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Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum claimed the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping title for the second time in her career today with a magical performance from Shutterfly.

America’s Rich Fellers created a huge sensation when finishing second with Flexible, a horse who has achieved success against the most incredible odds, while Germany’s Heinrich-Hermann Engemann and Aboyeur W slotted into third.
Britain’s only representative, Michael Whitaker, finished ninth with Suncal Portofino.
Course designer Rolf Ludi built tracks asking huge questions about the rider’s ability to be accurate and the horse’s willingness to stretch themselves to their limit for this 30th anniversary fixture.
But Shutterfly proved more than equal to all of these questions, even when Meredith left the 15-year-old gelding with a lot to do at the triple combination in Sunday’s opening round but the horse just opened up his jump a little more to bring her home clear.
The second round track was shorter but the questions were still big with few able to master the awkward distance to the final fence. Last in to the ring, Shutterfly was like a piece of precision equipment and the crowd rewarded the German partnership with a huge roar as the horse and rider executed the last distance on a perfect four strides.
“I’m very proud to win my second world cup title,” said the rider who previously topped the line-up in Las Vegas in 2005. “Shutterfly showed he was in great form over three days and at 15 he is not young — he was super and he never had a rail down.”
American rider Rich Fellers was a surprise second with Flexible, an Irish-bred 12-year-old stallion by Cruising.
“You don’t know what they can do until you ask them, and when I asked him this week to jump higher and go wider he just kept saying ‘OK’,” the delighted American explained. Their success was all the more incredible because Flexible had previously been operated on for a blocked artery in a foreleg, as well as breaking his shoulder in a freak accident.
Results
1, Shutterfly (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum) Ger 4/0/0 – 4

2, Flexible (Rich Fellers) USA 2/4/0 – 6

3, Aboyeur W (Heinrich-Hermann Engemann) Ger 5/0/4 – 9

=4, Ideo du Thot (Beat Mandli) Sui 4/8/0 – 12

=4, All Inclusive NRW (Ludger Beerbaum) Ger 4/4/4 – 12

=4, Castle Forbes Libertina (Jessica Kuerten) Ger 0/8/4 – 12

=7, Esplanade (Peter Wylde) USA 3/12/0 – 15

=7, Tresor (Steve Guerdat) Sui 10/0/5 – 15

9, Suncal Portofino (Michael Whitaker) GBR 8/5/5 – 18

10, Ninja la Silla (Rolf-Goran Bengtsson) Swe 15/0/4 - 19

Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum steered his spectacular new ride, All Inclusive NRW, to victory at the fifth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping Western European League in Geneva, Switzerland this afternoon where his sister-in-law Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum shared runner-up spot with Ireland’s Jessica Kuerten.

Spectators at the Palexpo Arena were treated to a feast of jumping action over this weekend when Kuerten claimed the honours in the thrilling IJRC Top-10 on Saturday night, and FEI World Cup Director, John Roche, described the 2007 fixture as “the best show to date”.

Course designer Rolf Ludi, who will also build for the season’s finale in Gothenburg next April, knows how to maximise the tension on the big occasions with tracks that look a lot more simple than they actually are, and today’s jump-off was the perfect curtain closer with white-knuckle rides from the 11 through to the jump-off against the clock.

First in was Rodrigo Pessoa with his promising nine year old Rufus and a wonderfully fluid tour of the track saw the careful stallion and his skillful rider set the target with a clear round in 40.61 seconds.

The Brazilian partnership covered the first distance between the opening vertical and following oxer in eight strides but Sweden’s Helena Lundback added a few there to return two seconds slower while, third into the ring, Switzerland’s Niklaus Schurtenberger had to drive the big grey, Cantus, with all his might to stop the clock on 40.63.

Sweden’s Malin Baryard-Johnsson ratcheted it all up a gear however with a brilliant run from the 16 year old Butterfly Flip, a winner in this class six years ago, who crossed the line in 39.04 after a massive stand-off at the last but the excitement was really only beginning.

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum followed with a breath-taking tour with Shutterfly, accelerating dramatically in the middle of the course and then taking on the tricky double of liverpools, just two fences from home, in dare-devil style. Home in 38.45 seconds she had now re-set the standard and Portugal’s Luciana Diniz and Son of Marco posed no threat when dropping both elements of the penultimate double when they got into a muddle.

There was nothing muddled about the French duo of Michel Hecart and Itot du Chateau however, the game little gelding oblivious to the fact that his smaller stature might make it unlikely that he could cover the ground with the same degree of ease as the bigger boys as he galloped home just a second off the leader’s pace.

With just four left to go Ludger Beerbaum then took centre stage, and from the moment he set off there was a sense that something special was happening. Ludger looks at ease on this horse in a way that is reminiscent of some of his great rides, and the commentator roared “Extraordinaire! Quelle spectacle!” as the prolific medal-winning 44 year old cruised home to break the beam in 38.40 seconds and take over the top of the order.

Swiss supporters were right behind their own man, Steve Guerdat, as he got down to business with Jalisca Solier but although he produced a foot-perfect run his time of 39.66 seconds was not going to make a big enough impression and then it was down to the final two.

Anyone watching Jessica Kuerten jump over the past few days knew that she could not be discounted. Castle Forbes Libertina was in a class of her own when heading up Saturday’s Top-10 and, never short of energy, was as fresh as ever as she set off again, full of her trade-mark courage and enthusiasm. A risky turn to the oxer three from home paid off and the Irish rider looked well in touch when chancing it again at the following double but despite a brilliant effort the clock showed the Irish partnership precisely matching the time recorded by Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly. And when, last into the ring, Australia’s Edwina Alexander and Isovlas Socrates left three on the floor Ludger was confirmed as clear winner with the two ladies tied for second place.

Baryard-Johnsson slotted into fourth ahead of Hecart in fifth and Guerdat in sixth.

