GREAT BRITAIN FINISH 4th IN COPENHAGEN FURUSIYYA FEI 3* NATIONS CUP
Friday 24 May 2013
The Furusiyya 3* FEI Nations Cup competition took place in Copenhagen this afternoon with a total of thirteen nations coming forward to contest the track designed by London 2012 course designer Bob Ellis.
The grass arena, swathed in sunshine and with a volume of mature tree’s both within and alongside the arena provided a picturesque backdrop for the class. The course which had been primarily built at 1.50m with just two fences at 1.60m asked a number of questions of the riders. The key question being, how many strides they should opt for between the open water and the combination which followed on a related distance of either five long strides or six short ones. Riders were right to spend their time looking at this distance as it was definitely the combination, which consisted of a vertical – oxer – vertical , that proved the most problematic to leave standing.
With the three lowest penalty scores counting for each team and only eight teams being eligible to come forward for the second round there was a lot of pressure on the riders to keep penalties to a minimum.
First Round
Great Britain were drawn fifth to go of the thirteen teams and it was David McPherson from Maidstone, Kent with his own 8 year old bay gelding Octavio who took the role of pathfinder for the team. A horse still at the start of his international career he rolled a pole at one of the midway fences on the course incurring 4 penalties. Having cleared the open water they jumped clear over the vertical on six strides, but just didn’t quite make the distance over the oxer incurring another 4 penalties but within the time allowed of 83 seconds.
Second to go was Tim Davies from Bury St Edmunds and Salome with the 13 year old brown mare Salome II owned by Sarah Chenevix Trench. A touch of the 2nd fence on the course, a vertical, saw 4 penalties incurred. A further 4 penalties were accrued at another fence around the halfway mark and unfortunately another 4 penalties collected when they fell just short of the water tape resulting in a total of 12 penalties.
Following Tim for the team was 21 year-old Jessie Drea from Haywards Heath with Lynn Humphries' 12 year old chestnut mare Touchable. Their first appearance at 3* Nations Cup level, they certainly held their own by coming through the water and combination clear, but an unfortunate earlier pole lowered at a vertical saw them finish with 4 penalties.
Anchorman for the team came in the experienced form of Geoff Billington from Cheshire with Patricia Fraser’s 12 year-old bay gelding Uppercut II. Putting in a foot-perfect round within the time allowed they gave Great Britain a much needed zero penalty score.
Second Round
With Ireland, Norway, Finland, Germany and Italy not making the second cut, the ten teams coming forward and the midway standing was as follows: Netherlands (0), Denmark (4), Poland (8), France (8), Sweden (9), Great Britain (12), Belgium (12), Switzerland (13), Ireland (16) and Norway (20).
As always, the team members came forward in the same order as the first round so it was David McPherson and Octavia who were the first to enter the arena. However, a touch of a pole incurred 4 penalties. Tim Davies and Salome II looked set to finish on 4 penalties however, a rolling of the back pole on the very last fence, an oxer saw another 8 penalties accrued giving them a finish of 8 penalties.
Jessie Drea and Untouchable showed what a talent they are producing a brilliant clear round and stopping the clock well within the time allowed giving Great Britain a much needed zero penalty result. It was now a case of waiting for the remaining third member riders to go for each nation before the fourth and final competitors were called on. As Geoff Billington entered the arena a lowering of a vertical saw them finish with 4 penalties giving Great Britain a total finish score of 20 penalties and still a strong chance of being in the hunt for one of the top placings.
With other Nations incurring faults the placings kept changing, but it was the Netherlands who took eventual first place with their finish of 4 penalties, followed by France and Denmark with Great Britain taking 4th place just ahead of Poland.
Results:
- Netherlands
- France
- Denmark
- Great Britain
- Poland
- Sweden
- Belgium
- Switzerland
The Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, and further information on the show and results can be found by visiting www. Firstgrandprix.dk
The British Showjumping Teams are supported by Exchequer and National Lottery funding via UK Sport.
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