Edwina Alexander is writing her final diary for horsesinthesouth.com following her performance at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG). Here is Edwina’s final entry…
Since the WEG…
I’ve been to Helsinki, Oslo Lyon and Verona since returning from Kentucky, and the horses have all been fine, but it involved a lot of travelling. Itot will have only a few more shows left this year, and then he might do one or two in January, and then I’ll give him a break before the outdoor season starts. I have a pretty hectic schedule between now and Christmas and have only had one free weekend lately, which I spent in Abu Dhabi for the Formula One Grand Prix. I have a good bunch of horses at the moment to cope with this busy schedule; Socrates is back and was in Lyon, and Kisby has been fantastic, and I think she might be a horse that could surprise a few people. Ciske hasn’t been the easiest of horses but she is getting better show by show and I’m very happy with the progress that she’s making.
Ramzy Al Duhami from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took Jumping team and individual gold with Bayard V Devilla at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
Guangzhou (CHN), 25 November 2010 – It was double-gold for individual champion Ramzy Al Duhami yesterday as The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia impressively dominated the Jumping competitions at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. On Monday the 38 year old rider joined Khaled Al Eid, HRH Prince Moteb Al Saud and Abdullah Al Sharbatly to take the team title ahead of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who pipped Hong Kong, China in a thrilling third-round jump-off against the clock.
And for the UAE there was also a double to celebrate yesterday as Sheikha Latifah Al Maktoum claimed her second silver medal of the Games when finishing only fractionally behind Al Duhami in the jump-off for the individual title. The bronze went to 2000 Olympic bronze medallist Al Eid who had two fences down in the three-horse decider.
THE ONES TO BEAT
The talented and experienced Saudi team were always going to be the ones to beat, and with four clears in the first round went straight into the lead while the UAE carried just three faults collected by Sheikha Latifah and Kalaska de Semily when both Sheikh Majid Al Qasimi (Co-Jack) and Ahmed Al Junaibi (Picobello Wodiena) left the course intact – fourth-line rider Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum (Dubai’s Pride) providing the discount eight-fault score.
Germany's Carsten-Otto Nagel and Corradina, winners of today's fifth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup series at Stuttgart, Germany, were presented with a Rolex watch by Magali Dubois Vaucher of Rolex. Photo: Tim Welland.
NAGEL AND CORRADINA STORM TO VICTORY IN STUTTGART by Louise Parkes
Stuttgart (GER), 21 November 2010 – A superbly-judged round against the clock secured victory in the fifth leg of the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series today for Carsten-Otto Nagel. Riding the lovely grey mare Corradina, the 48 year old rider from Hamburg set the pace in this afternoon’s 13-horse jump-off and none of the rest could match his speed despite their very best efforts. The biggest threat came from defending Rolex FEI World Cup champion, fellow-German Marcus Ehning who had to settle for runner-up spot with Noltes Kuchengirl while Ireland’s Billy Twomey finished third with Tinka’s Serenade.
This latest result brings Germany’s impressive early-season tally to four wins from the opening five qualifying legs of the Western European League series which will conclude with the world final on their home turf in Leipzig next April. And Nagel has now moved into sixth place on the leaderboard which continues to be headed by World No. 1 Kevin Staut from France and which includes three Germans amongst the top six to date.
Japan took team and individual gold in the Eventing Championships at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China today. Kenki Sato (2nd from left) claimed the individual title. Photo: Laixiongmin.
KENKI TAKES INDIVIDUAL TITLE AS JAPAN DOES THE DOUBLE IN EVENTING
Guangzhou (CHN), 20 November 2010 – Kenki Sato claimed individual gold and helped Japan to secure the team title in Eventing at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China today. The Buddhist monk, who finished 35th with his other ride, Hop and Skip, at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in October, was lying second with Toy Boy after dressage and added nothing further to his score to take the individual honours ahead of Korea’s Jai Sik Cheon.