Ludger was extremely reticent about enthusing too much about his new find however. Talking about All Inclusive he said guardedly “I think he is a super horse and it is an absolute pleasure to ride him but I don’t like to go crazy talking about him because it puts too much pressure on him”. However he betrayed the fact that, deep down, he thinks he’s got a real winner here. “Maybe he will be a horse for the Olympics” he muttered as if he was hoping nobody could hear…..

“I’ve had him in my stable for two and half years. He came from a local rider who bred and rode him himself. He was a bit too sharp and he asked me to try him and since then he has been with us. I have been riding him for a year, before that Hendrick, one of the boys in my stable, rode him and his first big class was in Wiesbaden where he won and was second and then he was fourth in Maastricht and Sao Paolo and sixth in Stuttgart before winning today. He is only eight years old so now I will give him a break, I will not go to Zurich with him, he needs a rest and then I will look to bring him out for the outdoor season with a hope of taking him to the Olympics” the rider explained.

Asked if he, and other German riders, have a special gift for picking out good young horses he pointed out that he has many horses in his yard and only takes a few to shows. “In Germany we have many good horses so it it not that difficult to find a good one!” he pointed out. “We have a population of 80 million people, 100,000 new foals are born every year, and there are two million horses in the country but we don’t dominate the sport” he insisted. “Even though we are successful we are not European Champions” - at which point Meredith prodded her brother-in-law to remind him that she holds the individual European title.

She wasn’t bothered about having to settle for joint-second spot, - “Shutterfly jumped spectacularly in both rounds, and since the European Championships he has been pretty amazing. Today we were only beaten by 500ths of a second and that’s not much” she said.

Kuerten too had nothing to complain about after her sensational weekend. “I could be arrogant and say that I wouldn’t expect much less from my horse but I’m not like that” she insisted. “I’m super-proud of my horse after yesterday and it was a really fast jump-off today so I had a choice of either going for it or not. I took one stride too many from one to two but was ok on the following turn which is not our best point. I had a hairy turn to the last but my mare was exceptional and I’m very happy to share second with Meredith!” she added.

Today’s result sees her rise to fourth on the series leaderboard which continues to be led by Spain’s Rutherford Latham with opening-leg winner Helena Lundback in second and Meredith now in third. Ludger’s victory has promoted him to sixth spot behind Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson but with 31 points today’s winner still needs more to guarantee his place at the final.

“There are six more events to go” John Roche pointed out, and the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping action will resume at the Christmas spectacular at Olympia in London in two weeks’ time while Mechelen in Belgium plays host to the series the following week.

“I’d like to give full credit to the show organisers here in Geneva including Sophie Mottu, Alban Poudret and the entire team. We have enjoyed outstanding sport” he concluded. And no-one could argue with that……

RESULT: 1, All Inclusive (Ludger Beerbaum) Ger 0/0 38.40; Equal 2, Shutterfly (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum) Ger, Castle Forbes Libertina (Jessica Kuerten) Irl 0/0 38.45; 4, Butterfly Flip (M Baryard-Johnsson) Swe 0/0 39.04; 5, Itot du Chateau (Michel Hecart) Fra 0/0 39.45; 6, Jalisca Solier (Steve Guerdat) Sui 0/0 39.65; 7, Rufus (Rodrigo Pessoa) Bra 0/0 40.61; 8, Cantus (Niklaus Schurtenberger) Sui 0/0 40.63; 9, Madick (Helena Lundback) Swe 0/0 42.13; 10, Son of Marco (Luciana Diniz) Por 0/8 42.88; 11, Isovlas Socrates (Edwina Alexander) Aus 0/12 42.57; 12, Noltes Kuchengirl (Marcus Ehning) Ger 4/76.25; 13, Isaac du Jonquet (Mikael Forsten) Fin 4/77.01; 14, Okidoki (Albert Zoer) Ned 4/77.75; 15, Cornet Obolensky (Marco Kutscher) Ger 4/79.25; 16, Ilostra Dark (Eugenie Angot) Fra 4/79.32; 17, Sundal Colliers Cattani (Geir Gulliksen) Nor 4/80.68; 18, Jalia de Gaverie (Jane Richard) Sui 4/81.40; 19, Lorenzo (Christian Ahlmann) Ger 4/81.41; 20, Vigo d’Arsouilles (Philippe Lejeune) Bel 5/84.28; 21, Guarana Champeix (Rutherford Latham) Esp 5/85.63; 22, 11th and Bleeker (Gerfried Puck) Aut 8/79.05; 23, Aboyeur (Heinrich Hermann Engemann) Ger 8/79.38; 24, Plot Blue (Werner Muff) Sui 8/79.84; 25, Koro d’Or (Michel Robert) Fra 8/79.88; 26, Ivoire du Rouet (Francois Mathy Jr) Bel 8/82.48; 27, LB Casanova (Christina Liebherr) Sui 8/83.08; 28, Albin (Juan Carlos Garcia) Ita 8/83.22; 30; 29, Eurocommerce Acapulco (Gerco Schroder) Ned 8/83.49; 30, VDL Groep Fleche Rouge (Leopold Van Asten) Ned 12/80.03; 31, Noblesse M (Pius Schwizer) Sui 12/81.19; 32, Insul Tech Mozart des Hayettes (Michael Whitaker) GBR 12/83.13; 33, Con Spirito R (Theo Muff) Sui 12/83.53; 34, Ovation (Markus Fuchs) Sui 17/85.69; Eq 35, Ilton Daye (Hansueli Sprunger) Sui, Elim, Zamiro (Tina Lund) Den, Gestion Priamus Z (Vincent Voorn) Ned, Heritage Transmission (Marion Hughes) Irl, Peppermill (John Whitaker) GBR, Indigo (Beat Mandli) Sui Ret.

