10-year-old gelding Cool Feeling, formerly competed by Canada’s Ben Asselin, since September, but the man who has taken four gold medals from seven Olympic Games and who has lined out in 21 FEI Jumping World Cup™ Finals should never be under-estimated. Beerbaum looked well in touch all the way to the final line where a check saw him stop the clock on 43.26 seconds for third place and a considerable improvement up to 15th spot on the current standings.

This win has boosted Tops-Alexander, who also collected points at the opening leg in Oslo (NOR), to joint-fifth spot and, with 35 points, she is within easy reach of a qualifying place for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Gothenburg, Sweden next April. She’s planning to go to the next leg at Olympia, London (GBR) in two weeks’ time and to Basel in Switzerland where the Western European League will resume on 13 January.

In London her fans will get to see the amazing Vinchester whom she only started riding in August. “He was previously competed by a young French rider called Arthur Le Vot who I never met!” she explained. “He’s a horse with a lot of blood and a great mind; he wants to do everything for me and he’s very sure of himself – he’s great!”

Watch highlights here.

By Louise Parkes

Media contact:

Shannon Gibbons
Media Relations and Communications Manager
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

Edwina Tops-Alexander Is the Queen of La Coruna

Photo: Edwina Tops-Alexander celebrating victory with her lovely mare, California. (FEI/Manuel Queimadelos)

Australian wonderwoman, Edwina Tops-Alexander (43), scorched to victory with the lovely mare California in the seventh leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2017/2018 Western European League at La Coruna, Spain. In an eight-rider, eight-nation jump-off against the clock the three-time Olympian simply out-raced all the others who managed to leave Santiago Varela’s track intact, and the result leaves her within a few points of qualification for the Longines Final in Paris, France next April.

Austria’s Max Kuhner lined up second with Chardonnay while the home crowd-pleaser was third-placed Manuel Fernandez Saro with Cuidam. Tops-Alexander was filled with her trademark determination.

“California has been jumping great, but here and there we kept having stupid faults and I was getting a bit mad! I was determined to have a good class here yesterday, but it didn’t work. Today I did my best and it DID work, so now I’m really happy!” — Edwina Tops-Alexander (Australia)

Fernandez Saro produced the first clear of the jump-off when third to go, but his time of 43.89 seconds always looked beatable. Two horses later, Ireland’s Denis Lynch was also fault-free, but he didn’t pressure All Star who broke the beam in 45.77 seconds so eventually slotted into fourth place.

Tops-Alexander was taking no prisoners, however, galloping from the start and resetting the target at 40.08 seconds as she flew through the finish. She wasn’t entirely satisfied with her own performance: “I did one too many strides from (fence) 1 to (fence) 2, but that just made me go faster the rest of the way! I wasn’t convinced I was quick enough to win, I thought maybe I’d be second if I was lucky!” she pointed out afterwards. But Austria’s Max Kuhner trailed her by more than two seconds when second-last to go with his fabulous grey stallion who clinched runner-up spot.

Tops-Alexander said her 10-year-old mare had “a nice break” while the Australian star, who only stopped competing in March, waited for daughter Chloe to be born at the end of July. The horse-and-rider partnership returned to the ring in early September. “She’s an amazing horse, and when we both went back to work I came strong and she did too!” said the amazing athlete.

By Louise Parkes

Media contact:

Shannon Gibbons
Media Relations and Communications Manager
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

Tops-Alexander Won the 6th Qualifying Leg of Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Western European League

Riding Cevo Itot Du Chateau, Tops-Alexander won the eight horse jump-off, ahead of Sergio Alvarez Moya (ESP) in second place riding Carlo 273 and Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER) riding Magnus Romeo in third place.  The highest placed Swiss rider was Janika Sprunger, riding Palloubet D’Halong, who finished in fourth place.

Press Conference Audio
To download a copy of the audio from the post event press conference, please click on the link below:

https://www.yousendit.com/download/WUJZbGtBaFJ6NFBMYnNUQw.

FEI YouTube Channel
Also available to download is a round-up and news summary from the event in Stuttgart, on the FEI’s YouTube Channel. To watch this please on the link below:

http://youtu.be/ue9WHHagWe8.

Continue reading Tops-Alexander Won the 6th Qualifying Leg of Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Western European League

Edwina and Itot Take Geneva by Storm

Edwina Tops-Alexander and the brilliant little Cevo Itot du Chateau, pictured during the presentation with Arnaud Boetsch, Communication and Image Director, Rolex. Photo: FEI/Hippo Foto

Geneva (SUI), 9 December 2012 – One of the best-loved horses in the sport showed exactly why he is such a huge favourite with the public all around the globe when the diminutive 16 year old Cevo Itot du Chateau carried Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander to victory in the sixth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2012/2013 Western European League series at Geneva, Switzerland today.

The big guns were out in force, with the start-list including 14 of the top 20 in the current Rolex World Rankings list and the reigning Olympic, World and European champions, but only eight made it through to the second round jump-off.  And the little chestnut gelding led them a merry dance with a superb run against the clock that left Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya and Carlo having to settle for runner-up spot ahead of Germany’s Hans-Dieter Dreher and Magnus Romeo in third while host nation representative, Janika Sprunger, slotted into fourth with Palloubet d’Halong.

Continue reading Edwina and Itot Take Geneva by Storm