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Convincing Irish victory on home ground in Dublin

News Desk — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 10:38:00 +0000

The host nation of Ireland won the eighth and last leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Europe Division 1 League in Dublin today. Pictured (L to R) Matthew Dempsey, President of the Royal Dublin Society, President of Ireland His Excellency Michael D. Higgins, team members Greg Broderick, Darragh Kenny, Chef d’Equipe Robert Splaine, Bertram Allen and Cian O’Connor, Mr Yazeed Suleiman D Alderaiwesh, Saudi Embassy Dublin, Katrina Jones Longines Brand Manager UK and Ireland, and Brian Mangan, FEI Bureau member. (FEI/Tony Parkes)

The main arena of the Royal Dublin Society showgrounds in Ireland’s capital city was electric with excitement this evening when the Irish team won the eighth and last leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Europe Division 1 League on their own hallowed turf. As they raised the Aga Khan Cup in triumph – one of the most coveted trophies in the sport – they brought a broad smile to the face of Irish President, His Excellency Michael D Higgins, and the crowd went wild with delight.

Written by Louise Parkes

Bertram Allen, Greg Broderick, Cian O’Connor, Darragh Kenny and Chef d’Equipe Robert Splaine delivered Ireland’s 23rd victory in the 89-year history of the great event that always draws huge numbers of spectators. But this was possibly one of the most emphatic of all time. Because the home side didn’t just win, they trounced the opposition with a performance so strong that anchorman, Kenny, didn’t even have to jump a second time because it was already wrapped up.

Established their supremacy

They established their supremacy by the halfway stage when they were the only ones on a zero score, and once out in front they didn’t flinch. The Netherlands finished second ahead of the Swiss who managed to survive the elimination of Olympic champion Steve Guerdat on a day when several horses decided they really didn’t want to take on Alan Wade’s course for a second time. Lying second-last at the halfway point, Germany bounced back to line up fourth ahead of Spain in fifth, while the British had a disappointing afternoon when having to settle for sixth. The Italians rallied with three clear rounds second time out to finish seventh, but the biggest surprise of the day was the last-place finish for the 2014 Dublin winners from the USA.

It was a nightmare afternoon for American pathfinder, Charlie Jayne, who collected 20 faults first time out and was then unceremoniously dumped in the water on his second tour of the track with Valeska. That, combined with an unfortunate second-round double-error for Georgina Bloomberg when she lost her right stirrup after a mistake at the penultimate vertical with her mare Lilli, sealed their fate, and the USA finished on a not-inconsiderable 32 faults.

There was another big surprise when today’s competition revealed which countries have qualified from Europe Division 1 for the Furusiyya Final in Barcelona, Spain in September. The top seven nations – Belgium, Switzerland, Great Britain, France, Ireland, Netherlands and Sweden – have made the cut, but Germany lies in eighth place on the final league leaderboard and will miss out along with Italy. Spain has finished last, but will compete as hosts on their home ground.

Demanded accuracy

Wade’s track demanded accuracy from riders and commitment from horses, and fences fell all around the course. Allen was the first man out and left the vertical at fence eight on the floor with the 17-year-old stallion Romanov, but that was Ireland’s only mistake in the first round. Broderick’s MHS Going Global and O’Connor’s Good Luck are two very talented nine-year-olds and both gave jumping exhibitions, while Kenny’s 12-year-old gelding, Sans Soucis Z, also breezed home effortlessly. And when Allen got it all just right second time out and then Broderick’s gelding produced more spectacular jumping, the single error from O’Connor’s stallion was still good enough for the win.

Wout-Jan van der Schans secured runner-up spot for the Dutch when he and Broderick were the only two to post double-clears on the day. This meant The Netherlands could drop the 18 collected by Johnny Pals when his stallion decided he didn’t want to make the roll-back to the vertical at fence six, although he eventually agreed to do it after making quite a fuss. This was exactly the same spot that brought Guerdat’s second round to an end with Corbinian, the sight of the arena entrance in the distance perhaps looking a lot more inviting than the prospect of another 11 big jumping efforts.

Buoyant

The mood in the Irish camp was buoyant this evening, because a place at the Furusiyya Final and in the premier league of international team Jumping was hanging in the balance today. And Chef d’Equipe Robert Splaine now knows he has a rock-solid squad as he heads to the FEI European Championships Aachen 2015, where Ireland will be hoping to claim one of the last remaining qualification spots for the Rio 2106 Olympic Games in 12 days’ time.

“The build-up was phenomenal” said Broderick who made his debut at the revered Dublin venue today, “and I felt like I didn’t want to let anyone down.” A long-time star on his national circuit, the 29-year-old rider made his Nations Cup debut with MHS Going Global less than a year ago at the Europe Division 2 leg in Arezzo, Italy and the pair have been hugely impressive every since.

London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Cian O’Connor was competing in his 100th Nations Cup. “My horse jumped fantastic and it was a privilege to compete with such a great team of guys” he said this evening, while Bertram Allen, who now holds the number five position on the Longines world rankings, admitted that it was a very special feeling to have contributed to today’s result. The 20-year-old has enjoyed phenomenal success over the past 12 months competing as an individual, and was part of the Irish team that just missed out on Olympic qualification at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy where he placed individually seventh. “But I’ve never enjoyed success like this at Senior team level and it’s a great feeling to be part of it” he said tonight.

Chef d’Equipe Splaine said, “I’m very proud of the four them, they really pulled together and they were in a class of their own today”. And no-one could disagree with that.

For further details of the last leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Europe Division 1 League in Dublin visit www.dublinhorseshow.com or contact Press Officer Marita Connors, email press@rds.ie, Tel +353 1 2407916. The next leg of the series is the penultimate round of the Europe Division 2 series which will take place in Gijon, Spain on Saturday 29 August. For information on the Spanish fixture visit http://en.hipico.gijon.es or contact Press Officer José Ramón Rodríguez, Email jr.rodriguez@telecable.es, Tel +34 629 043 529.