ROLEX FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING 2007/2008 - WESTERN EUROPEAN LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 5 IN GENEVA:

1. Rutherford Latham - 48.0
2. Helena Lundback - 41.0
3. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum- 36.0
4. Jessica Kuerten - 33.0
5. Rolf Goran Bengtsson - 31.0
6. Ludger Beerbaum - 31.0
7. Steve Guerdat - 31.0
8. Albert Zoer - 25.0
9. Michel Hecart - 25.0
10. Heinrich Hermann Engemann- 23.0
11. Piet Raymakers - 21.0
12. Marco Kutscher - 19.0
13. Luciana Diniz - 19.0
14. William Whitaker - 19.0
15. Daniel Deusser - 18.0
15. Juan Carlos Garcia - 18.0
17. Rodrigo Pessoa - 17.0
18. Eugenie Angot - 16.0
19. Markus Fuchs - 16.0
20. Piet Raymakers Jr - 15.0

The next leg of the series take place at Olympia in London from 17 to 22 December.

2007/2008 ROLEX FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING SERIES - CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR WESTERN EUROPEAN LEAGUE:
1, Oslo (Norway) 12-14 October; 2, Helsinki (Finland) 18-21 October; 3, Verona (Italy) 8-11 November; 4, Stuttgart (Germany) 14-18 November; 5, Geneva (Switzerland) 6-9 December; 6, London-Olympia (Great Britain) 17-22 December; 7, Mechelen (Belgium) 26-30 December; 8, Leipzig (Germany) 17-20 January; 9, Amsterdam (The Netherlands) 24-27 January; 10, Bordeaux (France) 1-3 February; 11, Vigo (Spain) 8-11 February; 12, ’s-Hertogenbosch (The Netherlands) 27-30 March; FINAL - Gothenburg (Sweden) 24-27 April.

YOU CAN SEE IT ON TV
2007/2008 ROLEX FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING BROADCAST SCHEDULE FOR ROUND 5 IN GENEVA:
Live/Delayed Live

TSR (Switzerland) - Sunday 9 December 14.30
RAI (Italy) - Check local service
SVT (Sweden) - Sunday 9 December 17.00
NOS (The Netherlands) - Check local service
Equidia (France) - Sunday 9 December 21.15, Monday 10 December 18.30, Wednesday 12 December 10.00

Highlights
CBC Country (Canada) - Saturday 15 December 14.00, 20.00, 23.00
CNBC Asia - Saturday 22 December 12.00
CNBC Europe - Saturday 22 December 17.00
ESPN Brazil - Check local service
ESPN Star (Pan Asia) - Check local service
Eurosport - Wednesday 12 December 21.05
Finnish Sport TV - Saturday 22 December 18.25
Fox Australia - Check local service
Fox Middle East - Tuesday 1 January 14.00
M-Net (Pan Africa) - Thursday 27 December 18.00, Friday 28 December 00.00, 06.30, Saturday 29 December 14.00,
Sunday 30 December 11.00, Monday 31 December 09.00, Tuesday 1 January 16.00,
Wednesday 2 January 20.00, Friday 4 January 23.30.
Sport TV (Portugal) - Check local service
Sport Plus (France) - Monday 17 November 21.00
WCSN (USA) - Check local service.

FEI World Cup™ Jumping has entered its 30th season. The series, created in 1978, today comprises 14 leagues on all continents. The best riders from 132 preliminary competitions will qualify for the final in Gothenburg, Sweden which takes place from 24-27 April 2008. The title-holder is Switzerland’s Beat Mandli.

The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), founded in 1921, is the international body governing equestrian sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and includes 133 National Federations.

Equestrian sport has been on the Olympic programme since 1912 with three disciplines - Jumping, Dressage and Eventing. It is one of the very few sports in which men and women compete on equal terms. It is also the only sport which involves two athletes - horse and rider. The FEI has relentlessly concerned itself with the welfare of the horse, which is paramount and must never be subordinated to competitive or commercial influences.
 
 
 
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A flying triple bar at the last proved just perfect for Hawera dairy farmer Robert Steele in the third round of the World Cup (NZ) qualifying series at the Tauranga Showjumping Championships yesterday.
Steele and his home-bred Gospel gave it their all in the second round to stop the clock at 58.59. Fellow New Zealand representative Oliver Edgecombe (Waipukurau) and his mounts Vancouver and JJ Freelance had to settle for second and third.

Edgecombe and Vancouver came home in 62.24 making it a tremendously exciting class for the large crowd that had gathered.

The three combinations were part of a 10-strong crew who had been whittled down from the original 16 starters. Gospel and Vancouver notched the only double clear rounds of the prestigious class.

It is Steele’s second World Cup win for the 2007-2008 series, with five rounds to go. 

Steele finished runnerup in the World Cup qualifying series this year and was part of the New Zealand team that successfully defended their Tri-Nations crown in South Africa in October.

He has allowed himself a few remote thoughts about next year’s Beijing Olympics.

“It’s something in the back of my mind, but I’ll see how I go in Taupo in a few weeks and then in the three [World Cup] rounds after Christmas. I’d only want to be involved if I thought I could do alright.”

Steele and the double Edgecombe combinations were part of a 10-strong lineup whittled down from the original 16 starters, with Gospel and Vancouver notching the only double clear rounds of the prestigious class yesterday.

It was Steele’s second World Cup win for the 2007/08 series after dominating the season opener in Hastings, and yesterday’s win put him back at the top of the World Cup qualifying standings.
Results
World cup (NZ) qualifying series, third round: Robert Steele (Hawera) Gospel 1, Oliver Edgecombe (Waipukurau) Vancover 2, Oliver Edgecombe JJ Freelance 3, Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) My Golliwog 4, Anna Trent (Auckland) Cortaflex Muskateer NZPH 5, Catherine Cameron (Cambridge) Kuhurangi Valentino 6.

World cup points after three rounds: Robert Steel 32 points 1, Maurice Beatson 28 2, Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) 25 3, Oliver Edgecombe 24 4, Katie McVean (Mystery Creek) 22 5, Claire Wilson (Waipukurau) 20 6.

Horse one star grand prix: Victoria Rattray (Auckland) Cheleken Upstart 1, Kim Zander (Otane) Itsabitsa 2, Mark Brookes (Cambridge) 3, Paula Mussen (Morrinsville) Grindley 4, Vicki Wilson (Whangarei) Witheze 5, Tess Williams (Gisborne) Walnut Brown 6.

