Tag Archives: Show Jumping

*Featured/Spotlights, Contributors/Press, Revolution Sports, Show Jumping

George Whitaker – The Rolex One to Watch for May 2012

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George Whitaker proudly wearing his team bronze medal at the FEI European Jumping Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders 2011 in Comporta (POR). Photo: SPORTFOT/Rolex

9 May 2012 – The Rolex One to Watch for May 2012 is George Whitaker (GBR). Currently based in Huddersfield, Yorkshire in Northern England, the 19-year-old jumped from 354th to 231st during May – a move up the Rolex Rankings of 123 places.

George is from the most successful family in the sport of Jumping, and he forms part of the next generation of the Whitaker dynasty, along with his brother William, and cousin Ellen. His uncles, John and Michael, have been the cornerstone of the British Jumping team for the last 30 years; they both won team silver at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games as well as numerous European and World Championship medals.

George is part of the British Equestrian Federation’s UK Sport-funded World Class Development Programme, which works with talented riders to maximise their potential and deliver success in Dressage, Eventing and Jumping. He is also currently undergoing an apprenticeship with the intention of gaining skills in horse care and management.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Olympic Games, Show Jumping

Pivotal Opening Round at La Baule as FEI Nations Cup 2012 Paves Way to London Olympic Games

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Team Germany, winners of the FEI Nations Cup Top League 2011. Pictured from left to right: Carsten-Otto Nagel, Ludger Beerbaum, Otto Becker (Chef d'Equipe), Marco Kutscher and Thomas Voss. © FEI/CHIO Rotterdam Press

Lausanne (SUI), 8 May 2012 – As the FEI Nations Cup celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2012, the world-class series will have an extra edge in the lead-up to this summer’s London Olympic Games. Chefs d’Equipe and trainers will use this most testing team Jumping tournament to view the form and medal-winning potential of the talent available to them, and there is huge anticipation of a great season ahead.

French riders in particular will be under no illusions as the action gets underway this Friday afternoon (11 May) on their home ground at La Baule. Pascal Dubois, National Technical Director of the Fédération Française d’Equitation (FFE) said recently, “Because it is the only CSIO 5* in France, we have to honour our nation with a most experienced team in La Baule. The programme for the top 10 rider-horse couples in France amongst which the Olympic team will be chosen is set. According to the results obtained in La Baule, we will compose a team which will participate to the Rome CSIO 5*, to St Gallen and to Rotterdam. The FEI Nations Cup circuit is the format which comes the closest to the Olympic Games, requiring both performance but also a good team cohesion. Evidently, we are going to be very attentive to each rider’s performance.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Art/Photography, Community/Charity, Show Jumping

Canadian Artist Captures a Hickstead “Moment in Time”

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Calgary, Alberta – One of Canada’s great Equine artists will forever be remembered for capturing a “Moment in Time” of the world’s most famous show jumping horse. 2012 is an Olympic year, and a new horse will reign as champion and carry the title for another four years, but the world will never forget the one whose place it will take. Rocky Mountain Show Jumping is pleased at this time to announce that Kim Penner has captured a famous Hickstead “Moment in Time.”

Kim’s rendition of the Hickstead “Moment in Time” is a must see, and will be unveiled next month in Goby’s Grill at Anderson Ranch, available for all who love the sport to see during their tournaments hosted this summer.  Just one month prior to the London Olympics, John Anderson and Phillip Rozon, the lead promoters’ of the project will be pleased to present Kim’s painting of Hickstead, Eric Lamaze’s four legged partner who carried him to countless victories around the world, and was tragically lost last November during an International competition in Verona, Italy.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Show Jumping, USEF

Two-for-Two, Fellers and Flexible Win the $100,000 Hermes Grand Prix of Del Mar

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Rich Fellers and Flexible go two-for-two (Rick Osteen Photography)

Del Mar, CA – For a second night Marina Azevedo built a demanding course at the Del Mar National Horse Show for the 20 entries to jump in the $100,000 Hermes Grand Prix of Del Mar presented by Intuit. Six of the entries contesting the 13 obstacle course were members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games. These combinations were contesting the first of four 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events. And in the second and final class of the Del Mar Observation Event long listed riders once again jumped into top placings.