Result:

1. Ireland 4 faults: Romanov (Bertram Allen) 4/0, MHS Going Global (Greg Broderick) 0/0, Good Luck (Cian O’Connor) 0/4, Sans Soucis Z (Darragh Kenny) 0/DNS.

2. Netherlands 8 faults: Quinlan (Vincent Voorn) 0/4, Vignet (Johnny Pals) 4/18, Willink (Henk van de Pol) 4/0, Aquila SFN (Wout-Jan van der Schans) 0/0.

3. Switzerland 13 faults: LB Eagle Eye (Christina Liebherr) 0/1, Corbinian (Steve Guerdat) 4/Elim, Copain du Perchet CH (Edwin Smits) 4/4, Windsor XV (Niklaus Rutschi) Ret/0.

4. Germany 16 faults: Conthendrix (Andre Thieme) 4/4, Brooklyn 17 (Mario Stevens) 4/0, Lacan 2 (Patrick Stuhlmeyer) 4/4, Embassy ll (Hans-Dieter Dreher) 4/0.

5. Spain 17 faults: Gribouille du Lys (Pilar Lucrecia Cordon) 4/4, Rokfeller de Pleville Bois Margot (Eduardo Alvarez Aznar) 0/4, Belcanto X (Alberto Marquez Galobardes) 12/9, G & C Quitador Rochelais (Sergio Alvarez Moya) 4/1.

6. Great Britain 23 faults: Hello M’Lady (Scott Brash) 0/4, Catwalk (Robert Whitaker) 0/9, Wonder Why (Spencer Roe) 20/16, Cassionato (Michael Whitaker) 5/5.

7. Italy 24 faults: Admara 2 (Emanuele Gaudiano) 4/0, Gitano v Berkenbroeck (Juan Carlos Garcia) 12/4, Geisha van Orshof (Lorenze de Luca) 12/0, Casallo Z (Piergiorgio Bucci) 8/0.

8. USA 32 faults: Valeska (Charlie Jayne) 20/Elim, Lilli (Georgina Bloomberg) 0/8, Barron (Lucy Davis) 0/8, Babalou 41 (Todd Minikus) 8/8.

Splaine Confirms Team For Aga Khan Trophy

News Desk — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 09:40:07 +0000

IRELAND’S show jumping manager Robert Splaine has confirmed his team of four riders and horses that will contest the world-famous Aga Khan Trophy competition at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show this afternoon (Friday).

The Irish quartet, sponsored for the first time by Investec, will line out as follows:

Bertram Allen with Romanov
Greg Broderick with MHS Going Global (ISH)
Cian O’Connor with Good Luck
Darragh Kenny with Sans Soucis Z

Ireland was drawn in the difficult position of first to jump of the eight teams competing, and 20 year-old Bertram Allen will therefore be the first rider on the turf of the main arena in the RDS when the Nations’ Cup begins at 3pm in front of what is expected to be a capacity crowd.

Meath’s Cian O’Connor will be making his 100th Nations’ Cup appearance for Ireland on Friday, while Tipperary’s Greg Broderick is taking part in his first Aga Khan competition.

Dublin is the last of the Furuiyya FEI Nations’ Cup series for 2015. A total of ten nations have competed in Europe Division I during the season, and seven of those teams will qualify for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Final which takes place in Barcelona, Spain from 24 to 27 September.

Ireland however, will have an even bigger test later this month when it attempts to obtain team qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics at the European Show Jumping Championships in Aachen, Germany.

Authoritative German victory on Home Ground at Hagen

News Desk — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 14:19:08 +0000

Team Germany stamped their authority all over the fourth leg of the FEI Nations Cup™ Dressage 2015 pilot series when coming out on top at CDIO Hagen, Germany today. Pictured (L to R): Isabell Werth, Kristina Broring-Sprehe, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Hubertus Schmidt. (FEI/Karl-Heinz Freiler)

Team Germany were in a league of their own when winning the fourth leg of the FEI Nations Cup™ Dressage 2015 pilot series on home soil in Hagen today. With three scores in excess of 70 per cent and a massive 81.160 for last-line rider, Kristina Broring-Sprehe with Desperados FRH, they finished more than 15 points ahead of their nearest challengers from Denmark, while Spain slotted into third.

By Louise Parkes

A total of eight nations lined out for this highly-competitive leg that gave Chefs d’Equipe a chance to test horse-and-rider combinations, and team spirit, ahead of next month’s all-important FEI European Championships in Aachen (GER). Russia lined up a close fourth ahead of Switzerland in fifth while the defending series champions from The Netherlands slotted into sixth ahead of the USA in seventh and Great Britain in eighth and last place.

Choice of formats

Organisers have a choice of formats to decide the results in this pilot series, and Hagen chose to run the FEI Nations Cup™ Dressage over just a single competition, todays’ Grand Prix. First out for the German side, Hubertus Schmidt had an uncomfortable time when he and his 12-year-old stallion, Imperio 3, had to endure a heavy downpour as well as gusty winds. However they still managed to post a hefty 72.5 which, when it turned out to be the team discard, gave a strong indication of German superiority on the day.

German Chef d’Equipe, Klaus Roeser, fielded a truly heavyweight side, and when Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Unee BB scored 76.680 and Isabell Werth followed that with 77.440 from Don Johnson they already looked unbeatable. Many of the team managers kept their very best until last, and Broring-Sprehe’s big score with Desperados saw all five members of the Ground Jury – Germany’s Katrina Wuest and Evi Eisenhardt, Italy’s Vincenzo Truppa, Sweden’s Gustav Svalling and The Netherlands‘ Ghislain Fouarge – in complete agreement about the individual leading score of the day.

