FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2013/2014 – Regional Round-up 2

Central European, Australian, New Zealand, South African and Caucasian FEI World Cup™ Jumping League results decided

By Louise Parkes

The Final of the Central European League at Warsaw in Poland last weekend brought another group of FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2013/2014 Leagues to a close. Ales Opatrny from the Czech Republic came out on top at the Polish fixture ahead of Lithuania’s Andrius Petrovas, while Latvia’s Kristaps Neretnieks finished third.

Also completed are the Australian, New Zealand, South African and Caucasian Leagues, some of which began almost a year ago.

Australia and New Zealand

There were 11 competitions in the Australian series which kicked off in Sydney last March with victory for Sharon Slater. Jamie Kermond was runner-up here, and then came out on top at the second leg in Gatton, Queensland in August. With seven results to count, Kermond made sure almost every one of his eight efforts was a good one, consistently finishing at the top-end of the line-up and winning again at Wodonga in Victoria in November.

The Australian League also included legs at Caboolture in August, at Gawler, Adelaide and Melbourne in September, in Sydney again in November and, following Wodonga, at Shepperton and Sale in November before drawing to a close at Sydney in December.

Runner-up in the Australian series was Billy Raymont from Cooran in Queensland. The experienced 34-year-old is no stranger to success in the FEI World Cup™ Jumping regional series, and is always a close contender. He pinned 32-year-old Tim Clarke into third place on the leaderboard. A total of 58 athletes participated in the Australian League, with 51 of them collecting points.

A total of 18 athletes participated in the New Zealand League, with 16 picking up points and the four best results for each rider taken into account.

South Africa and Caucasia

Jeanne Engela won the South African League following a committed campaign that took the 23-year-old rider to all six of the qualifying events. Beginning at Midrand last May, the series moved on to Shongweni in June, Polokwane in August, Dromdraai in October, Port Elizabeth in November and, finally, Capetown in late November. A win at the opening leg got Engela off to the perfect start, but she only beat her nearest rival, Shaun Neill, by a single point at the end of the series, while Johan Kachelhoffer finished a close third.

Engela owes all of her success to her exceptional 12-year-old Chanel van de Zeshoek. The Holsteiner mare topped the line-up at the opening leg with the only double-clear of the class, while Nicola Sime and Sunny Park Connoisseur were runners-up ahead of Anne-Marie Esslinger and Alessio in third. Things didn’t go quite so well for Engela at the second leg in Shongweni with an opening round double-error, and it was 32-year-old Kachelhoffer who emerged to take maximum points here with Capital Shiraz ahead of Esslinger, who was second this time with Alessio while Sime and Sunny Park Connoisseur slotted into third. Germany’s Andreas Hollmann designed the courses at this leg for the fifth time, and commented on the improving standard of competition.

A total of 40 athletes competed in the South African League, with 33 collecting points.

The Caucasian League title went to Azerbaijan’s Jamal Rahimov with Georgia’s Shalva Gachechiladze and Tsotne Tavadze slotting into second and third. Riders collected points at three legs in their region, beginning with Tbilisi (GEO) last May and in Baku (AZE) last July and again in January 2014. They were also entitled to pick up points at the Longines Western European League legs in Stuttgart (GER) in November and Mechelen (BEL) in December, and while Rahimov and fellow-countryman Patrick McEntee attempted to do so, neither succeeded. Instead Rahimov’s victory was achieved through good performances produced at the two events staged in the town in which he was born – Baku in Azerbaijan.

Rahimov didn’t line out at the opening event in Tbilisi where Gachechiladze emerged victorious when running rings around the rest of the field with the only clear from his stallion, Saturn. Georgian riders claimed all three of the top places here with Gegi Metonidze filling second spot on Erosi and Tsotne Tavadze lining up third with Omut.

But Rahimov got into his stride when collecting his first FEI World Cup™ Jumping points for fourth place at the first of the Baku fixtures last July, when fellow-countryman Seyid Musayev came out on top with the German-bred Light Limerick. Rahimov did actually line up second here with Platin E, but this was not the horse he had nominated for points. His chosen ride, Woodie, slotted in behind third-placed Aleksandra Lusina from Poland riding Tall Boy.

