Belgium Takes Furusiyya Nation’s Cup

Gregory Wathelet (BEL) picked up a nearly $225,000 bonus as the final’s only double-clear. (Photo: Dirk Caremans / FEI)

The Belgian team may have missed the chance to compete in the 2016 Olympics, but their win in the 2015 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup CSIO5* Jumping title in the final round at Real Club de Polo in Barcelona reminded the world they are a force to be reckoned with. The USA placed fourth.

“It was a very difficult, but brilliant course, exactly what you would expect at the final,” team USA chef d’equipe Robert Ridland said of the Saturday, Sept. 27 competition. “It’s the highest level of sport with great countries competing. We knew it was going to be tough when we walked it. We are pretty pleased with our performance. Obviously we always hope to win but we were only one rail from second. It was very close for all teams.”

Belgium was on a roll since taking the top slot in Thursday’s qualifying round and were able to wrap it up onfour faults. Great Britain came in second, with a three-second lead that put the Netherlands into third place (each with eight faults). Also separated only by time, the USA was followed by Ireland and Germany (each with 12 faults).  Sweden lined up seventh ahead of Switzerland in eighth.

Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, NY) was the last to go  for the U.S. team and scored one of only seven clear rounds in the conclusion to the final, riding Abigail Wexner’s 2002 Belgium Warmblood gelding Cortes ‘C.’ Teammates Laura Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, FL) and the Evita Group’s Nouvelle, a 2004 KWPN mare, had rails down at the Caixa Bank oxer (jump 9) and the B element of the Passeig de Gràcia double (jump 11) for an eight-fault round. Reed Kessler (Lexington, KY) and her own Cylana, a 2002 Belgian Warmblood mare, also collected eight faults with rails at fences nine and 11A. Lauren Hough (Wellington, FL) and The Ohlala Group’s Ohlala, a 2004 Swedish Warmblood mare, had only four faults, the Freixenet vertical (jump 3).

“It was difficult for sure,” Madden said of Santiago Varela’s course. “It was big, technical, and kind of tricky in some places, but I couldn’t be more pleased with my horse. He’s been super all year.” “Tonight’s course was difficult and technical,” concurred Varela. “I left the riders with many options and after the water jump they had a lot of choices right up until the very end. They had to ride really well to make a clear round but we came up with a very nice result and you can’t ask for more than that!”

Beezie Madden and Cortes ‘C’ were among only seven to go clear in the final. (Photo: Nacho Olano)

Total prize money for the Final competition was nearly $1.7 million with $560,000 going to the winners, $335,000 to the runners-up from Great Britain, $224,000 going to The Netherlands in  third place and prizemoney all the way down to eighth place.

Always looked competitive

The competition was a wild roller coaster ride, the result once again decided by the very last rider into the arena, and the crowd was spell-bound with spectacular jumping from many of the world’s greatest athletes and horses.

The Belgians looked competitive from the get-go, when Olivier Philippaerts‘ opening four-fault effort with H&M Armstrong van de Kapel was followed by a fabulous clear from Judy-Ann Melchior and As Cold as Ice Z. There’s nothing extravagant about the 13-year-old mare’s jumping style, but she is honest as the day is long and always gives her rider everything she’s got. Melchior’s emotion when the pair crossed the line said it all.

The course proved quite a conundrum for many of the others however, with Varela making sure that this trophy wouldn’t be easily won. The Dutch were well-fancied to add a second Furusiyya title to the world and European gold medals they’ve scooped up over the last 12 months, but it wasn’t to be. Their super-star combination of Jeroen Dubbeldam and SFN Zenith led the way with a 12-fault result, hitting the second element of the triple combination at fence seven and the following vertical before losing rhythm when the horse broke into a trot in front of the first part of the double, three fences from home, which added another four to their tally.

Last in for the Netherlands, Gerco Schroder and Glock’s Cognac Champblanc jumped clear.  Then it was the Brits’ turn. Ben Maher (Diva ll) and Jessica Mendoza (Spirit T) kicked off with just four faults apiece. Laura Renwick, substituting for Michael Whitaker, had a tough time and became the drop score when her nine-year-old gelding picking up 16 faults in a round that included a very definite refusal to go down to the 4-metre-wide open water at their first attempt. This fence played a major role tonight, with plenty of horses making a splash there. But it was last-in Joe Clee who sent the British stock soaring with an extraordinary clear ride on his great stallion Utamaro D’Ecaussines.

Bonus Round

Germany’s Christian Ahlmann, one of the four riders in contention for a cut of the nearly $225,000 bonus on offer to riders jumping clear on Thursday and again Saturday, saw that slip from his grasp when clipping the first of the vertical of planks at fence 11. Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet was the only double-clear, so he bagged the entire bonus.

The crowd was mesmerized by the performance of Ahlmann’s teammate Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum whose fabulous grey gelding, Fibonacci, soared around the course, clearing the fences with such drama and grace that the spectators burst into rapturous applause before they had even crossed the finish line to post their clear round. Daniel Deusser’s double error with Cornet D’Amour, at the water and the first element of the double, could still be discounted if German anchor, Ludger Beerbaum, could leave all the poles in place with Chiara. But the first part of the troublesome double at the end of the track, and the penultimate oxer, both fell, so as Wathelet entered the ring victory, or defeat, was in his hands.

