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Stars line up for Gothenburg Final
Thursday, April 24th, 2008
An outstanding selection of the biggest names in the sport will gather in the
Scandinavium Arena in Gothenburg, Sweden this week as the closing stages of the
2007/2008 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping series are played out before some of the
most enthusiastic show jumping supporters in the world!
It's been another
fantastic season filled with thrills, spills and surprises but the excitement is
far from over and there is still a lot more jumping to be done before a new
champion is crowned next Sunday afternoon.
After the long, tough battle
in the 14 qualifying leagues a total of 39 riders representing 19 different
nations have made the cut, underpinning the expanding reach of this
super-successful series which, even after 30 years, continues to
develop.
The list of nations includes Belgium, Canada, Spain, Estonia,
Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Japan, The Netherlands, New
Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, UAE and the USA but,
in terms of numbers, America has a very definite advantage with a total of 10 in
the mix.
So who is your favourite to take the title this time around?
Could it be Kent Farrington who was runaway winner of the US East Coast league
and who will be making his Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final debut when he
rides into the ring for the first competition on Thursday? The Americans had a
tremendous record during the early years of the series but the US success-rate
has waned dramatically in recent times - is it time for the pendulum to swing
back in their favour at last?
Or could it be Great Britain's sole
campaigner Michael Whitaker who has come so close so many times without
achieving the ultimate goal? Third at the final at s'Hertogenbosch in The
Netherlands back in 1994, third again at the Gothenburg final in 2001 and
runner-up in Las Vegas in 2005 - surely his turn to take the top spot must be
coming around sometime soon?
Of course if you were to select your winner
on the basis of pure performance throughout this particular season then there
would be one name that would very definitely spring to mind - Ireland's Jessica
Kuerten who has blazed a trail through the Western European League with Castle
Forbes Libertina. After sharing runner-up spot with Germany's Meredith
Michaels-Beerbaum in Geneva, Switzerland in early December the Irish rider
headed the line-up at Olympia in London just before Christmas and then made it a
double in Leipzig the following month. Her partnership with Libertina has been
electrifying, and Kuerten led her league table by a convincing margin of 11
points at the end of the 12 qualifying legs.
Spain's Rutherford Latham
has been impressive too and with Guarana Champeix on form will not be
overlooked, but there is something about the ladies this season. It was an
all-girl affair in Stuttgart, Germany in November where 2005 champion
Michaels-Beerbaum stood top of the podium with Kuerten in second and Eugenie
Angot in third for France. In the long history of the series only four ladies
have taken the title, and Gothenburg has proven a lucky location on two of those
occasions while American genes have also been influential.
The first
three lady champions - Melanie Smith who scooped the title in 1982, Leslie Burr
Lenehan who did likewise in 1986 and Katharine Burdsall who clinched victory in
1987 - were all US riders and the first two secured their victories in
Gothenburg. The fourth lady winner was Michaels-Beerbaum who, although
representing Germany, is a native of Los Angeles in California. The US
connection is undeniable but Jessica Kuerten, who was runner-up to Germany's
Marcus Ehning in Kuala Lumpur two years ago would, no doubt, be happy to break
it. However with Michaels-Beerbaum on song with Shutterfly, and eyeing up her
second title in three years, she will be no push-over.....and Eugenie Angot has
to be respected too.....
Girls aside, the gentlemen are a formidable
bunch. Take the qualifying riders from The Netherlands - Gerco Schroder and
Albert Zoer in particular are armed with jumping machines in the shape of
Eurocommerce Milano for the former and Oki Doki for the latter. What can you say
about the lovable Oki Doki except that his heart is as big as the smile he
brings to his rider's face - their partnership is exceptional and a joy to
watch.
The grin displayed by Germany's Ludger Beerbaum was almost as
broad when he steered his new star, All Inclusive NRW, to head the posse in
Geneva. Ludger knows the great feeling of holding that trophy in his hands, but
it is a long time since he did so following a great performance with Ratina Z
back in 1993. It was a different era in show jumping back then, and it would be
most satisfying to show that he could do it again. Gothenburg was the venue on
that occasion - could the Scandinavium Arena hold the key for him too? And how
will it be for fellow-countryman Marcus Ehning who has been battling through a
difficult period but who appears to be winning his way back to the top at
last?
Of course the slick Swiss could sew it up - defending champion Beat
Mandli would be a very happy chap if he could return with Ideo du Thot to make
it two-in-a-row and his sometime pupil Steve Guerdat can be relied upon to give
a good account of himself also. But maybe it's time for the Swedes to do the
business on their home turf. After all Gothenburg has played host to the final
on 11 previous occasions and yet the home flag has never flown on the final
afternoon. The best Swedish result in the series to date was Malin
Baryard-Johnsson's third finishing spot in Las Vegas five years ago. She will be
attempting to improve on that once again this year but the home favourite may
actually be Rolf Goran Bengtsson whose little chestnut, Ninja la Silla, was
sparkling throughout this season. Perhaps it is time for a Scandinavian star to
shine?
Whoever you are rooting for, you are guaranteed they will be
giving it their best shot when the first of the three final competitions kicks
off on Thursday. It's been a long season, but it ain't over yet and the best is
still to come......
Jessica gets the best of the draw
Ireland's Jessica Kuerten, the 38 year old German-based rider who won the
Western European League qualifying series by a considerable margin, got more
good news tonight when she was drawn last to go in the starting order for
tomorrow's first leg of the 2007/2008 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping final in
Gothenburg, Sweden..