Defining

She wasn’t the only one to produce a defining last-to-go performance however. The 76.000 awarded to Anna Kasprzak and Donnperignon saw Denmark leap-frog other nations to earn runner-up position. Agnete Kirk Thinggaard’s 67.66 with JoJo AZ was the discard when Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Blue Horse Loxana posted 71.900 and then Mikala Muenter Gundersen and My Lady posted 71.720 for a team total of 219.620. And Beatriz Ferrer-Salat did likewise for Spain. The multi-medalled 49-year-old who claimed team silver and individual bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games steered the 14-year-old Delgado to a score of 75.180 which, when added to the 69.980 from Claudio Castilla Ruis (Alcaide) and 71.620 from Jose Daniel Martin Dockx (Grandioso) gave a team total 215.780 – Jordi Domingo Coll’s 68.78 (Wonder) was the discard here.

Team Russia’s 213.500 left them just over two points adrift in fourth place, and again the anchor partnership proved pivotal. Inessa Merkulova and Mister X are a hugely popular partnership wherever they go, and they lived up to their usual billing when boosting Russian chances considerably with a mark of 75.340.

Switzerland finished fifth on 211.040, the three-member Dutch team finished sixth on 210.360, the USA lined up seventh with 210.000 and Great Britain rounded up the scoreboard with their total of 205.840.

The full story

The individual scoresheet told the full story at the end of the day, with Germany’s Broring-Sprehe, Werth and von Bredow-Werndl filling the top three places ahead of Kaskprazak, Merkulova and Ferrer-Salat. Broring-Sprehe had every reason to be in buoyant mood, as she was married just over two weeks ago to long-time boyfriend Christian Broring in a civil ceremony. They plan a church wedding following the FEI European Championships 2015 in Aachen, and the 28-year-old German Dressage star certainly pleased her Chef d’Equipe today with her sparkling ride in difficult circumstances.

“Kristina was very, very good even though her horse got quite excited due to the weather”, Klaus Roeser said, “and Isabell was very good. Hubertus was a bit unlucky. There was very heavy wind and rain as he started, and he coped really well so his horse could show his quality, but they both had an early shower! All four riders did a great job!”, he added.

Roeser has many of his big guns competing at Hagen this week and said today’s competition gave him the opportunity to see some potential team members for the forthcoming Championships. “But on the other hand we also have other interesting horses and riders going in the other Tour here. We have more days of competition, and by Sunday we will have a better overview of our potential team situation” he explained.

He talked about his team’s winning margin. “We came with a strong team, but everyone faced the same conditions today and everyone had the same job to do. Yes the distance between ourselves and the Danes was not too small – but from our side that wasn’t a problem at all!” he said with a laugh.

Result:

1. Germany 235.280: Imperio 3 (Hubertus Schmidt) 72.5, Unee BB (Jessica von Bredow-Werndl) 76.680, Don Johnson FRH (Isabell Werth) 77.440, Desperados FRH (Kristina Broring-Sprehe) 81.160.

2. Denmark 219.620: JoJo AZ (Agnete Kirk Thinggaard) 67.66, Blue Hors Loxana (Daniel Bachmann Andersen) 71.900, My Lady (Mikala Muenter Gundersen) 71.720, Donnperignon (Anna Kasprzak) 76.00.

3. Spain 215.780: Wonder (Jordi Domingo Coll) 68.78, Alcaide (Claudio Castilla Ruis) 68.980, Grandioso (Jose Daniel Martin Dockx) 71.620, Delgado (Beatriz Ferrer-Salat) 75.180.

4. Russie 213.500: Laetare (Polina Afanasleva) 63.86, Kartsevo Upperville (Tatiana Dorofeeva) 67.840, Vosk (Marin Aframeeva) 70.320, Mister X (Inessa Merkulova) 75.340.

5. Switzerland 211.040: Dandy de la Roche CMF CH (Antonella Joannou) 67.62, For Compliment (Birgit Wientzek-Plage) 69.680, Raffaello va Bene (Anna-Mengia Aerne) 69.600, Smeyers Molberg (Marcela Krinke-Susmelj) 71.760.

6. Netherlands 210.360: Radetzky (Marjan van der Jagt) 68.240, Westpoint (Kirsten Beckers) 70.220, Bonzanjo (Diedeick van Silfhout) 71.900.

7. USA 210.000: Woodstock (Arlene Page) 68.700, Kastel’s Nintendo (Charlotte Jorst) 70.840, Doktor (Shelly Francis) 69.460, Breanna (Kathleen Raine) 66.32.

8. Great Britain 205.840: Solo Bachelorette (Emily Kate Cousins) 64.18, Weltzin (Hannah Biggs) 68.320, Rubin al Asad (Lara Griffith) 68.320, Die Callas (Anna Louise Ross) 69.200.

Broderick Third in Portugal’s Global Champions Tour Grand Prix

News Desk — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 06:30:55 +0000

THREE Irish riders finished in the top ten of the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Portugal tonight (Saturday), but the laurels went to third-placed Greg Broderick, who made his podium debut in the series with a third place on the Irish Sport Horse MHS Going Global.

A tough first two rounds saw only four combinations make it through to the final jump-off at Estoril, with the Tipperary rider doing battle with British world number one Scott Brash, as well as Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Alsharbatly and Germany’s Christian Ahlmann.

Ahlmann had a single pole down in the jump-off, with Broderick maintaining a cool head aboard Caledonia Stables’s nine year-old Kilkenny-bred gelding to deliver a perfect clear round in his first appearance at a Global Champions Tour event, placing third on time behind Alsharbatly and winner Brash.