Pony grand prix: Mathew Dickey (Taranaki) Co Calico 1, Alexia Randall (Auckland) Millbrook 2, Alexia Randall (Auckland) Starlight Express 3, Bailey Marshall (Fielding) Spyro 4, Rachael Bentall (Hastings) Sweet Edition 5, Kendryll Macauley (Morrinsville) Ricoshay II 6.

New Zealand seven-year-old series: Katie McVean Dunstan Daffodil 1, Anna Trent (Auckland) Untouchable 2, Anna Stephen (Masterton) Morningside 3, Rosie Richards (Auckland) Kowhai Sam 4, Robert Steele Wishful Thought 5, Jamie Beatson (Cambridge) Ombudsman 6.

Competition was tight, but Dannevirke’s Maurice Beatson won the showjumping grand prix at the weekend and said he hopes to qualify for the Beijing Olympics next year.
Beatson jumped five clear rounds at the Foxton racecourse to win on Kiwi Relic and claimed third on his new horse, Zibbibo.

Taranaki’s Robert Steele was second on Gospel, with Waipukurau’s Simon Wilson fourth on Right Royal.

Beatson said his horses had been going well in training and he was expecting the win.

“There is always pressure but it was a nice surface to jump on.” Beatson said.

Next weekend Beatson will compete in the Feilding A & P Showjumping Grand Prix and in Tauranga’s World Cup Event on My Golliwog.

Beatson competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and is aiming for a place in the New Zealand team for next year’s Beijing games.

He said results in the World Cup circuit over the next two months were crucial if he was to make his second Olympics.

His main rivals for the equestrian team, Beatson said, were Wilson and Steele.

The series concludes in Gisborne in January with the winner receiving a trip to Europe.

“The Olympics are always my aim but there are a lot of obstacles to get there,” Beatson said.

Cambridge’s Stephanie Anderson on Shady, won the FEI World Challenge with four clear rounds and no time faults.

Local rider, Gabrielle Harvey from Kimbolton, finished fifth on Westella. Harvey was consistent with one rail down in each round to incur eight faults.

Andrea Crothers was seventh on Darkvader.

The Pony grand prix was won in a jump-off by Taranaki’s Matthew Dickie on Co Calico.

Hawkes Bay’s Greta Porter was second on Chobidong.

She jumped the fastest round but had one rail down.

Bulls’ Emma Booth was third on I’m Ollie.

Sickness sidelined Manawatu secondary school sportsperson of the year Chloe Akers who was unable to compete in the Toyota young rider competition.

Caroline Parkes from Tolaga bay was first with Gisborne’s Tessa Williams, second.

Reigning European Champion Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum secured a home victory in the fourth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping series presented by Mercedes-Benz, Allianz and BW Bank in Stuttgart, Germany today with a thrilling jump-off performance from Shutterfly.

And the ladies were in flying form as Ireland’s Jessica Kuerten finished second ahead of Eugenie Angot from France in third, while with Belgium’s Judy-Ann Melchior in fifth and Portugal’s Luciana Diniz in seventh the girls took five of the top ten finishing spots.

There were 14 through to the second-round jump-off over Uliano Vezzani’s track and it was Irishman, Denis Lynch, who led the way with his new ride Lantinus which was formerly ridden by Gregory Wathelet for The Ukraine. Lynch, whose sponsor Thomas Straumann also bought the Daniel Deusser ride Upsilon d’Ocquier from Jan Tops earlier in the season, had two fences down in his path-finding round with the nine year old Lantinus, and Germany’s Thomas Muhlbauer and Asti Spumante did likewise before Brazil’s Alvaro Mirando and AD Picolien Zeidenrust set the first real target when returning with just four faults in 36.19 seconds.

Norway’s Tony Andre Hansen was more than a second slower when leaving two on the floor with Camiro, but Heinrich-Hermann Engemann made only a single error with the 13 year old Aboyeur who broke the beam in 35.59.

It was fellow German, Ludger Beerbaum. who produced the first clear with the eight year old All Inclusive NRW who broke the beam in 37.46 seconds and then, as so often happens, the fault-free rounds just kept on coming. Belgium’s Judy-Ann Melchior left the course intact with some nice jumping from the 10 year old Levisto who broke the beam in 38.15 seconds before the competition suddenly went into over-drive with a spectacular run from Jessica Kuerten and Castle Forbes Libertina.

The Irish partnership are particularly brilliant against the clock and when they crossed the line in 33.74 seconds they were almost four seconds ahead of previous leader Ludger Beerbaum and were now very definitely the ones to beat.

Luciana Diniz was competitive without being crazy when steering the 15 year old Son of Marco home and clear in 36.43, while Frenchman Michel Hecart was faster with Itot du Chateau but his time of 36.09 seconds was still more than two seconds off Kuerten’s pace.

With just four left to go, Germany’s Daniel Deusser and Air Jordan Z stopped the clock in 36.34 seconds to present no danger but, third-last into the ring, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum was on fire when setting off with Shutterfly.

“Jessica had been really fast in the jump-off and I knew it would be difficult to beat her time but I just tried to shorten the turns all the way around and maybe I was a little smoother” said the American-born German rider who will celebrate her 38th birthday next month. And that she did, racing home to stop the clock in 33.34 seconds and relegating Kuerten to runner-up spot.

Eugenie Angot had to follow that and was left with a bit of a dilemma. “The jump-off was really fast and with 14 through it would be easy to jump two rounds and still to go home with nothing” she pointed out afterwards. “I saw Meredith’s round on the screen and my feeling was that I had no chance to catch her and I knew Jessica’s time was good too so I decided to try to slot in behind them” she explained. She could not be sure of third place however until Steve Guerdat and Tresor took their turn. And the Swiss rider had a real shot at it when breaking the beam in 33.80 but leaving one on the floor which left him having to settle for eighth place.

