FEI World Cup Eventing
Friday, September 12, 2008
With the last of the FEI World Cup Eventing qualifiers completed, at Schenefeld (GER) and Moscow (RUS), all eyes turn to the eagerly awaited HSBC FEI World Cup Eventing Final in Deauville (FRA) next week (18-21 September).
This year, 182 riders from 24 nations have participated in 17 qualifiers in 11 countries and three continents.
Frank Ostholt (GER) and Alexander Markov (RUS) become the last two riders to rise up to prominence in the FEI World Cup Eventing rankings leaderboard, slotting into equal 10th place, thanks to their respective recent victories in those last qualifiers.
Ostholt had made a rapid turnaround after Germany’s wonderful Olympic victory in Hong Kong, where he was riding his 2007 Strzegom winner Mr Medicott.
At Schenefeld, he led from the start on his long-term partner Air Jordan 2. It was a welcome return to form for Air Jordan, a member of Germany’s gold medal team at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games and a four-star winner, but who had failed to complete last year’s FEI European Championships and this year’s Luhmuhlen CCI****, part of the HSBC FEI Classics.
They only added two time penalties in the final jumping round to their leading dressage score of 41.8pen.
Simone Deitermann and Flambeau hit one rail to drop a place to third behind Beeke Kaack on Sinjan 2, who finished on her dressage score.
Ostholt was also sixth on his Olympic reserve horse, Little Paint, and his brother Andreas was seventh on Lady Lemon FRH. The only other member of the victorious Olympic team, Andreas Dibowski (GER) was fifth on FRH Fantasia.
Four nations were represented, with 10th-placed Helene Vattier (FRA) on Jubal the best-placed non-German. Fourteen of the 21 starters completed.
Results:
- Frank Ostholt/Air Jordan 2 (GER), 43.8pen
- Beeke Kaack/Sinjang 2 (GER), 44.6pen
- Simone Dietermann/Flambeau H3 (GER), 47pen
- Kai Ruder/Leprince des Bois (GER), 57.8pen
- Andreas Dibowski/FRH Fantasia (GER), 58pen
- Frank Ostholt/Little Paint (GER), 59.7pen
Meanwhile, in Russia, Alexander Markov (RUS), a vet, enjoyed a good win on Go Ahead, formerly ridden by Olympic rider Andrey Grishin.
The Russians had spent more than half a million dollars on the ground conditions, which held up well, despite the rain.
“It was a very exciting competition in which the show jumping was influential,” said Technical Delegate Andy Griffiths (GBR). “There were riders from three nations and it bodes well for the future. There were four riders from Eastern Europe at the Olympics and we hope that they will be able to produce teams by 2012.”
This HSBC FEI World Cup Final at Deauville should be the strongest yet. The following nations are allowed to enter six riders apiece: Australia, whose best riders include Olympians Clayton Fredericks and Megan Jones, and rankings leader Kevin McNab, who will be entitled to pole position; France, who fields the reigning FEI World Cup Champion, Nicolas Touzaint; Olympic Champions Germany; Great Britain, whose best riders include the two top riders at Burghley, William Fox-Pitt and Mary King; the USA; the USA and New Zealand.
Sweden and Ireland are entitled to five riders each, Italy to four, and Belgium, Canada, Poland, South Africa, China, Portugal, Czech Republic, Argentina, Russia, Lithuania, Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belarus and Ukraine one each.
2008 Rankings (Top Ten)
- Kevin McNab (AUS) 220 points
- Clark Montgomery (USA), 160
- Pippa Funnell (GBR), 160
- Wendy Schaeffer (AUS),130
- Frank Ostholt (GER), 120
- Oliver Townend (GBR), 115
- Geoff Curran (IRL), 112
- Elmar Lesch (GER), 110
- William Fox-Pitt (GBR), 110
- Dirk Schrade (GER), 106
