In a cliff-hanger of a finale to the very first Longines League of Nations™ season, Team Germany reigned supreme at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain today where The Netherlands finished second and Sweden pipped Ireland for third place.
It was a close-fought affair with the Germans and Dutch already out in front at the halfway stage when sharing a zero scoreline but with France, Sweden and Brazil nipping at their heels when carrying just four faults into round two.
The Irish carried eight while the USA and Spain carried 12 apiece, but the Swiss were already on the ropes with 24 first-round faults and there would be no chance of recovery. At the end of the day however they did manage to finish ahead of the French who were eliminated when anchorman Kevin Staut had an unscheduled dismount.
“I think no-one can say now that the format isn’t working ‒ it’s super exciting!” said course designer Santiago Varela.
With the best three results from each four-member team counted in round one but just three riders returning and all scores counting in round two, it was unpredictable and thrilling once again.
“With this format you have to wait until the very end because everything can change in just a second!” Varela said. And that was exactly how it played out.
Choice
The plank on the vertical at fence nine was the bogey of the first round, with a choice of a long five or short six strides from the previous oxer. When fences were raised in round two however it was the double of verticals at fence seven on the 12-obstacle track that proved the biggest challenge.
The Germans began to look vulnerable when Andre Thieme and his 2021 European individual gold-medal-winning mare Chakaria put four faults on the board as his team’s second-round pathfinders. And when compatriot and newly-crowned individual Olympic champions, Christian Kukuk and Checker, had two down then they seemed to be really losing their grip.
Maikel van der Vleuten and his Olympic double-bronze-medal-winning gelding Beauville Z NOP piled on the pressure with a second clear to give the Dutch an enormous boost, but Kim Emmen and her grey gelding Imagine dropped both elements of the double at seven on the way to a 12-fault total and now, quite suddenly, the two countries were back on level pegging.
Second-last to go, Germany’s Richard Vogel set off with the big-striding stallion United Touch S who looked positively regal as he soared home clear to throw it down to the final Dutch duo of Harrie Smolders and Uricas van de Kattevennen. If this pair could keep a clean sheet it would go to a jump-off because both sides would finish on a 12-fault tally. But the first pole on that bogey double at seven hit the floor to bring the Dutch tally to 16 and hand victory to Otto Becker’s German side.
Strong connection
Becker has a particularly strong connection with the ring in Barcelona as this is where he rode his final Nations Cup for Germany back in 2008. “I’m proud and honoured with our win here today!” he said.
And at this evening’s press conference, fourth team-member Jana Wargers said that she understood the decision to leave her and her mare Dorette OLD on the sidelines for today’s second round.
“We decided that the other horses were just in a bit better shape than my one today,” she explained.
Olympic champion Kukuk talked about his eight-fault second round that left Team Germany on the edge in the closing stages.
“I just had a feeling I wasn’t accurate enough…I could feel that probably condition-wise he (Checker) was not on his peak right now. His last show was Paris (Olympic Games) and that’s a few weeks ago. Everything was set up for that goal and then he had kind of a break after and now it’s the first big show again.”
He realised that Kim Emmen’s 12 faults really let him off the hook.
“Unfortunately for her she had a not-so-good round and suddenly we were equal again. And then Richie had an absolutely outstanding second round and that’s why we are in the end now the happy winners!” he added.
Thieme blamed himself for his single second-round error with Chakaria. After clearing the tricky double that had claimed so many previous victims he said he was “kind of happy and relaxed because I realised that I was the first one who jumped that vertical/vertical clear at that point.” But the seven strides bending to the following oxer “were just 20 centimeters too long and she had to make a really kind of a big jump, which she did very well. And then the six strides (to the vertical at fence nine) became extra, extra short and I didn’t quite get her back like I did in the first round…”
Great day
He was grateful to team-mate Vogel for wrapping it up with his effortless clear. “Today was a great day for us!” said Vogel, who is ranked 10th in the world.
He is one of many riders who relies implicitly on the help of his groom who he talked about his evening. “I have to thank Felicia (Wallin). She actually had him mostly in training since Paris. We gave him a bit of time off and we did Spruce (Meadows, Canada) and then another bit of time off. So since Spruce, I was, to be honest, not too much in his saddle and around him because I was in America. She overtook the training and clearly did a pretty good job. So I guess we have to keep it that way now. The plan works!”
He sees Felicia as a vital member of his team. “I’m very glad to have her by my side and the horses are very happy to have her by their side. We’ve worked together for three and a half/four years now. We’re a young team. She is 24 and I am 27 ‒ we are heading in the same direction and we have high hopes for the future. Her and United have a very special bond. If he could pick between me and Felicia, he always goes to Felicia. Their bond is special. She rides him very well. I’m the one that does the flat work that is more educating for him, which is also important. She’s the one that goes in the forest with him and gives him a happy time, which I find very important to have the right balance there. Now, since I was away for two weeks, I said not only in the forest for two weeks, but also for work in between ‒ and she did it very well!” he pointed out.
Daniel Coyle of Ireland with Ariel Grange’s Legacy, winner of the Best Horse category during the Longines League of Nations Final in Barcelona. (FEI/Leanjo de Koster)
Special awards
Felicia and the other winning team grooms, Sofie Karlsson, Heidemarie Jaeckel, Ulla Uusitalo and Johanna Klare all received special awards at tonight’s prize-giving ceremony while Ariel Grange, owner of the mare Legacy competed by Ireland’s Daniel Coyle won the Best Horse title for her performances throughout this first Longines League of Nations™ series.
Coyle also took a four-way share of the €200,000 bonus on offer for the Best Individual Performances in the Final along with Germany’s Vogel, The Netherlands’ van der Vleuten and Armando Trapote – the latter lifting the home crowd when also posting a double-clear with Tornado VS. And Coyle was back on the presentation podium once again when joining van der Vleuten and Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann to share the Best Athlete Award. All three produced five clear rounds during the season.
The Rookie of the Season title went to America’s Callie Schott and of course Chef d’Equipe of the Season was Germany’s Otto Becker whose team also won the opening leg of the inaugural series in Abu Dhabi in February.
At the end of the day the Longines League of Nations™ Final 2024 scoreboard showed Sweden getting the edge over Ireland for third place based on their faster times when finishing on 20 faults. Brazil slotted into fifth with 24, USA and Spain shared a 28-fault scoreline for sixth and seventh placings, and Switzerland racked up a big 40-fault result to finish eighth ahead of the French.
Full results here.
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