For Meredith this was the perfect result following her disappointing elimination with Checkmate at the previous leg in Verona last weekend. “Yes this felt good - I needed some points and I now I feel I am on my way” she pointed out after taking ownership of the winner’s prize of a brand new “M” class Mercedes-Benz.

Her success today leaves her sharing seventh position with Steve Guerdat on the leaderboard which continues to be headed by Spain’s Rutherford Latham with Sweden’s Helena Lundback and Rolf-Goran Bengtsson in second and third.

And with the European Champion now firmly focused on earning her place at the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg next April the series moves up a gear ahead of the next round in Geneva, Switzerland in three weeks time….

RESULT: 1, Shutterfly (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum) Ger 0/0 33.34; 2, Castle Forbes Libertina (Jessica Kuerten) Irl 0/0 33.74; 3, Ilostra Dark (Eugenie Angot) 0/0 35.67; 4, Itot du Chateau (Michel Hecart) Fra 0/0 36.09; 5, Son of Marco (Luciana Diniz) Por 0/0 36.53; 6, All Inclusive KRW (Ludger Beerbaum) Ger 0/0 37.46; 7, Levisto Z (Judy-Ann Melchior) Bel 0/0 38.15; 8, Tresor V (Steve Guerdat) Sui 0/4 33.80; 9, Aboyeur W (Heinrich-Hermann Engemann) Ger 0/4 35.59; 10, AD Picolien Zeidenrust (Alvaro Miranda) Bra 0/4 36.19; 11, Air Jordan Z (Daniel Deusser) Ger 0/4 36.34; 12, Lantinus (Denis Lynch) 0/8 36.60; 13, Asti Apumante (Thomas Muhlbauer) Ger 0/8 36.87; 14, Camiro (Tony Andre Hansen) Nor 0/8 37.71; 15, Oki Doki (Albert Zoer) Ned 4/69.15; 16, Nairobi (Leon Thijssen) ned 4/69.26; 17, Madick (Helena Lundback) Swe 4/70.12; 18, Peppermill (John Whitaker) GBR 4/70.21; 19, Isovlas Socrates (Edwina Alexander) Aus 4/70.37; 20, Al Kaheel Spender S (Jos Lansink) Bel 4/71.59; 21, Da Zara Porto Rico (Piergiorgio Bucci) ita 4/71.72; 22, Ideo du Thot (Beat Mandli) Sui 4/71.78; 23, Gestion Priamus Z (Vincent Voorn) Ned 4/71.94; 24, Coster (Christian Ahlmann) Ger 4/72.56; 25, Isaac (Royne Zetterman) Swe 4/72.77; 26, Leonardo B (Thomas Voss) Ger 4/72.85; 27, Quintero la Silla (Rolf-Goran Bengtsson) Swe 4/73.39; 28, Butterfly Flip (Malin Baryard-Johnsson) Swe 8/73.39; 29, Grim St Clair (Thomas Velin) Den 8/69.39; 30, Clausen (Holger Wulschner) Ger 8/70.16; 31, Kanthaka de Petra (Julien Epaillard) Fra 8/70.40; 32, Cornet Obolensky (Marco Kutscher) Ger 8/70.45; 33, Lord Luis (Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst) Ger 8/70.89; 34, Callie Cool (Carsten-Otto Nagel) Ger 8/70.98; 35, Conally (Markus Renzel) Ger 8/71.30; 36, Noltes Kuchengirl (Marcus Ehning) Ger 8/71.97; 37, Calandro (Sebastian Numminen) Fin 8/75.43; 38, Pherna (Julia Kayser) Aut 16/88.19; Equal 39, Obelix (Taizo Sugitani) Jpn, Chika’s Way (Janne-Friederike Meyer) Ger Retired.

ROLEX FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING 2007/2008 - WESTERN EUROPEAN LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 4 IN STUTTGART:

1. Rutherford Latham - 48
2. Helena Lundback - 33
3. Rolf-Goran Bengtsson - 32
4. Heinrich-Hermann Engemann - 23
5. Albert Zoer - 22
6. Piet Raymakers Snr. - 21
7. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Steve Guerdat - 20
9. William Whitaker - 19
10. Juan Carlos Garcia - 18
11. Daniel Deusser - 18
12. Marco Kutscher, Jessica Kuerten - 17
14. Marcus Fuchs - 16
15. Eugenie Angot - 15
16. Piet Raymakers Jnr. - 15

The Netherland’s Albert Zoer and Oki Doki put in a breath-taking performance to head the line-up in the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping qualifier in Verona this afternoon, but the third leg of the 2007/2008 series was a far from predictable affair.

The fixture lured many of the top-ranked riders in the world to the romantic Italian town, but many of them were in for an unpleasant surprise as the form-book was turned on its head over the unusually demanding track set by course-designer Giovanni Bussu.

Few would have expected that the list of eliminations would include World No. 1 Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum from Germany, or that last year’s Verona winner, Holland’s Gerco Schroder, would be one four riders to retire.

The new formula to decide the order-of-go sees the list of competitors separated into two groups. Riders holding higher positions on the Rolex FEI World Rankings go in the second-half of the competition, and the formula is designed to ensure the excitement builds to a crescendo. Today it did just that, but not quite in the way that had been expected….

Just three of the top-ranked group went through to the eight-horse jump-off, and Zoer was the first of these, Oki Doki popping around the track full of his usual enthusiasm. The surprises had already started with World No. 2, Ludger Beerbaum, picking up 12 faults on an eventful tour of the course with Enorm.

The difficult lines included the run from the mustard-coloured vertical at fence five to an unusual blue wall at six which had a diamond-shaped hole in the centre of it and then there were three forward strides to the oxer at seven. Beerbaum’s gelding hit the wall which fell with a resounding crash and when the 10 year old also clipped the middle element of the tall and challenging treble at fence nine and the second element of the penultimate double he was well out of contention.

In sharp contrast however, fellow-German Marco Kutscher made the whole thing look like a walk in the park with a superb round from the lovely grey Cornet Obolensky who completely belied his tender age of just eight years. With nine more still left to go it seemed that the equilibrium might at last be about to be restored but, two horses later, Michaels-Beerbaum’s sudden departure left the crowd gasping.

