Japan’s Eiken Sato sprung a massive surprise when scooping the honours in the seventh leg of the 2009/2010 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping series in Mechelen, Belgium. With his 10 year-old stallion BV Project Cartoon Z the relatively unknown 23 year-old from Nagano produced one of eight first-round clears over the massive track built by Lucien Somers and with youthful enthusiasm then devastated the opposition with a daredevil ride against the clock. Ireland’s Jessica Kuerten had to settle for second with her great mare Castle Forbes Libertina while the host country’s Patrick McEntee and Ever Mury Marais Z slotted into third.
Sato looked as cool as a cucumber while executing his historic victory, but with a great tremble in his voice he said afterwards “I have this most wonderful horse, and I am so lucky. He’s not just my horse – he is my friend!”
BIG AND BOLD
During the course-walk, Kuerten described the track as “big and ugly”, and that was how it certainly must have seemed to the early starters, many of whom found it too great a challenge. It was not particularly technical and the time-allowed was generous, but it demanded scope from the horses and strength from the riders, and 13 partnerships came into the ring before the first clear round was recorded by the home side’s Yves Vanderhasselt and Adamo Van’T Steenputje. By then there had already been four retirements and one elimination as proof of just how difficult it could be.