The Irish rider picked up a substantial 45,000 euro for his place, while Brash collected 100,000 and Alsharbatly 60,000.

Wexford’s Bertram Allen finished in seventh place tonight on Billy Twomey’s Romanov, after a single fence down in the first round, while Tipperary’s Denis Lynch finished in tenth with a second round mistake aboard Thomas Straumann’s All Star 5. Allen gained sufficient points at Estoril, however, to move him up to tenth place overall in the Global Champions Tour rankings.

Flawless Dutch Scoop Furusiyya Victory At Faltersbo

News Desk — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 06:23:12 +0000

Harrie Smolders and Emerald were pathfinders for the Dutch team that won today’s sixth leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Europe Division 1 League at Falsterbo, Sweden with a zero score. (FEI/Lotta Gyllensten)

The Dutch showed precisely why they are the reigning World and defending Furusiyya champions when soaring to victory at the sixth leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Europe Division 1 League in Falsterbo, Sweden today. It took just three of the four members of Rob Ehrens’ side to clinch it when Harrie Smolders, Maikel van der Vleuten and Leopold Van Asten all jumped double-clear, leaving anchorman Gerco Schroder with nothing to do for the entire afternoon but to watch from the sidelines.

by Louise Parkes

There were five nations chasing qualifying points for the Furusiyya 2015 Final in Barcelona in September and it seemed that the Germans, who were also in the hunt, might force the eventual winners into a third-round jump-off. But in the end they had to settle for joint-runner-up spot along with their hosts from Sweden, while Switzerland slotted into fourth ahead of Spain in fifth and USA in sixth place.

The extraordinary run of Di Lampard’s British side ground to halt today, when the country that has enjoyed three victories so far this season lined up seventh despite a fantastic double-clear from anchorman Michael Whitaker. Team Poland finished last, hampered by a fall for anchor partnership Piotr Morsztyn and Osadkowski van Halen at the pentultimate oxer in the opening round.

Jumped clear

It appeared that course designer Christian Wiegand from Germany had not over-taxed them when 13 horse-and-rider combinations jumped clear in the first round. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t plenty of drama, with American chances taking an early hammering when Kirsten Coes’ stallion, Czardas, pulled out at the open water at fence eight before taking it on at his second attempt. And the British also got off to a disappointing start when William Funnell’s stallion, Billy Congo, was eliminated for throwing in the towel at the Longines triple combination. This fence was followed by a water-tray oxer that regularly hit the dirt, while the one-stride double at fence seven also took its toll.

The narrow vertical that followed the open water took some riding for those with onward-bound horses, but the final line of oxer to vertical at fences 11 and 12 proved particularly influential.

There was another dramatic moment in the second round when Spain’s Alberto Marquez Galobardes was forced to retire after his left rein broke on landing over the second fence with Belcanto Z. However his team fought on to take some much-sought-after last qualifying points at the end of the day.

Zero score

The real battle was played out by the other four points-chasing countries, the Dutch and Germans neck-and-neck on a zero score at the halfway stage followed by the Swedes and Swiss with four apiece. Like Dutch Chef d’Equipe, Rob Ehrens, Otto Becker hadn’t held back on his selection for the German side, and when Patrick Stuhylmeyer’s Lacan hit the middle element of the Longines triple first time out it didn’t matter because his fellow-countrymen had already racked up foot-perfect runs. But second time out, pathfinder Marcus Ehning and his exciting new stallion, Comme Il Faut 5, hit the first element of the triple combination and although both Janne Freiderike and her classy gelding Goja 27, and Mario Stevens and Brooklyn made no mistake, three more clears from the Dutch put major pressure on fourth-line rider Stuhylmeyer second time out.

By now the Swiss had lost their grip with eight faults to add, but the Swedes held firm with three great clears. Peder Fredricson’s brilliant campaigner, Lunatic, was officially retired before the class began this afternoon, but the rider has found a lovely stallion to follow in his footsteps in the nine-year-old H&M All In who never touched a pole all day. And although Douglas Lindelow and Casello fell victim to the penultimate oxer this time out, both Helena Persson (Bonzai H) and Henrik von Eckermann (Cantinero) left all the poles in place to ensure they completed on their first-round tally.

The Dutch could be seen checking the jump-off course before last-line German, Stuhylmeyer, came into the ring because if he left all the timber up then it would come down to a two-way ride-off to decide the result. However when Lacan hit the middle element of the Longines triple combination it was all over, and the Dutch would have their day once again.

Deserves the win

Dutch Chef d’Equipe Ehrens said “Gerco didn’t touch a rail today but he still deserves the win because he has been a key member of the team for so many past events. We struggled a bit at the beginning of the season because of small things. We had to replace combinations etc., so the victory today is a matter of working really well together. There is an enormous team spirit and only a small phone call was necessary to get them to come to Falsterbo. Everybody is on same line and has the same goal – winning – and when everybody works together it achieves great results. We have all the riders, owners and sponsors behind us, and the crowd were fantastic today, this is a brilliant place to win!” he added.

Pathfinder, Harrie Smolders, said “in a Nations Cup you never know how it’s going to turn out, but we were really focused on today and our four horses and riders are in great shape at the moment – for us this is mission accomplished!”

He’s one of several Dutch riders fighting for a place on his country’s team for the FEI European Championships at Aachen, Germany next month. When asked if he felt he was a likely contender Smolders replied, “for sure Rob will have been looking at all the performances, particularly in the Nations Cup it’s always a great opportunity to see riders under pressure. I hope he liked the way we went today, but in Holland we have six or seven combinations able to jump on the European team and it comes down to his (Rob Ehrens’) choice in the end. I’m really pleased with Emerald though, he always had the talent but this year he’s really showing the benefit of the experience he has gained over the last few years and he’s full of confidence.”