Sato’s team-mate Yoshiaki Oiwa took individual bronze, and Japan scored a convincing victory in the team competition, finishing with a 26-point advantage over the silver medallists from Thailand while China pipped the squad from Hong Kong by the narrowest of margins in the battle for team bronze.
George Morris, Jane Forbes Clark, Arle Adams, Ken Adams. Photo By: Kenneth Kraus/ PhelpsSports.com.
Gladstone, New Jersey – November 10, 2010 – The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is honored to announce a $5 million endowment bequest from Ken and Arle Adams of Wellington, Florida. This gift will mark the creation of the Ken and Arle Adams International Competition and Training Grant Fund. Providing an annual grant, the fund will add supplemental funding to the three Olympic disciplines’ High Performance programs: dressage, eventing, and show jumping. These funds further augment the international competition and training plans that repeatedly generate Olympic and World Championship medal winning performances. Grants of such generous nature are what allow the United States of America to remain at the top of the international equestrian sport.
“This extraordinary gift will be the largest gift ever made to the USET Foundation, and the Foundation is so grateful to Ken and Arle for their generosity. Leaving a dynamic legacy that will forever bear their name, the Adams’ gift will be a determining factor in this country’s ability to medal consistently in international championships in the future,” remarked Jane Forbes Clark, USET Foundation President and CEO.
Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs’s daughter Hillary showed her wining style at the 2010 Washington International Horse Show in DC the last week. The 22 year old, who lives between Palm Beach, FL and Sussex, NJ, competed as “The Flash” aboard Marengo placing in second during always colorful and exciting $20,000 Gambler’s Choice Costume Class. Rodrigo Pessoa won the class, decked out in an authentic Formula One racing outfit, complete with helmet. Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s daughter Georgina (also of Palm Beach and NYC) placed 6th, in a full nun’s habit. The 3rd place ribbon in the costume class went to Shane Sweetnam, who partnered with Dobbs to win Saturday night’s $15,000 Open Jumper Pair Relay.
Please contact the Washington International Horse show www.wihs.org.
The Netherlands' Jeroen Dubbeldam steered BMC Van Grunsven Simon to victory in the fourth leg of the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series in Verona, Italy. Photo: Kit Houghton.
DUBBELDAM DELIVERS IN VERONA by Louise Parkes
Verona (ITA), 7 November 2010 – The Netherlands’ Jeroen Dubbeldam broke the German stranglehold on the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series when delivering a sensational victory in Verona, Italy this afternoon. German riders dominated at the first three legs at Oslo (NOR), Helsinki (FIN) and Lyon (FRA) so far this season, but the flying Dutchman set an impossible target when second to go in today’s thrilling 10-horse jump-off and couldn’t be caught despite the best efforts of the world-class field that followed him.
His winning margin was a narrow one however as Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, winner with Checkmate just a week ago in Lyon, came dangerously close to making it a back-to-back double with a superb performance from the 17 year old Shutterfly who was only fractionally slower against the clock. And Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson and Casall La Silla finished third in the star-studded line-up. Dubbeldam was crowned Olympic champion in Sydney (AUS) in 2000, Michaels-Beerbaum’s many successes include three Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping titles and, most recently, team Jumping gold at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA, while Bengtsson took individual silver at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Also in the top ten today were Carsten-Otto Nagel (4th) who was a member of that German gold medal winning side last month, Ireland’s Billy Twomey (5th) who finished individually 11th in Kentucky, and the man who continues to wear the Rolex armband as No. 1 Rider in the World Rankings, Kevin Staut from France (6th). This truly was a line-up of champions.
Margie Engle and Indigo jumped to victory in the $100,000 Detwiler Fenton FEI World Cup Qualifier of Syracuse. Photo By: Reflections Photography.
