KurtenJessica.jpgThe ladies dominated the line-up at the eighth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ series in Leipzig, Germany. Ireland’s Jessica Kuerten produced a devastating burst of speed to pip runner-up Edwina Alexander from Australia and third-placed Frenchwoman Penelope Leprevost in a 16-way jump-off.  The girls simply out-galloped the boys against the clock, and this was a particularly notable victory for Kuerten who also won this leg of the series in both 2008 and 2009 and so made it a Leipzig hat-trick today.

Frank Rothenberger’s first-round track produced plenty of clear rounds but the big questions were all posed in the jump-off.  Riders had some tough decisions to make as the snaking second-round course asked for some super-tight turns.  As it emerged however, it was simply the exceptional speed of Kuerten’s Castle Forbes Libertina that would win the day.

BIG IMPRESSION

Kenneth Cheng, the 22-year-old rider from Hong Kong who made such a big impression at last summer’s Olympic Games, was first out in the timed round with the aptly-named Jockey Club Can Do.  The 11-year-old horse was courageous and willing all the way but, asked to stand a very long way off the oxer at fence six, he hit that for four faults in 42.75 seconds.  That would prove a competitive time however.

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