The three permanent pillars in the Verona arena constantly create questions for the riders, and it seemed that the German rider’s gelding Checkmate was unsighted by the central pillar when turning after fence five. He stopped dead at the wall, and the newly-crowned individual European Champion who had been introduced by the commentator as “La Prima Donna Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum” could have been forgiven for turning into just that when her horse refused again a second time.

Many of the other top riders also lowered fences unexpectedly, both Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa and Rufus and Germany’s Marcus Ehning and Gitania hitting the oxer at fence three for just four faults and Jessica Kuerten, who looked a sure-fire contender with Castle Forbes Libertina after their superb victory in Friday’s feature class, picking up eight. Third-last into the ring however, Switzerland’s Werner Muff and Plot Blue left the course intact and therefore had the best of the draw when last to go in the jump-off.

It was his fellow-countryman, Daniel Etter, who was pathfinder in the timed round with Peu a Peu, but with two fences down it was left to Spain’s Rutherford Latham and Guarana Champeix, winners at the previous leg in Helsinki, to set the early target with a tidy clear in 52.56 seconds.

Belgium’s Patrick McEntee erred on the side of caution to come home without incident in 56.26 with Ever Mury Marais Z but Britain’s Ellen Whitaker decided to go for it with Locarno, paying a heavy price however when leaving four fences on the floor.

Italian supporters had arrived in their droves for today’s competition and went wild when their own Arnaldo Bologni set off with his Irish-bred KEC Destiny but two down hampered their chances and then Zoer was next into the arena.

“Even though he is very brave Oki Doki is also very sensitive and he gets afraid of the crowd sometimes like he did today” the 32 year old Dutchman said afterwards. “But once he knows it is time to start jumping he forgets everything else and then we are ok” he added.

Setting off like a cruise missile the partnership took a stride out down the first line, turned inside a pillar for a tight approach to the following oxer, wheeled round to pop the first two elements of the former triple combination and then galloped to the new oxer four from home. The third-last vertical with a delicate plank on top presented no danger and when the Dutch duo steered right-handed to the penultimate vertical they were already well up on the clock. But still Zoer kept the pressure on and the intake of breath from the sidelines was audible as Oki Doki raced to the final oxer to break the beam in 46.12 seconds to take to total command.

Despite his immaturity, Kutscher’s young horse remained completely composed when his rider also set off meaning business, but the German rider knows he has something special here and didn’t try to take all the risks when stopping the clock in 50.86 seconds and this was good enough for runner-up spot when Muff and Plot Blue collected eight faults.

“I had a really good feeling with Oki Doki here all weekend. I only rode him on Friday and then yesterday I gave him a rest. Today he felt really good in the first round and full of running in the jump-off” Zoer explained. His horse has had a busy year but the rider gives him regular short breaks. “He had three weeks off after the European Championships at Mannheim and then he went to Barcelona for the Super League Final. The team finished second there and Oki was fifth in the Grand Prix, then he had another week off and went to Arezzo where he was second in the Grand Prix”. The 11 year old Dutch-bred horse enjoyed another short rest before going to Athens where he won the Grand Prix, then to Brussels where he was placed in the Grand Prix and to Lyon last weekend where he won the GPA Masters. “He was so fit after his break before Barcelona that he came out bucking like a mad thing when I got there!” Zoer said of this horse he has been riding now for seven years. “He just loves going to shows rather than staying at home - he really enjoys competing and he is a truly great horse” he said with pride.

Now he plans to take in the Rolex FEI World Cup™ qualifier in Stuttgart next weekend - “then Oki gets another one-week break and we will go to Geneva and Olympia and that is it for the year” the rider explained.

Maximum points today moves him into fourth position on the series leaderboard which is now headed by Rutherford Latham who, with 48 points, looks well-qualified for the 2007/2008 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Final in Gothenburg next April. The Spaniard said today he will just go to one more show, in Geneva, before completing his season.

Sweden’s Helena Lundback and Rolf-Goran Bengtsson lie second and third on the leaderboard going into next week’s leg in Stuttgart where the home-side runners will be hoping for a little less of the drama they encountered today……

RESULT: 1, Oki Doki (Albert Zoer) Ned 0/0 46.12; 2, Cornet Obolensky (Marco Kutscher) Ger 0/0 50.86; 3, Guarana Champeix (Rutherford Latham) Esp 0/0 52.56; 4, Every Mury Marais Z (Patrick McEntee) Bel 0/0 56.25; 5, Peu a Peu (Daniel Etter) Sui 0/8 48.00; 6, Plot Blue (Werner Muff) Sui 0/8 53.91; 7, KEC Destiny (Arnaldo Bologni) Ita 0/8 59.26; 8, Locarno (Ellen Whitaker) GBR 0/16 53.33; 9, Athletica (Giulia Martinengo) Ita 4/70.28; 10, Rufus (Rodrigo Pessoa) Bra 4/71.01; 11, Bessemeind’s Casino (Morten Dijupvik) Nor 4/72.21; 12, Rivaal (Conor Swail) Irl 4/72.91; 13, Looping (Jurgen Krackow) Aut 4/73.01; 14, Gitania (Marcus Ehning) Ger 4/73.56; 15, BMC Up and Down (Jeroen Dubbeldam) Ned 4/73.99; 16, Isaac (Royne Zetterman) Swe 4/74.16; Eq 17, Isovlas Socrates (Edwina Alexander) Aus, Landzeu (Giuseppe D’Onofrio) Ita 4/74.33; 19, Quintero (Omar Bonomelli) Ita 4/74.63; 20, Aboyeur (Heinrich-Hermann Engemann) Ger /74.64; 21, Lord Luis (Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst) Ger 4/76.28; 22, Castle Forbes Libertina (Jessica Kuerten) Irl 8/69.11; 23, Kapitol D’Argonne (Emilio Bicocchi) Ita 8/69.96; 24, Leguiro (Franke Sloothaak) Ger 8/70.85; 25, Nobless M (Pius Schwizer) Sui 8/70.98; 26, Enorm (Ludger Beerbaum) Ger 12/73.67; 27, Loro Piana Zenzero Di Santa Ma (Filippo Moyersoen) Ia 12/76.88; 28, Evli Cagliostro (Nora Pennti) Fin 12/77.58; 29, Veretino (Natale Chiaudani) Ita 12/80.85; 30, Hamilton de Perhet (Juan Carlos Garcia) Ita 16/74.62; 31, Uppercut (Emanuele Guadiano) Ita 16/76.24; 32, Suzie Quattro (Luciana Diniz) Por 22/86.52; 33, Cyrenaika (Philippe Leoni) Fra Elim; Joyau D’Opal (Gianni Govoni) Ita Elim; Checkmate (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum) Ger Elim; Eurocommerce Vancouver (Gerco Schroder) ned Ret; Ilostra Dark (Eugenie Angot) Fra Ret; Ad Chatwin (Alvaro Miranda) Bra Ret.