Syracuse, NY – November 6, 2010 – The fast paced action continued in downtown Syracuse today. The featured class of the night was the $100,000 Detwiler Fenton FEI World Cup Qualifier of Syracuse presented by G&C Farm. The great US rider, Margie Engle, out rode 27 riders representing six countries to take the lionshare $100,000 purse. As she stepped into the arena as the last of three qualifiers of the jump-off, Margie Engle knew all she had to do was to keep the rails from hitting the dirt and she would leave the ring as the winner of the $100,000 Detwiler Fenton FEI World Cup Qualifier of Syracuse presented by G & C Farm. Her Dutch warmblood horse, Indigo, helped her reach that goal as the massive grey gelding gave it his all over every fence and crossed the timers clean in 39.15 seconds. “He’s such a trier. He gives it everything he has,” said Engle after her win.
Earlier this afternoon Engle also rocked the house by winning the $30, 0000 TK99 Speed Derby. Besting a field of 22 riders from five different countries was rider Margie Engle and her mare Pamina L. The pair dominated the class with a blistering clean round in 48.91 seconds. The only rider to come close to taking home the blue ribbon was the young Irish rider, Darragh Kenny, who finished second aboard Looping Star, posting a clean go in 49.220 seconds. The TK99 class is all about speed and strategy and the key to winning is having a fast, responsive horse with the ability to turn smoothly on the fly. Rails down convert to the time so riders with errors on course could still potentially win if their horse was fast. Richard Jeffery designed a challenging course that pushed riders to move forward while keeping their horses focused on the job at hand. The fifth fence on the course, a narrow white gate in shallow cups, proved to be a bogey fence, falling several times during the performance. As the class progressed the riders pushed their horses faster and faster trying to have the best time. Although Engle’s mare jumps big over every fence, Pamina L is still incredibly fast. Although there were five riders to follow the pair, including hometown favorite Beezie Madden, no one was able to best Engle’s time and she earned the win and points towards a spot in Sunday’s Syracuse Sporthorse Cup.
William Fox-Pitt (GBR), 2010 season's winner of the FEI HSBC Classics (c) Peter Nixon/FEI
Pau, 7 November – Andreas Dibowski (GER) finally achieved the CCI4* win he so deserves with an immaculate Jumping round in the most testing of conditions at a rain-soaked Les Etoiles de Pau (FRA), the final leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.
But William Fox-Pitt’s (GBR) second place on Navigator, who hit three rails, was still good enough to win him a second HSBC FEI Classics title in three years and US$150,000.
Dibowski, who has endured four runner-up spots at CCI4*s, earned a rapturous reception from an excited, if damp, French crowd. “I am really happy and excited,” he said. “After my Dressage (he was 11th), I didn’t expect to win, but everyone needs a little bit of luck at this level and today it was my day.”
Fox-Pitt was generous in defeat. “If someone had told me I’d be second at the start of this week, I’d have thought it was a dream. It’s the first time I’ve had a clear Cross-Country at Pau! And I had to stay in second place to win the HSBC FEI Classics, so I’m very relieved and pleased and pleased with my horse for coping so well.”
Leader after the Cross Country phase, William Fox-Pitt
Pau, 6 November – William Fox-Pitt (GBR) is in line for a memorable double – and a big pay cheque – having leapt into a commanding lead after Cross-Country at Les Etoiles de Pau (FRA), the final leg of the valuable HSBC FEI Classics, in which he also holds top position.
Fox-Pitt showed just why he is one of the world’s best horsemen, his magnificent round coming at the end of a dramatic afternoon’s sport in which Pierre Michelet’s (FRA) technically demanding track and the elusive optimum time of 10 minutes 35 seconds proved hugely influential.
He was only ninth after Dressage on the long-striding chestnut thoroughbred Navigator, who produced the second fastest time of the day despite taking two long routes. However, the pair survived a dramatic moment at fence 14, when the horse jumped strongly over the first of two angled houses and had to stretch over the second.
“He’s still a bit exuberant and tends to jump out of your hand,” explained Fox-Pitt, “but he’s a wonderful galloper and a lovely genuine horse.”
