Marcus Ehning (GER) celebrates being crowned Rolex FEI World Cup 2010 champion in Geneva (SUI) with joint runners up Pius Schwizer of Switzerland (left) and Ludger Beerbaum of Germany (right). Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI
CAN MARCUS OR MEREDITH MAKE IT A RECORD FOURTH TITLE? by Louise Parkes
Lausanne (SUI), 15 April 2011 – With less than two weeks to go to the Rolex FEI World Cup 2010/2011 Jumping Final in Leipzig (GER), excitement is at fever pitch and speculation is rife about whether defending champion Marcus Ehning or his German compatriot Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, can secure a historic fourth victory.
Just four riders have been three-time winners throughout the 32 seasons of this most prestigious indoor tournament, which brings together the leading competitors from 14 leagues staged all around the globe.
Two of those won’t make it to this year’s 33rd annual grand finale as Austria’s Hugo Simon, the first man to hold the coveted trophy aloft back in 1979 and winner again in 1996 and 1997, didn’t make the cut and Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa, who proved unbeatable between 1998 and 2000, has already said he won’t be making the trip to Leipzig.
That leaves only Ehning and Michaels-Beerbaum, members of Germany’s gold medal winning team at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and multiple champions in their own right, in contention for a record-breaking fourth success.
Germany's Marcus Ehning, winner of today's ninth leg of the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series in Zurich, Switzerland, is presented with a Rolex watch by Mr Pedro Reiser, Market Manager Rolex Switzerland. Photo: Katja Stuppia/FEI.
EHNING MAKES IT FIVE FOR GERMANY AT ZURICH by Louise Parkes
Zurich (SUI), 30 January 2011 – Marcus Ehning brought the German tally to five wins in the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series with a convincing victory riding Noltes Kuchengirl at the ninth leg in Zurich, Switzerland today. In an exciting seven-way jump-off against the clock, the defending champion pipped British birthday boy, 28 year old Ben Maher riding the rejuvenated Robin Hood W, while Australia’s Edwina Alexander and Cevo Itot du Chateau finished third.
Remarkably, two Spanish riders made the cut into the jump-off and the first of these, Pilar Cordon, slotted into fourth when double-clear with Nuage Bleu while German superstars Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly had to settle for fifth with a single mistake against the clock. Today’s result however has promoted Michaels-Beerbaum to runner-up spot in the Western European League standings which continue to be led by World No. 1 Kevin Staut from France whose first-round double-error proved costly today.
There was a lot riding on the last day of the GCT: the Million Euro Bonus, the Grand Prix of Brazil and the Leading Rider Award, which itself was worth over 25’000 Euro to the winner. Uliano Vezanni was in charge of building the course to sort them out and the first round produced eleven clear rounds but to the amazement of many, Marco Kutscher, leader of the GCT rankings, was not among them when he had two down with Catoki. And Jos Lansink’s chance of snatching the winner’s part of the Bonus disappeared when Spender S had two fences down. But Marcus Ehning was in the eighteen second round contestants and so was Edwina Alexander, lying in fourth but ready to capitalise on anyone else’s misfortunes.
Tonight’s two part class in Rio was a glowing tribute to mares as they filled the top four places in a fourteen horse jump off. The Prix Bradesco was a winning round class so the best 20% went through to the second round against the clock where all of them started on zero. There was another 125’000 in total prize money and this class was open to the national riders as well as the GCT ones so sixty horses were originally in the field.
The second phase later that evening was diminished by one when Ellen Whitaker was taken ill and could not jump off. Phillip Weishaupt started the ball rolling on dark bay Souvenir 29 and the pair set an excellent standard of 40.95. It did not like he had left much room for maneuver either. Billy Twomey on another mare Tinka’s Serenade was first to get past the German combination by just two tenths of a second, and then Roger Yves Bost, next in on his young mare Nifrane de Kreisker, removed a stride coming to the last and clipped a second off the Irishman’s time. This was looking unbeatable but you can never say never when the last to jump is Marcus Ehning. Riding his Sandro Boy sired Sabrina, a daring turn to the second last had the desired effect and his time of 39.63 was enough to give him another win on a mare who has barely been unplaced this season.
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
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