Just like he did on Thursday however, he kept a cool head and steered the 10-year-old stallion, Conrad de Hus, home safely to cement his side’s four-fault result. He had a big smile on his face as his raised his arm in a victory salute, because he hadn’t only clinched the 2015 Furusiyya title but he had also earned that bonus all for himself.

From left, HH Prince Mansur bin Khalid al Farhan al-Saud ( Saudi Ambassador to Spain), Gudrun Patteet, Jos Lansink, Dirk Demeersman, Judy Ann Melchior, Olivier Philippaerts, Gregory Wathelet (Photo: Dick Caremans / FEi)

It was something of a bittersweet victory for the Belgians, who topped the Europe Division 1 League of the Furusiyya series this summer but had“one bad week” at the FEI European Championships in Aachen (GER) last month and failed to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The taking of the 2015 Furusiyya trophy, however, reminded the world that the country’s jumpers, led by chef d’equipe Dirk Demeersman, remain a force to be reckoned with.

How top sport should be

Winning team manager Demeersman congratulated his team, the course designer “and the FEI who found this formula, this is how top sport should be! It is good for the welfare of the horses, only two rounds, each on different days, and it makes for a great competition.” Jos Lansink, whose eight faults with For Cento was the discard today, said “the course builder should get a good big bonus – I’ve competed a lot of events this year but there has never been sport like this – it was just fantastic!”

Wathelet admitted that “tonight I was under the biggest pressure of my life! But I had a good feeling because everyone was trying so hard and Judy-Ann had done a great round. My horse did well again, he’s had a great season and this is a great end to it, he will have a month off now at least.”

As good as it gets

FEI Jumping Director, John Roche, described this week’s competition as “about as good as it gets! This was team jumping at its very best, in front of a full house and at a fantastic venue. I want to thank the Polo Club and the city of Barcelona for hosting another great Final and my thanks also to Furusiyya for their foresight and support. We are always grateful to our partners, Longines, and I’m happy to say we will be back here in Barcelona next year for another great Final!”

The week of exceptional sport owed a great deal to course designer, Santiago Varela, however and Irishman Cian O’Connor was quick to point that out. “When I walked the course this evening I said you’d need to be an Honors Math student to work it out, but it was one of the best courses I’ve ever jumped. Santiago is a genius!”

Before the night’s competition began, FEI President, Ingmar de Vos, made a special presentation to Carles Villarubi, Vice President of FC Barcelona, who provided access to the world-famous Camp Nou stadium for a special photo- and video shoot ahead of the Final.

For further information on the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final 2015 at Real Club de Polo in Barcelona (ESP) from 24 to 27 September, visit www.csiobarcelona.com.

Final result:

1. Belgium 4 faults: H&M Armstrong van de Kakpel (Olivier Philippaerts) 4, As Cold as Ice Z (Judy-Ann Melchior) 0, For Cento (Jos Lansink) 8, Conrad de Hus (Gregory Wathelet) 0.

2. Great Britain 8 faults in 223.14 seconds:  Diva ll (Ben Maher) 4, Spirit T (Jessica Mendoza) 4, Bintang ll (Laura Renwick) 16, Utamaro D’Ecaussines (Joe Clee) 0.

3. Netherlands 8 faults in 226.80 seconds: SFN Zenith NOP (Jeroen Dubbeldam) 12, VDL Groep Verdi Tn NOP (Maikel van der Vleuten) 4, VDL Zirocco Blue NOP (Jur Vrieling) 4, Glock’s Cognac Champblanc (Gerco Schroder) 0.

4. USA 12 faults in 219.61 seconds: Nouvelle (Laura Kraut) 8, Cylana (Reed Kessler) 8, Ohlala (Lauren Hough) 4, Cortes C (Beezie Madden) 0.

5. Ireland 12 faults in 221.64 seconds: All Star (Denis Lynch) 8, MHS Going Global (Greg Broderick) 4, Molly Malone V (Bertram Allen) 8, Good Luck (Cian O’Connor) 0.

6. Germany  12 faults in 223.36 seconds:  Taloubet Z (Christian Ahlmann) 4, Fibonacci 17 (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum) 0, Cornet D’Amour (Daniel Deusser) 8, Chiara (Ludger Beerbaum) 8.

7. Sweden 16 faults: H&M Tornesch (Malin Baryard-Johnsson) 8, Tinkabell (Angelie von Essen) 8, Unita Ask (Rolf-Goran Bengtsson) 4, Cantinero (Henrik von Eckermann) 4.

8. Switzerland 20 faults: Quorida de Treho (Romain Duguet) 8, Clooney (Martin Fuchs) 4, Bonne Chance CW (Janika Sprunger) 12, Castlefield Eclipse (Paul Estermann) 8.

Full result here.

For more information on the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final 2015, at Real Club de Polo in Barcelona,  Sept. 24 to 27, visit www.csiobarcelona.com.

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