ROLEX FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING 2007/2008 - WESTERN EUROPEAN LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 3 IN VERONA:
1, Rutherford Latham - 48
2. Helena Lundback - 33
3. Rolf-Goran Bengtsson - 32
4. Albert Zoer - 20
5. Juan Carlos Garcia - 18
6. Marco Kutscher - 17
7. Markus Fuchs - 16
8. Heinrich-Hermann Engemann- 15
9. Patrick McEntee - 13
10. Daniel Deusser, Cameron Hanley, Daniel Etter - 12
13. Omar Bonomelli, Steve Guerdat, Philippe Leoni, Werner Muff - 11
17. Mikael Forsten, Pius Schwizer, Arnaldo Bologni - 10.

Rutherford Latham is the World Cup Winner!

The second Qualifier of the Western European league resulted in a surprise winner when Rutherford Latham, 53, jumped to his first ever World Cup Qualifier victory in the Rolex FEI World Cup in Helsinki roding his stallion Guarana Champeix. Rolf-Göran Bengtsson was second for Sweden and Heinrich Hermann Engemann from Germany third.

This was also the first time that two Finnish riders have scored World Cup points in the same class. Mikael Forstén with Isaac du Jonquet was seventh and Noora Pentti´s Evli Cagliostro was placed eleventh.

The new fibresand footing enabled Aki Ylänne to design a big and a technical course. Especially the combinations were challenging and only three horses out of 39 went clear and nine horses had one fence down.

”I found the track really difficult to ride. One always tries to go clear, but to be honest, I did not believe in my own chances. I really surprised myself, said the happy winner, Rutherford Latham.

Latham has ridden his now 14-year-old Selle Francais stallion Guarana Champeix since he was five years old.

Rolf-Göran Bengtsson was second to go in the jump-off and wanted just to go clear. His plan worked, and resulted in second place.

”I knew that I would have no chance of being faster than Latham. So I tried to give Quintero La Silla a nice steady and clear jump-off. My plan worked when Engemann, who started last in the jump-off, hit the last fence and got four faults.

Mikael Forstén, who also won the prize for the best Finnish rider of the show, was happy with his World Cup round that gave four faults.

”It was a difficult course but my horse Isaac du Jonquet made it feel easy. He was jumping with great power and gave me such a huge jump over the triple bar that started the line towards the double that I lost my striding and got too close to the first element of the double. However, all in all, the weekend was a good one even though I did not hit the jackpot,” said Forstén.

Mikael Forstén´s partner Noora Pentti was equally pleased with their joint achievements.

”My new horse Atlas felt great and Evli Cagliostro jumped unbelievably well. I feel that Team Forstén-Pentti has shown that we are serious competitors at this level,” she said.

Pentti represents Finland in the third Qualifier of the Western European Rolex FEI World Cup league that takes place in Verona, Italy. Finnish riders share a problem with Swedish Rolf-Göran Bengtsson. Both countries have only one place in each Qualifier.

45.000 People Wanted to See the Stars

Glitnir Helsinki International Horse Show is the biggest annual indoor event in Finland. This year 45.000 visitors came to Hartwall Arena. The number of visitors is one of the highest in the history of the show. This time there were nine performances instead of eight because the most successful dressage rider in the world, Anky van Grunsven had her own lecture demonstration performance on the first night.

Next year Glitnir Helsinki International Horse Show welcomes you on October 16th to 19th 2008.

Sweden’s Helena Lundback won the opening leg of the 2007/2008 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping series presented by Landrover in Oslo, Norway this afternoon with a super-fast jump-off round from Madick.

In the nine-horse race against the clock she was second-last into the ring and shaved almost a half-second off the target set by Italy’s Juan Carlos Garcia and Hamilton de Perhet to clinch maximum points. And the Swedes were really flexing their muscles at this early stage of the season with Rolf-Goran Bengtsson claiming third with Ninja La Silla ahead of Spain’s Rutherford Latham and Guarana Champeix in fourth.

Points picked up at the beginning of the western European circuit can often prove pivotal. There is considerably greater pressure as the series progresses so Lundback was delighted to have made the perfect start in her effort to ensure a place at the final next April.

“The first round was nice and there was just the right number of horses going through to the second round” Lundback said afterwards. The home side’s Tony Andre Hansen riding Camiro and Geir Guliksen riding L’Espoir were amongst the 12 four-faulters in the opening round as course-designer Anders Hafskjold track weeded them out, but Norwegian show jumping is clearly in great shape.

For the first time ever in Oslo, a Norwegian rider clinched the Grand Prix title on Saturday afternoon when Gulliksen steered Sundal Colliers Cattani to victory. And there is a real sense of team spirit and strength following Norway’s great performance at the European Championships in Mannheim where they finished sixth and qualified for next year’s Olympic Games in Hong Kong.