In the first round, only two combinations were able to produce fault-free efforts. Two members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games, Rich Fellers and Flexible and Lauren Hough with Blue Angel, would need to return and jump-off to decide the winner of Saturday’s class. Neither Fellers nor Hough were able to reproduce their clear efforts from round one with both collecting four faults. However, Fellers (Sherwood, OR) produced the quickest jump-off time for the second night in a row, to claim his second Grand Prix victory of the Observation Event.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, FEI, Show Jumping

Italians Win First Round of FEI Promotional League 2012 European Series

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Italy won the opening leg of the FEI Promotional League 2012 European series at Lummen, Belgium today. L to R - Natale Chiaudani, Luca Marziani, Chef d'Equipe Stefano Scaccabarozzi, Francesca Capponi and Juan Carlos Garcia. Photo: FEI/Dirk Caremans.

Lausanne (SUI), 4 May 2012 – Lummen in Belgium played host to the opening leg of the 2012 FEI Nations Cup Promotional League European series today (4 May), and it was the Italian team who came out on top in the tough 14-nation contest.

A total of nine countries went through to the second round, with Belgium and Canada sharing the lead carrying just four faults each at the halfway stage, while Italy, Germany, Mexico, Spain and Switzerland carried eight and Denmark carried 14.  But as the leaders faltered, the Italians stood firm, and it was second-round clears from Juan Carlos Garcia (Bonzai van de Warande), Francesca Capponi (Stallone) and Natale Chiaudani (Almero 12) that clinched it for Stefano Scaccabarozzi’s side that also included Luca Marziani (Wivina).

JOINT RUNNERS-UP

Twin brothers Nicola (Carlos VHPZ) and Olivier Philippaerts (Cabrio van de Heffinck), sons of Belgian star Ludo Philippaerts, were joined by Donaal Brondeel (Dreemeersen Adorado) and Niels Bruynseels (Castelino van de Helle) to secure joint-runner-up spot for the host nation led by Chef d’Equipe Philippe Guerdat. They shared second place with Canada’s Yann Candele (Carlotta Singular La Magnifica), Tiffany Foster (Victor), Jill Henselwood (George) and Ian Millar (Star Power) when each side added just four faults to bring their final tally to 12.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Olympic Games, Show Jumping, USEF

Fellers and Flexible Do It Again, Flying to Victory in the $50,000 Surfside Grand Prix

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Rich Fellers & Flexible (Rick Osteen Photography)

Del Mar, CA – An international field contested the $50,000 Surfside Grand Prix presented by ShowBiz Magazine Friday evening at the Del Mar National Horse Show. Of the 26 entries in the class, six combinations were members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games. The prestigious California horse show, held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, serves as the first of four 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events. Leading the victory lap tonight were Rich Fellers and Flexible, having bested the five horse jump-off, which included three long listed combinations.

Lauren Hough was the first member of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games to produce a fault-free effort over the first round. Riding Robyn Parsky’s Blue Angel, the Wellington, FL resident jumped a tidy, efficient round over the initial course. In the jump-off the 10-year-old Anglo-European mare looked on her way to producing a second clear round but slicing the turn to the penultimate jump resulted in four faults. They finished in fourth place.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Eventing/H.T., Events, Kentucky Three-Day, Show Jumping, USEF

Fox-Pitt Rolls to Win the 2012 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event; Springer Scores First Rolex/USEF National CCI4* Eventing Championship

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Allison Springer and Arthur (Photo by Shannon Brinkman)

Lexington, KY – Sunday at the 2012 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Bridgestone proved to be as influential as its predecessor – but the top two placings did not change and Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt rode Catherine Witt’s Parklane Hawk to top honors. The lovely New Zealand Thoroughbred made unbelievably light work of Saturday’s cross-country course and jumped another phenomenal round in the Rolex Stadium – having just one rail at the first part of the double combination to take home a second Rolex watch for Fox-Pitt, who also won in 2010. They finished on a three day score of 45.3, less than two points clear of the runner-up.