Today’s result sees the Swedes and Dutch move up behind France at the top of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Europe Division 1 leaderboard, but for many of the other teams there is still plenty more work to be done. Despite their great season to date the British were only on a points-gaining mission at two of their three winning venues and will be hoping to improve their seventh-place position over the remaining two legs of the series at Hickstead (GBR) in two weeks’ time and Dublin (IRL) a week later. Each country has four qualifying opportunities during the season, and with only one more left to go, Team Germany, now lying fifth, will be feeling some of the heat at Hickstead.

Result:

1. Netherlands 0 faults: Emerald (Harrie Smolders) 0/0, VDL Groep Verdi TN NOP (Maikel van der Vleuten) 0/0, VDL Groep Zidane (Leopold van Asten) 0/0, Glock’s Cognac Champblanc (Gerco Schroder) DNS/DNS.

2. Sweden 4 faults: H&M All In (Peder Fredricson) 0/0, Casello (Douglas Lindelow) 0/5, Bonzai H (Helena Persson) 5/0, Cantinero (Henrik von Eckermann) 4/0.

2. Germany 4 faults: Comme Il Faut 5 (Marcus Ehning) 0/4, Goja 27 (Janne Friederike Meyer) 0/0, Brooklyn 17 (Mario Stevens) 0/0, Lacan 2 (Patrick Stuhlmeyer) 4/4.

4. Switzerland 12 faults: Quorida de Treho (Romain Duguet) 4/0, Giovanni van het Scheefkastell (Pius Schwizer) 0/4, Bonne Chance CW (Janika Sprunger) 0/4, Clooney 51 (Martin Fuchs) 4/DNS.

5. Spain 14 faults: Enriques of the Lowlands (Manuel Fernandez Saro (8/0, Belcanto Z (Alberto Marquez Galobardes) 4/Ret, Rokfeller de Pleville Bois Margot (Eduardo Alvarez Aznar) 0/9, G & C Quitador Rochelais (Sergio Alvarez Moya) 1/0.

6. USA 22 faults: Czardas (Kirsten Coe) 15/5, Flaming Star (Charlie Jacobs) 0/0, Evening Star (Heather Caristo-Williams) 8/8, VDL Wizard (Callan Solem) 1/8.

7. Great Britain 28 faults: Billy Congo (William Funnell) Elim/DNS, Bintang ll (Laura Renwick) 4/8, Ashkari (Yazmin Pinchen) 12/4, Calcourt Falklund (Michael Whitaker) 0/0.

8. Poland 58 faults: Abigej (Marek Lewicki) 4/12, Zoweja (Krzysztof Ludwiczak) 17/9, Emperio van ’T Roosakker (Zuzanna Gowin) 4/12, Osadkowski van Halen (Piotr Morsztyn) Elim/DNS.

Germany Pips France in Two-Way Showdown at Sopot

News Desk — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 07:45:51 +0000

Sopot, Poland – 2015 June 5: during Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup competition at CSIO5* Sopot at Hipodrom. (photo: © Herve Bonnaud)

Not for the first time in the history of the popular CSIO in Sopot, Poland, Team Germany came out on top at the fourth leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Europe Division 2 League today. However they had to work hard for their success, forced into a jump-off by the French who eventually had to settle for runner-up spot.

Written by Louise Parkes

Belgium finished third, but it was the host team and Russia that scooped the maximum qualifying points towards the Furusiyya 2015 Final when sharing fourth spot ahead of Great Britain in sixth and Denmark in seventh, while last year’s Sopot winners from Turkey had to settle for eighth place this time around.

With the maximum number of 13 nations lining out at this leg, the teams from Norway, Sweden, Ukraine, Austria and The Netherlands failed to make the cut into the second round when only eight teams returned. And it came to a thrilling climax, with Andre Thieme clinching it for Germany when clear with Conthendrix in the two-way jump-off.

Shared the lead

France and Belgium shared the lead at the halfway stage carrying four faults each, but the German, British and Polish sides were close behind with just five faults apiece. And the other three teams to make the cut into the second round were Russia and Turkey carrying nine faults each, and Sweden whose faster first round gave them the nod over Norway when both put 10 faults on the first-round scoreboard.

The Belgians lost their grip when Wouter Devos, who was eliminated first time out, collected eight faults at his second attempt with Tonik Hero, and Catherine van Roosbroeck (Gautcho da Quina) also double-faulted. This meant that, despite superb double-clears from both pathfinder Jos Lansink (Ensor de Litrange LXll) and anchorman Jerome Guery (Papillon Z) they had to add eight to their scoreline which proved way too expensive.

The Polish side added 12, and the British added 13 to also slip out of contention, but the Germans put huge pressure on the French with clears from Thieme, Janne-Friederike Meyer (Goja) who had picked up just a single time fault first time out, and anchorman Patrick Stuhlmeyer who produced one of the four double-clears on the day with Lacan. Holger Wulschner’s single second-round error with BSC Cavity could therefore be discarded, leaving them on their first-round total of five.

Level pegging

The French meanwhile slipped onto level pegging when having to count the single time fault collected by Cyril Bouvard (Quasi Modo Z). Laurent Goffinet (Quinette du Quesnoy) followed his opening four-fault effort with a clear and Jerome Hurel was double-clear with Quartz Rouge but seven faults from Alexandre Fontanelle (Prime Time des Vagues) ensured Bouvard’s score had to be added. So a two-way showdown was assured.

Germany’s Thieme was first to go in the third-round gallop against the clock and set the standard with a foot-perfect run in 35.45 seconds. And although Fontanelle was more than two seconds quicker with his 12-year-old bay, he put four faults on the board for France to settle the matter.