He transferred points-seeking responsibility to the 16-year-old Platin E for the next leg in January however, and the decision paid off with a handsome victory. Only two managed to go clear in the first round of this qualifier and when his nearest rival, Gachechiladze from Georgia, was eliminated it was Rahimov who scooped those all-important maximum points.

Although only 26 years old, Rahimov has already represented his country twice at Olympic Games – at Beijing 2008 partnering Ionesca de Brekka and at London 2012 riding Warrior. He was the first Jumping rider ever to represent Azerbaijan at Olympic level.

His family moved to Istanbul, Turkey when he was three years of age and it was there his riding career began in 1998. Now based in Belgium, he has accepted the invitation to compete at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014 Final in Lyon with his top ride, the aptly-named 11-year-old chestnut stallion, Warrior.

Central Europe

The vast expanse of Central Europe, where equestrian sport has been developing at a very rapid rate in recent years, was once again divided into two regions for the 2013/2014 FEI World Cup™ Jumping qualifying season. A total of 107 athletes competed in the Northern Subleague, and 46 in the Southern Subleague, before the Central European League Final took place in Warsaw last weekend.

The Northern Subleague consisted of 10 qualifiers, with further opportunities to pick up points at four other fixtures. The action began last May at Vazgaikiemis in Lithuania followed by Moscow (RUS) in June and St Petersburg (RUS) in July. Round four returned to Lithuania again for the leg at Zagare and then it was on to Riga in Latvia, Bratislava and Pezinok in Slovakia and then Tallinn in Estonia where the event took place in October. Leszno and Poznan in Poland played host in November and December. Events at Lipica (SLO) last June, Budapest (HUN) in July, Celje (SLO) in November and Budapest (HUN) again in December also presented points-gaining potential.

A total of 34 horse-and-rider combinations lined out in the deciding Grand Prix at the Polish fixture last Sunday, with Beletskiy suffering elimination on the experienced Mats Up de Plessis while six others retired. There were only two clear performances in the first round, from Czech Republic’s Als Opatrny and Zandiro and Dutch rider Jody van Gerwen with Acord, while Poland’s Lukasz Appel and Zarco collected only a single time penalty.

The real contenders of course were the regional riders who battled it out over three separate competitions in the lead-up to this final test, and Opatrny’s Grand Prix victory left the result in no doubt on the final afternoon, with Lithuania’s Andrius Petrovas filling second spot on the leaderboard ahead of Latvia’s Kristaps Neretnieks.

All of the top three riders are eligible to compete in Lyon, and to date both Petrovas and Neretnieks have confirmed they will attend.

Results:

FEI World Cup™ Jumping Australian League 2013/2014 - 1, Jamie Kermond (AUS) 121; 2, Billy Raymont (AUS) 95; 3, Tim Clarke (AUS) 92.

FEI World Cup™ Jumping New Zealand League 2013/2014 - 1, Samantha McIntosh (NZL) 87; 2, Katie McVean (NZL) 78; 3, Susan Hayward (NZL) 67.

FEI World Cup™ Jumping South Africa League 2013/2014 - 1, Jeanne Engela (RSA) 64; 2, Shaun Neill (RSA) 63; 3, Johan Kachelhoffer (RSA) 59.

FEI World Cup™ Jumping Caucasian League 2013/2014 -1, Jamal Rahimov (AZE) 20; 2, Shalva Gachechiladze (GEO) 14; 3, Tsotne Tavadze (GEO) 8.

FEI World Cup™ Jumping Central European League 2013/2014 - 1, Ales Opatrny (CZE) 120; 2, Andrius Petrovas (LTU) 113; 3, Kristaps Neretnieks (LAT) 100.

For further information on the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final 2013/2014 in Lyon, France from 17-21 April check out website http://www.feiworldcupfinals-lyon.com/the-fei-longines-world-cuptm-jumping-final

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