FEI World Jumping Challenge Final

The busy, bustling city of Santiago de Chile played host to the FEI World Jumping Challenge Final this weekend. The competition was held in the beautiful setting of the Club de Polo â€˜San Cristobelâ€™. Riders from 15 nations across the globe competed with the goal of being crowned FEI World Jumping Challenge Champion 2007.

The competition on borrowed horses got off to a great start with a â€˜Warm Up Competitionâ€™ for all riders on the Thursday morning, following the draw of horses the day before. This class gave great hope for an exciting competition when nearly 50% of the combinations went clear. Michelle KÃ¼nzle (NAM) triumphed over her other competitors with her mount LimarÃ with a clear round in just 44.31 seconds, nearly a whole second faster than second placed Rodrigo Bedoya from Bolivia.

A hot Thursday afternoon saw the first qualifying round for the Final. This was won by Malih Dana from Lebanon, the only rider to go clear. A stark contrast to the morningâ€™s competition, highlighting the technical difference between the morningâ€™s course of 1m10 and the 1m20 course in the afternoon. Michelle KÃ¼nzle (NAM) kept a good form finishing in 2nd place. An unfortunate turn of events for Indian rider Arun Maribashetti with his horse Quality saw the combination eliminated in the afternoon despite riding clear in the Warm Up.

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Friday dawned and the competitors were greeted with relief from the heat of the day before as mist and drizzle hung over the Polo Club. The classification for the Semi Final was decided on Day Two of the competition. Malih Dana (LIB) continued his high form with another clear, joined only in this feat by his Lebanese compatriot Jasmine Busson and her horse QR Ã‘adi. Despite a clear in this second round, Busson was only placed 4th behind SimÃ³n Arango (COL) and Alfonso Anguita (CHI) all three totalling just 8 points over the two Qualifying rounds.

The cruel hand of bad luck was evident on Friday when Colombian rider Pablo Acevedo withdrew his mount Corfredo having qualified for the jump-off in 5th place for the Semi Final. Acevedo (COL) commented that he was not happy with how his mount was feeling whilst in the warm-up area preparing for the jump-off. The horse was subsequently inspected by the official veterinarian who said that the mare would probably be fine to jump in the Consolation Competition the following day. However, Acevedo (COL) decided to withdraw entirely from the competition as he felt this was what was best for the horse. This wonderful display of true sportsmanship and horse welfare gained Acevedo (COL) special recognition from the FEI and earned him the title of â€˜Best Horsemanâ€™ during the entire competition.

Saturday saw the Semi-Final and Consolation competitions. The Santiago weather was kind again and the horses and riders were graced with another cool, slightly damp day. The Semi-Final was won once again by Malih Dana (LIB) and Capitol, the only combination to finish with no penalty points what so ever. SimÃ³n Arango (COL), Michelle KÃ¼nzle (NAM) and Jasmine Busson (LIB) also all qualified for the Final with 4, 10 and 16 points respectively.

The consolation competition was won by Bermudan Claire Howard who rode a great clear round with her mount Condesa. She was joined on the podium by Arun Maribashetti (IND) in second and Chinese rider Zhang Ke in third. Both of whom had picked up just one penalty point for time. A stroke of bad luck was felt by Claudia Acosta from the Dominican Republic when she had to retire her horse Tierra Santa due to injury mid way round the course.

The Final competition on the Sunday drew big crowds from the city and all the grandstands were packed full. The Santiago sun was back with a vengeance and the afternoon was hot and buzzing with excitement. The format for the Final meant all four qualified riders were to ride all four of the horses that had been partnered to the Final. The riders started on their own mounts, with only one rider securing a clear round (Michelle KÃ¼nzle from Namibia). Jasmine Busson (LIB) took an unfortunate tumble when her horse refused the second element of a particularly tricky triple, instantly putting her at a disadvantage due to the 25 point penalty of a fall.

The rest of the competition saw only one other clear round, again ridden by Michelle KÃ¼nzle (NAM) partnering Gualpin who had been ridden by Colombian SimÃ³n Arango throughout the rest of the competition. An exciting overall competition saw the final placings as follows:

1st        Michelle KÃ¼nzle NAM           12 points

2nd        SimÃ³n Arango   COL           20 points

3rd        Malih Dana LIB                   25 points

4th        Jamine Busson LIB             46 points

Big congratulations must go to the Organising Committee and the Chilean National Federation who put on a fabulous competition and welcomed the International riders with open arms. All riders were hugely complementary of the facilities and generosity of the OC. The 2008 World Jumping Challenge is well underway and looks like its going to produce another exciting final to be held next year.