German Chef d’Equipe, Heinrich-Hermann Engemann, was well-pleased with the result. “We had a discussion before the jump-off and agreed that Andre would jump it. He did a really good job and fought a lot to jump clear which placed pressure on the French rider to jump clear with a fast time” he said afterwards.

Hero of the day, Thieme commented, “now that the jump-off is over, I feel great! Normally I am very calm, almost too calm, and people try to wake me up! For the first time today before the jump-off I felt a bit ‘aaah’. We didn’t have the right bridle, so the groom had to run back to the stable to get it. We didn’t have an ideal preparation in the build-up, but anyways, it worked out in the end!” he said happily.

On top of things

Talking about how the competition evolved, Thieme said, “the Brits, the Belgians and the French were all ahead of us coming into the second round – they really looked on top of things. It was really surprising to see teams with strong line-ups such as Ukraine and The Netherlands not doing so well. But we knew there would be a lot of good competitors. With our three clear rounds in the second round we managed to claw our way back!” he said proudly.

Talking about his winning ride, the 11-year-old Conthendrix, he explained, “from the very beginning, when I got him a few years ago, he was a talent but a bit too wild and fresh. From last year onwards, he has really started to settle down. He has done some great Nations Cup 5-Star shows – he was in Hickstead, Calgary, Dublin and won it in Falsterbo as well. Today he had one down in the first round, but from the second round he started jumping extra good. He was extremely consistent. That’s the great thing about him, you can keep jumping and he doesn’t get tired – he is just exceptional!” he added.

Patrick Stuhlmeyer was understandably delighted too. “The course was very long and the time required to complete it was very short. It was a good job from the course designer. I’m really proud, my horse jumped a great double clear!” said the rider who is based near Osnabruck in Germany.

Janne-Friederike Meyer was also a happy lady. “When you just won the Nations Cup, it’s easy to say that we love it here in Sopot! On a serious note though, it’s a super show from all aspects; whether the arena, the crowd or the accommodation. Yesterday, there were some small issues with the ground but they rectified it immediately. The jump-off was really exciting today, and in the end there were enough faults from the other teams for us to clinch it. The organisation as a whole here was fantastic!” she said.

The next leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Europe Division 2 League will take place in Budapest, Hungary on 17 July and it promises to be a frenetic affair, with 12 teams in the race for points towards the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final in September.

For further details of the eleventh leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Europe Division 2 at Sopot, Poland visit www.csio.sopot.pl or contact Press Officer Karolina Ferenstein-Krasko, EmailKarolina.ferenstein@wp.pl, Tel +48 601 39 1111. The next leg of the series will take place in Rotterdam, Netherlands on Friday 19 June. For details of the Dutch fixture visit www.chio.nl or contact Press Officer Anita Lussenberg, Email press@chio.nl Result:

1. Germany 5 faults, 0/35.45 in Jump-Off: Conthendrix (Andre Thieme) 4/0/0 35.45, Goja (Janne-Friederike Meyer) 1/0, BSC Cavity (Holger Wulschner) 9/4, Lacan (Patrick Stuhlmeyer) 0/0.

2. France 5 faults, 4/33.26 in Jump-Off: Quinette du Quesnoy (Laurent Goffinet) 4/0, Prime Time des Vagues (Alexandre Fontanelle) 0/7/4 33.26, Quasi Modo Z (Cyril Bouvard) 4/1, Quartz Rouge (Jerome Hurel) 0/0.

3. Belgium 12 faults: Ensor de Litrange LXll (Jos Lansink) 0/0, Cautcho de Quinta (Catherine van Roosbroeck) 4/8, Tonik Hero (Wouter Devos) Elim/8, Papillon Z (Jeromy Guery) 0/0.

4. Russia 17 faults: Copperphild (Mikhail Safronov) 4/17, Quilata (Maria Madenova) 0/1, Cosimo (Natalia Belova) 5/1, Griffone (Vladimir Beletskiy) 18/6.

4. Poland 17 faults: Abigej (Marek Lewicki) 6/12, Zoweja (Krzysztof Ludwiczak) 0/4, Emperio van’T Roosakker (Zusanna Gowin) 4/8, Osadkowski v. Halen (Piotr Morsztyn) 1/0.

6. Great Britain 18 faults: Basic (Guy Williams) 9/9, Bintang ll (Laura Renwick) 0/4, Ashkari (Yazmin Pinchen) 4/0, Calcourt Falklund (Michael Whitaker) 1/10.

7. Denmark 22 faults: Thornhill Kate (Linnea Ericsson-Carey) 9/4, Qualico du Bobois (Rikke Haastrup) 5/4, Antares (Torben Frandsen) 4/8, Allstar (Andreas Schou) 1/4.

8. Turkey 26 faults: Harry K (Derin Demirsoy) 0/4, Chiara (Husnu Dinc) Elim/DNS, Beau du Rouet (Efe Siyahi) 5/9, Dadjak Ter Putten (Omer Karaevli) 4/4.

Splaine Introduces Two New Horses for Lisbon Nations’ Cup

News Desk — Fri, 29 May 2015 09:26:04 +0000

IRISH show jumping team manager Robert Splaine has introduced two horses new to Nations’ Cup jumping in his team announcement for Lisbon made last night.

The Irish quartet that will line out on Friday for the three-star Portuguese competition is:

Trevor Breen with Oldtown KC (ISH)(TIH)
Anthony Condon with Balzac
Michael Duffy with Cortina 200
Michael G Duffy with Felix XXVIII

Splaine said: “Competitions in the Second Division are the ideal way to test out new combinations, for although we are not competing to score points it gives me a great opportunity to see riders and horses perform at a high team level. “For tomorrow Trevor Breen’s Oldtown KC and Anthony Condon’s Balzac both look exciting prospects and will be making their Nations’ Cup debut.

