GB FINISH JOINT 2ND in LUMMEN FEI 5* FURUSIYYA NATIONS CUP
Friday 01 May 2015
This afternoon saw a delighted Di Lampard, the World Class Showjumping Performance Manager, applauding her team when they finished joint 2nd at the opening leg of the 2015 FEI Top Level Furusiyya Nations Cup series in Luumen, Belgium.
The course, designed by Lucien Somers and Eddy Geysemans, was a big forward riding one from the initial fence, an Oxer through to the Open Water of 4.10m which appeared as the fourth fence. Having kept the horses rolling forward, it was Fence 7 the Combination at just past the halfway mark that proved difficult with it’s vertical-oxer-vertical distances being relatively short.
First Round
An extremely solid opening round by Holly Gillott from Loughborough, Leicestershire with her own 10 year-old chestnut gelding Dougie Douglas saw them return a zero penalty score. Competing in only her second 5* Nations Cup, taking the role of pathfinder most certainly didn’t faze her and she looked delighted as she came through the finish line having delivered a great start for team.
Joe Clee, who is based in Belgium, looked just as on form with Ludwig Criel’s 11 year-old bay gelding Utamaro d;Ecaussines as they did last year. A mainstay of the 2014 Nations Cup season, they made the course look incredibly easy breaking the finish line with all fences untouched and within the time allowed to return another zero score.
Guy Williams, based in Seine Maritime, France with his own and Charlotte Baines’ 15 year-old chestnut gelding Titus II incurred an unfortunate 4 penalties at Fence 10, the double. With many of the other nations having also incurred penalties, GB were still sitting in joint first position at this stage of the competition prior to each nations fourth and final rider coming forward.
William Whitaker, another World Class Development Programme rider, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire with Elisabeth Fredlund’s 12 year-old dark brown gelding Fandango III took the role of anchor. Starting well, you could sense William’s disappointment when a couple of fences fell resulting with him incurring 8 penalties. With this round becoming the drop score it was a total of 4 penalties that Great Britain took forward to sit in 3rd place at the halfway mark behind France on zero and Italy on two time penalties.
Second Round
As always in a Nations Cup format, fortunes change dramatically as the second round unfolds and this afternoon was no exception with France sliding from their stronghold position to a final 4th place.
For Great Britain, our horses and riders most definitely held their own. Holly Gillott looked set to deliver another clear until a fence fell towards the end of the course giving her a 4 penalty finish. For Joe Clee, you could see the frustration on his face when he finished on 4penalties having erred at the water in what was otherwise a superb round with Utamaro jumping just as cleanly and flamboyantly as always.
With GB now carrying some additional penalties it was imperative that we delivered a clear if we were to stay at the top end of the line up. Never one to back away from a challenge this is exactly what Guy Williams and Titus did by putting in a brilliant clear and breaking the finish line with a second to spare. For William Whitaker he had mixed fortunes as Fandango looked set to be jumping superbly as they started off but an extremely unlucky 8 penalties were accrued when two fences fell towards the latter half of the course seeing them become the drop score.
Final Placings
With only two riders across the entire thirty two competitors managing to achieve a double clear it gives some idea as to the demands asked across the 1.60m course that was made up of twelve obstacles requiring fifteen jumping efforts. Having delivered a total of three clears across both rounds, it was enough for GB to move up the line to finish in joint 2nd with Belgium on 12 penalties whilst Italy took the title as their own with a 6 penalty score.
An exciting class to watch, tensions were definitely mounting as the competition started seeing the final riders come forward and the placings change after each and every round. The series now moves onto La Baule which takes place in two weeks time.
RESULTS
1st. Italy – 6
2nd Great Britain – 12
Belgium – 12
4th France – 16
5th Netherlands – 20
Switzerland – 20
7th Sweden – 28
8th Ireland - 33
The show at Lummen continues through till Sunday when the Grand Prix will be contested. For full results please visit: http://eventcontent.hippoonline.de/nc/nc.php?AktEvent=1016&PrfNr=NC05&lang=ENG and for further information on the show please visit www.jumpinglummen.be. Full information in respect of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup series can be found by visiting www.fei.org.
The British Showjumping Teams are supported by the UK Sport National Lottery funded World Class Programme.
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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