Disappointing results in Sopot see Great Britain continue to sit 2nd on the Div 2 League behind Belgium
Friday 09 June 2017
This was vintage Nations Cup competition, Olaf Petersen Jr’s testing track producing plenty of surprises including an unexpected early exit for experienced sides from Great Britain, Ireland, Norway and Russia along with the Polish hosts at the end of the first round. The Americans were well out in front with just a single time fault at the halfway stage, but the Dutch fought back from fifth place to chase them right down to the wire.
Just two faults separated Hungary, Portugal, Czech Republic, Netherlands and Belgium as round two began, and the addition of just two more to their 11-fault total would leave the Dutch on level pegging with the Americans in the closing stages when Aniek Poels (Athene) and Doron Kuipers (Charley) collected single time faults and Thijssen’s spring-heeled stallion jumped spectacularly clear.
Team USA added 12 second time out, Lauren Hough (40) and Waterford fell victim to the penultimate triple combination and Paris Sellon (25) also faulted there and at the water with Cassandra. But 20-year-old Chloe Reid’s rounds with her sensational 10-year-old stallion Codarco were another highlight of a day when young riders simply sparkled, and when this pair followed their first-round clear with just a single mistake then Kraut’s second clear halted the American decline and confirmed a showdown with the Dutch.
Thijssen’s little wonder-horse posted the jump-off target at four faults in 38.03 seconds - “he’s special, there are not many horses like him, he’s so careful he wants to jump the course himself and forgets that I’m sitting on him!”, she said. But Kraut cranked up the speed after hitting the second fence to post the winning time of 36.29.
For Great Britain, who were riding under the sponsors title of Team NAF, it wasn’t at all what they had in mind at the start of the competition. Sitting in 2nd place behind Belgium on the league table, it had been hoped that enough points could be secured to lessen the lead that Belgium have been holding since the start of the series. However, it just wasn't to be making it a dissapointing day despite holding on to their 2nd place league placing.
Finishing on a first round score of 27 penalties meant that the team of four, consisting of Guy Williams with Rouge de Ravel, Joe Clayton with Con Man JX, Michael Whitaker with JB’s Hot Stuff and John Whitaker with Cassinis Chaplin were relegated after the first round. With only eight of the thirteen entered nations being eligible for the second round they were joined by Norway, Ireland, Poland and Russia who finished in 9th, 10th, 11th and 13th place respectively.
For Nations Cup team results visit http://bit.ly/2scksnI
For league standings visit http://bit.ly/2soluwN
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