At a special party staged in the gracious City Hall
hosted by Lord Mayor Jorgen Linder, the President of the show's Organising
Committee Per Lodjquist welcomed all the riders and visitors. Sven Holmberg,
First Vice-President of the FEI, spoke of his delight in seeing the final return
to the place where it all began 30 years ago and he remarked that it is fitting,
in the season when Rolex has taken up the title sponsorship, that the FEI has
committed itself to improving the quality of the leagues - "we want to make the
final better and better each year - more exciting and with more competitors" he
said.
And he pointed out that Swedish interest will be more intense than
ever when the first final competition gets underway tomorrow evening - 'because
this is the first time in the history of the World Cup that four Swedish riders
have qualified for the final". "We ought to be proud of that" he pointed out,
adding "I know this brings pressure and expectations but don't worry - you have
already made history!".
If Jessica Kuerten was pleased however,
Britain's Michael Whitaker had every reason to be quite the opposite as his name
was pulled out of the hat for starting position No. 1.
The is a total of
30 starters, and the order-of-go for the first of the three final competitions
is as follows: 1. Michael Whitaker (GBR) 2. Royne Zetterman (Swe) 3.
Malin Baryard-Johnsson (Swe) 4. Judy-Anne Melchior (Bel) 5. Richard
Spooner (USA) 6. Peter Wylde (USA) 7. Mikael Forsten (Fin) 8. Mandy
Porter (USA) 9. Danielle Torano (USA) 10. Helena Lundback (Swe) 11.
Todd Minikus (USA) 12. Harrie Smolders (Ned) 13. Eugenie Angot
(Fra) 14. Hanno Ellerman (Est) 15. Heinrich-Hermann Engemann (Ger) 16.
Mikhail Safronov (Rus) 17. Margie Engle (USA) 18. Steve Guerdat
(Sui) 19. Marcus Ehning (Ger) 20. Albert Zoer (Ned) 21. Guy Thomas
(NZL) 22. Ludger Beerbaum (Ger) 23. Patrick McEntee (Bel) 24. Darrin
Dlin (Can) 25. Brianne Goutal (USA) 26. Rutherford Latham (Esp) 27.
Beat Mandli (Sui) 28. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (Ger) 29. Shaun Neill
(RSA) 30. Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (Swe) 31. Takamichi Mashiyama (Jpn) 32.
Lukasz Jonczyk (Pol) 33. Lauren Hough (USA) 34. Kent Farrington
(USA) 35. Jill Henselwood (Can) 36. Gerco Schroder (Ned) 37. Abdullah
Al Manni (UAE) 38. Rich Fellars (USA) 39. Jessica Kuerten (Irl)
The
first final competition is a Speed class, Table C over a Table A course,
designed to give a skillful rider with an unlucky knockdown a chance to still
register a competitive placing. Friday's Jump-Off competition is Table C over a
Table A course and Sunday's finale is a two-round Grand Prix. The official
Opening Ceremony begins at 6pm local time tomorrow (Thursday) and jumping will
begin immediately afterwards.
For further information on the Rolex FEI
World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg, Sweden check out WEBSITE
www.goteborghorseshow.com Show President is Per Lojdquist, Show Director is
Tomas Torgersen, Sport Secretary is Wiveka Lundh and Press Officer is Mayvor
Thorin - contact (mobile) +46 705 828420.
PHOTO CATALOGUE - Photographs
of the winning riders in high and low resolution can be downloaded from the FEI
online catalogue. To access it, please visit www.horsesport.org>Media
Centre>Catalogue. There is no reproduction fee, but please credit
photographer (photographer's name will appear under each photo)/FEI. Usage is
strictly for editorial purposes.
MEDIA GUIDE - The FEI is pleased to
provide you with a Media Guide for the 2007/2008 season. The Guide is filled
with useful facts, figures and statistics including the list of winners since
the series began in 1978 and contact details to help you access all the
information you need. You can download it from the Media Centre on the FEI
website www.fei.org or order a hard copy from FEI Communications - Email
o.robinson@horsesport.org.
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 12 AT S'HERTOGENBOSCH: Live/Delayed
Live
SVT (Sweden) - Thursday 24 April 22.00, Friday 25 April 22.00,
Sunday 27 April 13.00 NOS (The Netherlands) - Sunday 27 April 13.10 RAI
(Italy) - Sunday 27 April 23.00 Estonian Sports Channel (Estonia) - Friday 25
April 18.55, Sunday 27 April 13.55 Equidia (France) - Sunday 27 April 20.45,
Monday 28 April 18.30, Wednesday 30 April 10.00
Highlights CBC Country
(Canada) - Saturday 3 May 14.00 CNBC Asia - Saturday 3 May 15.00 CNBC
Europe - Sunday 4 May 17.00 ESPN Brazil - Check local service ESPN Star
(Pan Asia) - Wednesday 14 May 18.00, Friday 18 May 14.00, Saturday 17 May 07.00,
16.30, Sunday 18 May 02.30, Monday 19 May 07.00, Wednesday 21 May 18.00,
Thursday 22 May 18.00, Friday 23 May 04.00, 18.00, Saturday 24 May
01.00 Eurosport - Wednesday 30 April 18.25 Fox Australia - Check local
service Fox Middle East - Monday 19 May 18.00, thursday 23 April
02.00 M-Net (Pan Africa) - Thursday 15 May 17.30, Saturday 17 May 08.30,
Sunday 18 May 10.00, Monday 19 May 14.00, Tuesday 20 May 14.00, Wednesday 21 May
20.00 TSI (Switzerland) - Saturday 17 May 18.00
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE
RULES FOR FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING RIDERS FROM FEI WEBSITE
www.feiworldcup.org
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.