“Michael G Duffy with Felix and Michael Duffy with Cortina 200 are having their second outing for Ireland in a Nations’ Cup. Tomorrow will be a very interesting day.”

Nine nations are taking part in the Lisbon Nations’ Cup, and Ireland is drawn seventh to jump.

Classy Czechs cruise to victory at Europe Division 2 opener in Linz

News Desk — Mon, 11 May 2015 06:49:02 +0000

The team from the Czech Republic won the first leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Europe Division 2 League at Linz, Austria today: (L to R) Ales Opatrny, Emma Augier de Moussac, Chef d’Equipe Martin Ohnheiser, Zuzana Zelinkova and Ondrej Zvara. (FEI/Herve Bonnaud)

On an day of ever-changing fortunes for many of the other sides, a crack foursome from the Czech Republic took the lead at the halfway stage and held on to secure a convincing victory in the opening leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Europe Division 2 League at Linz in Austria. Zuzana Zelinkova, Emma Augier de Moussac, Ondrej Zvara and Ales Opatrny finished on a final tally of just two faults to leave them well ahead of the runners-up from Ukraine who completed with eight. Team Germany lined up third ahead of Poland in fourth, while the exciting young side from Luxembourg slotted into fifth ahead of Finland in sixth place.

Written by Louise Parkes

The was great joy in the Czech camp in the aftermath, and a sense that they have really arrived. Success in Europe Division 2 of the Furusiyya series is not entirely new to them as they also came out on top in Budapest, Hungary last season. But today’s result, which earned them the maximum 100 points towards qualification for the Furusiyya 2015 Final, suggests a significant strengthening of their position, backed up by a brilliant performance from their second-line partnership of 23-year-old Augier de Moussac and her 10-year-old gelding, Charly Brown, who produced the only double-clear of the competition.

The right level

Franz Madl’s 12-fence track was pitched at just the right level, with less-experienced riders gaining valuable experience while the more seasoned campaigners were still well-tested. A double – vertical to oxer – preceded the big 4-metre-wide open water which claimed a large number of victims in both rounds and that was followed off a wide right-handed sweeping turn to a 1.60m wall that represented the Austrian national flag and crest. The early drama of the day included a spectacular display of naughtiness from Finland’s path-finding 11-year-old grey, Lennox Luis, who threw a temper tantrum when asked to turn away from the out-gate and go down to the wall, and who wasn’t satisfied until he threw himself on the ground and unseated his rider, Henri Kovacs.

Meanwhile the end of the course presented plenty of questions, with the penultimate triple combination taking a heavy toll. Augier de Moussac commented afterwards, “it was partly difficult because it was at the end of the track and the time was short. If you over-rode to the triple bar going in, then it was easy to have the vertical down or meet the last oxer on a bad stride” she explained.

Great team spirit

“We have great team spirit, we support each other a lot” said Augier de Moussac who competed on last year’s winning Czech team at Budapest and at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy with her other top ride, Danthe. “Charly Brown is a new horse for me, my sister broke her wrist last year and he was only jumping up to 1.35m until last summer with her. He’s come a long way in a very short time!” explained the talented French-born rider who has been based with her trainer, Vincent Voorn, in Eindhoven, Holland for the last 18 months.

Result:

1. Czech Republic 2 faults: Caleri ll (Zuzanna Zelinkova) 4/1, Charly Brown (Emma Augier de Moussac) 0/0, Cento Lano (Ondrej Zvara) 0/5, Acovardo (Ales Opatrny) 0/1.

2. Ukraine 8 faults: Quebracho Semilly (Katharina Offel) 4/0, Forlap (Cassio Rivetti) 5/0, Chadino (Ferenc Sxzentirmai) 0/4, Cooper 75 (Rene Tebbel) 4/0.

3. Germany 13 faults: Che Guevara (Joerg Oppermann) 4/8, Luna (Jorne Sprehe) 4/0, La Luna (Andreas Kreuzer) 0/4, Cashmoaker (Denis Nielsen) 0/5.

4. Poland 16 faults: Wavantos vd Renvillehoeve (Lukasz Wasilewski) 4/9, Osadkowski van Halen (Piotr Morsztyn) 0/4, Emperio van’t Roosakker (Zuzanna Gowin) 0/8, Abigej (Marek Lewicki) 16/0.

5. Luxembourg 21 faults: Global (Christian Weier) 4/1, Sorbier Blanc (Victor Bettendorf) 4/4, Smint 2 (Noemle Goergen) 4/13, Kiwi du Gibet (Charlotte Bettendorf) 8/4.

6. Finland 23 faults: Lennox Luis (Henri Kovacs) Elim/1, Cue Channa (Sebastian Numminen) 4/4, Celestine (Satu Liukkonen) 8/1, Vincente (Maiji Mallet) 5/4.

7. Turkey 27 faults: Colino (Derin Demirsoy) 5/Elim, Chaccomo (Cagri Basel) 1/5, Chiara (Husnu Dinc) 8/4, Dadjak ter Puttenen) Omer Karaevli) 8/4.

8. Hungary 32 faults: Esprit (Emil Orban) 0/12, Zordon (Balazs Horvath) 0/8, Chacco Boy (Mariann Hugyecz) 4/8, Casinger (Gyula Szuhai) Ret/23.

Splaine Announces Irish Team For Drammen Nations’ Cup

News Desk — Fri, 08 May 2015 07:27:24 +0000

IRISH show jumping team manager Robert Splaine tonight (Thursday) announced his team to compete in the three-star Nations’ Cup at Drammen in Norway this afternoon.

