GB FINISH 3RD IN LA BAULE FURUSIYYA NATIONS CUP
Friday 16 May 2014
With the historic grass arena and showground at La Baule looking glorious under a cloudless blue sky the grandstands were packed with spectators making the most of the sunshine and 20 degree temperatures.
With five of the eight teams chasing elusive Furusiyya Nations Cup points – Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Switzerland and France – there were a number of new or relatively new combinations being introduced to this level of competition across the remaining three.
From Rob Hoekstra’s (World Class Showjumping Performance Manager) perspective these non-point scoring competitions are very much used to give as many up and coming combinations the opportunity to gain experience as well as seeing some of the more established horses include them in their performance programmes.
First Round
The long and testing course saw ten clear rounds in the first half of the competition which sees all four members of the eight teams compete with one round from each nation being dropped as a discard score. Despite there being a high proportion of clears by the halfway stage there was also an equal amount of riders having notched up 8 penalties or more making it an absolute mixed bag of fortune for those coming forward.
By the end of the first half it was Belgium who stood as the leaders on a zero penalty score with France just one fence behind them on 4 penalties. Great Britain shared third place with Switzerland and Ireland on 8 penalties.
For Great Britain it saw great highs and lows with jubilation after a clear round was achieved by Belgium based Joe Clee with the 10 year-old bay stallion Utamaro D’Ecaussines owned by Ludwig Criel. Still very much inexperienced at this level it was a big step-up for this relatively young and talented stallion and it was tremendous to see them achieve what looked to be such an effortless clear.
Ben Maher would have been equally pleased with Urico, the 13 year-old bay gelding owned by Jane F Clark. This was Urico’s debut on a 5* Nations Cup team and he took it all in his stride looking as confident, relaxed and talented as he did in Wellington when they won the £150,000 Grand Prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival. It was an incredibly unlucky 4 penalties that they finished the first round on having lightly touched the front pole of an oxer going into the red and white double. But coming through the finish within the time allowed Ben looked pleased with the way Urico had focused on the job in hand and coped with the distractions that go hand in hand with this level of competition.
The lows came in the form of extreme disappointment for Tim Gredley with his 13 year-old grey gelding Unex Chamberlain Z. Having jumped clear for the team earlier in the year in Wellington, it just wasn’t their day today with Chamberlain deciding to call it a day going into the combination alongside the grandstands resulting in them being eliminated.
Michael Whitaker competed with his long standing top class ride Amai, the 14 year-old bay gelding owned by Beatrice Mertens. The disappointment was etched on Michaels face as having put in an absolutely faultless round until the penultimate fence it was an audible groan that was heard from the grandstands when the last element of the combination fell before turning towards the last fence.
Second Round
It would be fair to say that the second half of the competition saw a marked reduction in penalties accrued, but overall there was still a very high proportion of the field that notched up penalties albeit less of them.
With the format of the Nations Cup competition being one where the teams jump in reverse order in the second half based on their placings at the halfway stage it is nearly always left open as to what the eventual outcome will be. However, this afternoon it was the French team in their determination to please the home crowd who shone. Leaping into pole position relatively early in the second half, once Belgium started to falter, they managed to retain the lead to the point where there was no need for their fourth member to jump. Relegating Belgium to second place with a fence between them it was an ecstatic crowd that jumped to their feet in celebration of their win, the first at La Baule since 2010.
With a third or potential higher place finish being fought out between Great Britain, Switzerland and Ireland it was a determined British Team that metaphorically rolled their sleeves up ready to slug it out. Riding into the arena ready to do battle Ben, in his role as pathfinder, couldn’t have given Urico a better ride if he had tried. Producing an impeccable clear round, within the time allowed without ever breaking from a consistently fluid pace they jumped brilliant returning a zero penalty score.
Next to go for the team, Joe Clee and Utamaro d’Ecaussines looked set to be as consistent in the second round as they had earlier. However, lowering the first part of the combination towards the end of the course saw them break the finish line on 4 penalties. Unfortunately fortunes didn’t improve for Tim as once again Chamberlain decided to call it a day and putting the brakes on resulted on another elimination and them becoming the enforced dropscore.
Rightly or wrongly, the expectation for Michael to shine when under incredible pressure is one that he has globally become known for and today was absolutely no exception. Knowing that his round would be the deciding round as to whether GB were able to secure a podium finish he still managed to look as calm as collected as ever when he rode into the arena. With the British broadcasters on the edge of their seats as he approached the final fence you could hear the elation in their voices when he returned a clear round within the time allowed and a zero penalty score and a 3rd place finish.
Talking afterwards Rob Hoekstra commented “We have seen some great performances here today. The French and Belgium teams that beat us had their top horses out with the objective to obtain points. For us to finish just behind them with two relatively inexperienced horses is something that can only bode well for us. Both Ben and Joe’s horses came out to gain experience and I can’t tell you how delighted I am with them both returning clears – they were brilliant to return clears and I’m absolutely delighted with them. It was also great to see Amai back doing what he does best; his clear in the second round was vital to our placing and he did it with style. Naturally we are all disappointed for Tim but we have to accept that horses aren’t machines and respect that at times they will decide to say No. We are now focused on Rome which will be the first of the competitions in which we accrue points.
La Baule Grand Prix & Results
The Grand Prix takes place on Sunday afternoon at 12:30pm local time and further information on the show and results can be found by visiting www.labaule-cheval.com.
1st France 4 penalties
2nd Belgium 8 penalties
3rd Great Britain 12 penalties
3rd Ireland 12 penalties
5th Spain 16 penalties
5th Brazil 16 penalties
5th Netherlands 16 penalties
8th Switzerland 20 penalties
GB Performances
Ben Maher / Urico (4/0)
Joe Clee/Utimaro d’Ecaussines (0/4)
Tim Gredley / Unex Chamberlain Z (E/E)
Michael Whitaker / Amai II (4/0)
The British Showjumping Teams are supported by Exchequer and National Lottery funding via UK Sport.
The World Class Development Programme underpins World Class Performance and, together with the Equine Pathway, they comprise the Equestrian World Class Programme, incorporating the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, showjumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998.
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