‘TEAM CHAMPION’ SET SAIL FOR ST GALLEN
Monday 01 June 2009
‘Team Champion’ travel to the Swiss town of St Gallen this week for the third round of the 2009 Meydan FEI Nations Cup.
Following their third place in Rome last Friday, Great Britain currently occupies seventh place on the leaderboard and have their sights firmly set on adding to that tally in this Friday’s competition.
World Class Performance Squad member, Peter Charles from Alton in Hampshire will compete with Pom d’Ami, a ten year-old bay gelding owned by Olga White and Team Murka Ltd and Rubert R, an eleven year-old bay stallion owned by Team Murka Ltd, Olga Whiteand Mikhail Muratov. Peter was a member of the British squad in La Baule at the beginning of last month where he finished the first round of the Nations Cup with just a single time penality.
William Funnell from Dorking, Surrey, also a member of the World Class Performance Squad will partner Julie Slade’s eleven year-old chestnut gelding Billy Birr and his 2008 Hickstead Derby winner, Mondriaan.
World Class Performance Squad Member Ben Maher moves from Rome, where he competed on the British Team last week, and will compete with Robin Hood W and Wonderboy III, two horses that Ben jointly owns with Quainton Stud.
Nick Skelton, also part of last weeks squad in Rome and a member of the World Class Performance Squad, will travel to St Gallen with Nemo 119, Carlo 273 and Tortola, all three horses are owned by Beverley Widdowson.
They will be joined by World Class Performance Squad Member Robert Smith from Shrewley in Warwickshire who will partner Sharon Baldwin’s eleven year-old bay stallion Vangelis S, Michael Dawson’s twelve year-old bay mare Columbia XI and S.L. I. Lisman’s nine year-old grey gelding Balourado.
The four day show will take place at Gründenmoos in St.Gallen and boasts a total prize fund of over 800,000 swiss francs. Tens of thousands of spectators are expected to pack into the purpose built equestrian arena to watch the world class show jumping action with the Meydan FEI Nations Cup taking place on Friday 5th June and the Grand Prix of Switzerland on Sunday 7th June 2007. Results and news from the show can be followed at www.csio.ch.
The British Nations Cup Team is kindly sponsored by Champion. Champion’s sponsorship of the British Nations Cup Team is the result of the brand’s deep-seated belief in the importance of continual development, dedication and professionalism, together with a desire to offer British equestrian talent every possible opportunity to reach the very top of competitive show jumping.
The British Show Jumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class programme.