The Irish foursome will line out as follows:

Capt. Brian Cournane/Javas Keltic Mist (ISH)
Michael G Duffy/ Felix XXVIII
Capt. Geoff Curran/Mullaghbane (ISH)
Paul O’Shea/Skara Glen’s Sienna

Splaine said: “Drammen has been a traditional venue for Ireland over the years to develop new combinations in the second division of the FEI Nations’ Cup, with the top Furusiyya league in mind. We have an interesting team competing tomorrow, and we are looking forward to the challenge.”

Eight teams are competing at the FEI Nations’ Cup in Drammen, which begins at 4.30pm Irish time, and Ireland is drawn second to jump.

Broderick Shines in Senior Nations’ Cup Debut at Lummen

News Desk — Wed, 06 May 2015 06:39:22 +0000

THOUGH a disappointing team result for Ireland in the first 2015 Nations’ Cup at Lummen in Belgium, we saw a new star emerge in the shape of 29 year-old Greg Broderick with the Irish Sport Horse MHS Going Global.

Making their five-star debut in the top level of the Furusiyya league, the Thurles-based rider and the nine year-old bay gelding lowered just one fence in the first round and then delivered Ireland’s only zero penalty score in the second.

With the team’s more experienced riders Denis Lynch and Billy Twomey failing to catch fire at the Belgian venue, and Cameron Hanley improving on a nine fault first round to collect four in the second, it was new man Broderick, Ireland’s 2014 national show jumping champion, who lifted Irish expectations.

MHS Going Global, owned by Caledonia Stables in Tipperary, and bred by Ita Brennan in Kilkenny, was one of the youngest horses at the eight-nation competition today, but will now be a likely contender for future selection in major Irish team contests.

Ireland finished eighth at Lummen on 33 penalties, with Italy overtaking France to claim victory in the second round on just six faults.

Ireland’s show jumping manager Robert Splaine said from Lummen this evening: “As it was allocated to Ireland as our first Nations’ Cup of the season, Lummen was always going to be a challenge, as my options for the team proved limited at this point. However, every cloud has a silver lining for, with major challenges ahead, it was great to see a new star emerging in the shape of Greg Broderick and MHS Going Global.”

LUMMEN NATIONS’ CUP
IRL 33 faults
Denis Lynch/Abbervail van het Dingeshof 8/8
Cameron Hanley/Living the Dream 9/4
Greg Broderick/MHS Going Global (ISH) 4/0
Billy Twomey/Diaghilev 9/12

Ireland Battles Back To Finish Third in USA Nations’ Cup

News Desk — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 06:42:27 +0000

THE Irish show jumping team of Darragh Kenny, Shane Sweetnam, Cian O’Connor and Kevin Babington finished third in the Nations’ Cup at Wellington in Florida on Friday night, pulling up from equal fifth at the end of the first round.

Fifth to jump of nine nations competing, an uncharacteristic four faults from opener Darragh Kenny and Hyperion Stud LLC’s Imothep failed to match first round clears from the home team’s Todd Minikus and Canada’s Eric Lamaze, and when Irish number two Shane Sweetnam and Spy Coast Farm LLC’s Chaqui Z collected eight faults, Irish confidence started to waver.

Cian O’Connor then posted four faults with Adena Springs’s Quidam’s Cherie, while anchorman Kevin Babington and Shorapur LLC’s Shorapur also collected four penalties.

However, though lying equal fifth at the break on 12 faults, the Irish fought back with two classic clear rounds from Sweetnam and O’Connor, leaving a final total of 16 penalty points after Kenny had the drop score of eight faults and Babington again collected four. This was enough to slot into third place behind winners USA and runners-up Canada.

Ireland has now had one Nations’ Cup win and one Nations’ Cup third place in the USA this month, having taken victory earlier in February at Ocala, also in Florida. Neither competition, however, was part of the 2015 top Furusiyya League, so Ireland did not collect league points. Team manager Robert Splaine, however, was at both shows to assess the capabilities of US-based riders and horses that may form part of Ireland’s European squads for the important Furusiyya contests later this year.

Ireland Sweep To Victory in Florida Nations’ Cup

News Desk — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 07:15:41 +0000

THE Irish show jumping team of Darragh Kenny, Lorcan Gallagher, Kevin Babington and Conor Swail swept to victory in Friday’s FEI Furusiyya Nations’ Cup in Ocala, Florida, finishing on a total of just four faults.

Ireland’s victory was made remarkable by the fact that all four horses had not competed at Nations’ Cup level before, while one rider, 23 year-old Lorcan Gallagher from Co. Down, was making his debut in a senior team.

Up against five talented American teams, with the USA and Canada favourites to win, the Irish quartet changed the dynamic of the competition in the first round with four consecutive clear rounds.

Tipperary’s Kevin Babington with the mare Shorapur delivered another clear in the second round, as did Co. Down’s Conor Swail with Grafton, ensuring an against-the-odds Irish victory. The USA finished on eight faults, while Canada and Colombia tied for third place on 12 faults.

Irish show jumping team manager Robert Splaine said from Ocala tonight: “Four clears in the first round with four new horses was exceptional, and then to get double clears from Kevin and Conor was superb. Man of the match has to be Lorcan Gallagher, who with a clear and four faults did an exceptional job in his first time at this level.

“There is a great tradition between the US and Ireland with so many of our riders now based here, and Ocala proved to be a superb show. Our victory was only made possible by the great owners who support the team.”

Though Ocala was not a points-scoring show for Ireland in the Furusiyya league, it did give manager Splaine an opportunity to watch new US-based combinations competing at a top level.

IRISH SCORES:
Darragh Kenny/Picolo 0/8
Lorcan Gallagher/Diktator Van De Boslandhoeve 0/4
Kevin Babington/Shorapur 0/0
Conor Swail/Grafton 0/0