Click here for complete results: http://www.rk3de.org/results.php.

“I am not sure I can repeat that,” said Fox-Pitt about knocking down his one rail. “I thought that was going to be a tricky fence for him. He was just arguing a little bit today. It was a fantastic competition and I was very fortunate to come out on top. It was a serious show jumping track and I am just lucky that Allison took that long route at the third last (on the cross country).”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, FEI, Kentucky Three-Day, Show Jumping

HSBC FEI Classics 2012: Fox-Pitt Clocks Another Kentucky Victory

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William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk powered to victory in the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, the third leg of the HSBC FEI Classics, and the British rider is now in line for the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam if he can win at Badminton next weekend. (Photo: Amy Dragoo/FEI)

Lausanne (SUI), 29 April 2012 – William Fox-Pitt (GBR) won his 11th CCI4* and yet another prized Rolex watch when he held his nerve in the tense final minutes of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event (USA) presented by Bridgestone, the third leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.

Fox-Pitt, the leader after Cross Country on Catherine Witt’s talented New Zealand Thoroughbred Parklane Hawk, appeared to have been handed a lifeline when overnight runner-up Allison Springer (USA) and Arthur hit a rail, but then Parklane Hawk had one down as well and Fox-Pitt was left with no margin for error.

But the current leader of both the HSBC FEI Classics and the HSBC Rider Rankings is famed for keeping calm in a tight situation. And Fox-Pitt will certainly need to draw on those renowned reserves of cool this week for he now heads to Badminton in the tantalising, yet pressurised, position of having won two out of three legs of the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam.

This elusive prize, to the rider who can win Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley in succession, has only been won once before, by Pippa Funnell (GBR) in 2003.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Eventing/H.T., Events, Kentucky Three-Day, Revolution Sports, Show Jumping

William Fox-Pitt Wins Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and 2nd Leg of Rolex Grand Slam

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William Fox-Pitt (GBR) stays cool to clinch the 2012 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and complete the second stage of the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam. Photo courtesy of ROLEX

(USA, 29 April 2012) – William Fox-Pitt (GBR) riding Parklane Hawk, today Sunday 29 April 2012, kept his cool at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, in Lexington, with just one rail down, to win the Event and the second leg of the Rolex Grand Slam. Allison Springer (USA) riding Arthur was second and Boyd Martin (USA) riding Otis Barbotiere was 3rd.

Quotes from William Fox-Pitt after his winning round (links to audio of full interview below):

Q: Many congratulations – what a round: What a relief and what a fantastic horse! It is a great honour and a great pleasure to be here back at Rolex and it’s such a tremendous event – the atmosphere is second to none and it’s been an amazing week for me. A huge relief and lucky I had a fence in hand!

Q: Just tell me a bit about your round today. He’s a super jumper, I think the atmosphere was quite a big deal – he came in a bit tight and tense and yes he rolled a pole but so what – he basically jumped very well indeed. The pressure was on and the course is the Rolex four star and it’s my second leg in the Grand Slam and I’ve never got this close before, but next week is another week mind you, but to be this close is so exciting and what a great way to finish up!

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Competitions, Events, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

American Gold Cup Returns to Action at Old Salem Farm

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42nd anniversary edition scheduled for North Salem, NY on September 12-16, 2012

Bradenton, Florida – April 25, 2012 – The American Gold Cup, one of the world’s most prestigious show jumping events, returns to action in September at its new home at Old Salem Farm, in North Salem, NY. The show is scheduled for September 12th through the 16th, 2012, with the famed $200,000 American Gold Cup as the highlight event on the final Sunday.

Old Salem Farm, in New York’s Westchester County, is a premier equestrian venue, offering state-of-the-art facilities, surrounded by 120 gorgeous acres.

In fact, in 2010, the Old Salem Spring Show was voted one of the Top 25 Horse Shows in North America by NARG, the North American Rider’s Group. The owners at Old Salem have spent over $30 million in renovations over the past few years to bring this venue on par with any show facility in the world.

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