FEI World Cup Dressage – Round 9 at Goteborg

The Netherlands' Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival scored a clear victory in the last qualifying leg of the FEI World Cup Dressage series at Goteborg, Sweden tonight. Photo: Kit Houghton.

COOL CORNELISSEN AND PLACID PARZIVAL TOP LAST QUALIFIER AT GOTHENBURG

Goteborg (SWE), 27 February 2010 – Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival kept their cool under intense pressure to win the last qualifying leg of the 2009/2010 FEI World Cup Dressage series in Gothenburg, Sweden tonight.  Sweden’s Patrik Kittel produced the ride of his life with Watermill Scandic to slot into second place, but the real battle was played out between the Dutch who were vying for the two remaining places on offer to home side contenders at the Final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands in four weeks time.

League leader Edward Gal was clearly always going to make the cut but Cornelissen, Imke Schellekens-Bartels and Anky Van Grunsven knew that tonight would decide which of them would join him.  And in this battle of the giants it was winner Cornelissen and third-placed Schellekens-Bartels who earned their stripes while nine-time World Cup champion Van Grunsven just missed out when finishing fourth.

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Tags: dressage, equestrian competitions, equestrian disciplines, FEI, FEI World Cup Dressage, Grand Prix

Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2009/2010 – Round 12 at Gothenburg

Ireland's Jessica Kuerten and Castle Forbes Libertina. Photo: Kit Houghton.

JESSICA AND LIBERTINA TAKE GOTHENBURG BY STORM

Gothenburg (Swe), 28 February 2010 – Ireland’s Jessica Kuerten nearly brought the roof down at the Scandinavium arena in Gothenburg, Sweden today with a rip-roaring ride from Castle Forbes Libertina that scooped their second victory of the 2009/2010 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping season.  It’s getting down to the wire now with only one qualifying leg remaining and every precious point counting towards a place at the series final in Geneva, but Kuerten has cruised into a qualifying spot with the greatest of ease and today’s victory suggests she will be one of the favourites when the final kicks off at the Swiss venue next month.

Germany’s Marco Kutscher galloped into second place with the deceptively fast Cash while former World Champion Dermott Lennon slotted into third with the gelding Hallmark Elite which he says “has the makings of another Libertina.” If he is right about that then Irish show jumping is in very good shape indeed.

Ireland's Jessica Kuerten and Castle Forbes Libertina with Magali Dubois-Vaucher of Rolex after their victory in the twelfth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series in Gothenburg, Sweden today. Photo: Kit Houghton.

THE KEY
Course designer Rolf Ludi set them a tough task in the tight confines of the Gothenburg ring, but nine of the 39 starters found the key to go into the decider against the clock.  The unluckiest ones included Holland’s Gerco Schroder with Eurocommerce New Orleans and Germany’s Lars Nieberg with Levito who both missed out when picking up just a single time fault, while four other riders opted to retire when things simply weren’t going their way.

The bogey fence on the track was the triple combination at fence five which penalised 14 horse and rider combinations, while the plank on top of the first element of the double of verticals at fence seven also proved influential.  And amongst the nine four-faulters were reigning European Champion Kevin Staut, German star Marcus Ehning with his exciting bay mare Sabrina, Great Britain’s Ben Maher with Robin Hood and Vigo winner Australia’s Edwina Alexander this time riding Cevo Itot du Chateau. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10387

Tags: equestrian competitions, equestrian disciplines, FEI, FEI World Cup, Gothenburg, hunter/jumper, Marcus Ehning