Stein Endresen was the sole home-side representative in the jump-off and brought Le Beau across the line in 44.06 seconds but leaving two fences on the floor during his pathfinding run, so Philippe Leoni’s clear with the experienced 13 year old mare Cyrenaika set the first real target in a time of 43.38 seconds. That was always going to be beaten however and Ireland’s Cameron Hanley proved the point when the very promising eight year old stallion SIEC Livello broke the beam a second sooner.

Bengtsson and Ninja la Silla then raised the game again when stopping the clock in 40.88 and when Switzerland’s Markus Fuchs and Nirmette double-faulted the Swedish rider still had the whip hand. However Italy’s Juan Carlos Garcia produced a brilliant run from the 12 year old French-bred gelding Hamilton de Perhet to take the lead in 39.55 and the temperature just kept rising as Rutherford Latham had a cut at it but fell short by two seconds with Guarana Champeix and then Lundback set the arena alight with a fearless challenge.

“I talked with Rolf (Bengtsson) about what I should do because he was already finished” she explained afterwards, but she couldn’t really remember exactly how she clinched it. “Maybe I took out a stride between fences four and five but I’m not sure!” she said. “I’m not sure if I would ride it the same way again but Madick really tried for me!” she added.

With the target now set at 39.24 seconds and clear Pius Schwizer and Nobless M were last into the ring and the Swiss partnership gave it everything they had, doing the time as they crossed the line in 39.19 seconds but leaving one fence on the floor. This was still good enough to slot him into seventh spot behind Leoni in sixth and Hanley in fifth while Fuchs had to settle for eighth ahead of Endersen in ninth position.

“I really enjoyed this today - it’s special because this is my first World Cup victory” said 31 year old Lundback who lives in Norkoping in Sweden and so is therefore a neighbour of that other Swedish show jumping star Malin Baryard. “Madick is 11 years old and I have had her since she was eight so we know each other well - she is very kind and very talented” she explained. “And today was a really good day for the sport” she added, “because the public really enjoyed the jump-off”.

Lundback now travels north to Finland for next Sunday’s second leg of the 2007/2008 FEI World Cup™ Jumping series - “I’m looking forward to that” she said, “because it will be really great if I can get to Gothenburg for the final next year”. With 20 points already to her credit she is almost halfway there already……

RESULT: 1, Madick (Helena Lundback) Swe 0/0 39.24; 2, Hamilton de Perhet (Juan Carlos Garcia) Ita 0/0 39.55; 3, Ninja la Silla (Rolf Goran Bengtsson) Swe 0/0 40.88; 4, Guarana Champeix (Rutherford Latham) Esp 0/0 41.52; 5, SIEC Livello (Cameron Hanley) Irl 0/0 42.26; 6, Cyrenaika FRH (Philippe Leoni) Fra 0/0 43.38; 7, Nobless M (Pius Schwizer) Sui 0/4 39.19; 8, Nirmette (Markus Fuchs) Sui 0/8 40.27; 9, Le Beau (Stein Endresen) Nor 0/8 44.06; 10, Jalisca Solier (Steve Guerdat) Sui 4/73.29; 11, Fresh Direct Corlato (Tim Stockdale) GBR 4/73.73; 12, Asti Spumante (Thomas Muhlbauer) Ger 4/74.39; 13, Tekila D (Pieter Devos) Bel 4/74.69; 14, Van Schijndel’s Curtis (Piet Raijmakers) Ned 4/74.89; 15, Dan 7-T (Henk Van de Pol) Ned 4/74.98; 16, Grim St Clair (Thomas Velin) Den 4/75.67; 17, Legurio (Franke Sloothaak) Ger 4/75.67; 18, Zamiro (Tina Lund) Den 4/75.88; 19, Umit (Wilm Vermeir) Bel 4/76.02; 20, Camiro (Tony Andre Hansen) Nor 4/76.49; 21, L’Espoir (Geir Gulliksen) Nor 4/76.77; 22, Nanta (Jonella Ligresti) Ita 4/77.71; 23, Coulthard (Christian Anfinnsen Oien) Nor 5/79.21; 24, Tymoon Caloo Meerchen (Dirk Demeersman) Bel 8/71.18; 25, Bessemeind’s Casino (Morten Djupvik) Nor 8/72.45; 26, Lord du Janlie (Julien Epaillard0 Fra 8/72.74; 27, Pero-Z Hillock (Linnea Ericsson) Den 8/73.87; 28, JPC Modesto (Jean Marc Nicolas) Fra 8/75.22; 29, Aboyeur W (Heinrich Hermann Engemann) Ger 8/75.24; 30, Diorissimo (Jens Fredricson) Swe 8/75.44; 31, JK Horsetruks Cappe Z (Mans Buurman) Ned 8/77.84; 32, HGF Can Fly (Gilbet Bockmann) Ger 12/72.74; 33, Suzie Quattro (Luciana Diniz) Por 12/73.54; 34, Quintero (Omar Bonomelli) Ita 12/75.19; 35, Calandro (Sebastian Numminen) Fin 13/79.89; 36, Olaf (Leon Thijssen) Ned 17/79.72; 37, Billy Birr (William Funnell) GBR 17/82.55; 38, Royal Power (Jose Larocca) Arg 20/71.98; Eq 39, Da Zara Kanebo (Piergiorgio Bucci) Ita, Irish Independent Echo Beach (Cian O’Connor) Irl Ret.

ROLEX FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING 2007/2008 - WESTERN EUROPEAN LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 1 IN OSLO:

1. Helena Lundback - 20
2. Juan Carlos Garcia - 17
3. Rolf-Goran Bengtsson - 15
4. Rutherford Latham - 13
5. Cameron Hanley - 12
6. Philippe Leoni - 11
7. Pius Schwizer - 10
8. Markus Fuchs - 9
9. Stein Endresen - 8
10. Steve Guerdat - 7
11. Tim Stockdale - 6
12. Thomas Muhlbauer - 5
13. Pieter Devos - 4
14. Piet Raijmakers - 3
15. Henk Van de Pol - 2
16. Thomas Velin - 1