GB Young Riders finish 2nd in Deauville Nations Cup
Friday 08 May 2015
This afternoon saw the GB Junior and Young Rider teams contest their first FEI Nations Cup competitions of the season in Deauville, France with the Young Riders having to go forward to a third and final jump off to decide the final placings..
Young Rider Nations Cup
The Young Rider teams put in a tremendous performance which saw them have to jump off to settle the top two placings. For GB however, it was an eventual 2nd place finish in a Nations Cup that was most certainly hard fought and definitely a tough competition to encounter so early on in the season.
Jake Saywell, aged 18 from Newark, Nottinghamshire with Rachel Gascoine’s 9 year-old bay gelding Grand Cru Van Paemel got the team off to a superb start with his clear in the first round. The second round saw then pick up an unlucky 8 penalties when a couple of fences fell. Alicia Smallman, aged 20 from Thatcham, Berkshire with her own 14 year-old bay gelding Nadzaro Bliniere picked up 4 penalties in the first round and 8 penalties in the second whilst Alfie Bradstock, aged 20 from Wantage, Oxfordshire accrued 5 penalties in the first round and heart breakingly 4 penalties in the second when the last fence fell with Graham Fletcher and KBIS Equestrian Insurance’s 12 year-old bay gelding KBIS Caicos.
Abigail Newbery aged 20 from Upham Southampton, with her father Tony’s 13 year-old grey gelding Valentino VII jumped a great clear in the first round but a heel in the water saw them finish on 4 penalties in the second.. With both France and Great Britain finishing in equal 1st place after the second round, the tension mounted dramatically as both teams came forward for a third and final round to decide the top two placings. With France finishing this round on a zero and GB knowing that they couldn’t beat the time that France had set, a decision was made to not jump our fourth rider Abigail.
Junior Nations Cup
The Junior Nations Cup that took place earlier on in the afternoon saw mixed fortunes for all teams, as even the Netherlands who took eventual 1st place finished on a score of 10 penalties.
The course which had been described as fair but tight in terms of time saw 16 year-old Ella Popely from Haywards Heath, West Sussex take the role of pathfinder with her mother Lea’s 11 year-old grey gelding La Boom. Breaking the finish line in the first round on 4 penalties, their second round saw them produce a brilliant clear on a zero penalty score.
Tania Moody, aged 17 and based in Mallorca, Spain with her father Kevin’s 12 year-old bay mare Bo Du Rouet Z incurred 9 penalties in the first round and just 4 in the second. Carmen Edwards who celebrates his 18th birthday tomorrow unfortunately became the drop score in the first with his 13 penalty finish score on his father Carl's 11 year bay mare Bow House Secret, however his second round saw a marked improvement with just 4 penalties being accrued. . Amy Inglis, aged 18 from Haywards Heath, West Sussex with her mother Claire’s 13 year-old bay gelding Cupido Van’t Schuurke also finished on 4 penalties in the first round, however the second round saw her finish on 13 penalties to become the drop score.
At the end of the first round GB were sitting in 7th position but climbed by one position to finish in 6th place. It was the French home team who finished in second place on 13 penalties with Switzerland in 3rd place on 14 penalties.
The show continues until Sunday when the Junior and Young Rider Grand Prix’s will take place place. For more information on the show visit www.pole-international-cheval.com
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