British Get the Best at La Baule in the Meyden FEI Nations’ Cup™

The British team will have plenty of time to assess the challenges set by course-designer Frederic Cottier when last of the ten teams into the ring tomorrow for the opening leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series at La Baule in France.

The draw was made earlier today, and it is George Morris’s American side who are in the unenviable position of being first to go.

Starting Order

1. USA; 2. France; 3. Switzerland; 4. The Netherlands; 5. Sweden; 6. Germany; 7. Ireland; 8. Belgium; 9. Italy; 10. Great Britain.

There are some new faces in the Chefs d’Equipe’s line-up, with Emilio Puricelli donning the Italian team manager’s jacket, the French campaign led by Laurent Elias and Otto Becker in charge of the German campaign.

“I’m really happy to be here with a very good team” said Becker who, during his own highly successful career won Olympic team gold in Sydney in 2000, Olympic team bronze in Athens in 2004, and was on the winning German team at the European Championships in Donaueschingen in 2003. He sends out Marcus Ehning, Marco Kutscher, Thomas Muhlbauer and Philip Weishaupt tomorrow to defend the title Germany has claimed emphatically over the last three seasons.

Puricelli has a simpler agenda – he wants his team to do well tomorrow and then to come out on top at the next leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series in Rome. “The Italian team has not won in Rome for 25 years and it would be wonderful to win in our own capital city” he said. Former rider for San Patrignano, he competed in 35 nations cups and won the Italian Championships during his riding years – “quite a lot of things are new in the Italian team right now, last year we appointed a new President and now I am the new team manager” he pointed out.

He has arrived with a squad of just four, so has no decision-making in terms of selection. Piergiorgio Bucci, Natale Chaiudani, Giuseppe d’Onofrio and Giulia Martinengo are on call-up.

Laurent Elias has arguably the toughest job of the week as he leads the newly-energised French team back into the fray after a difficult year outside the top level of the sport. It is some time since he rode in top competition himself but he has had plenty of experience assisting former French team manager Gilles Bertrand de Balanda in recent years and has a realistic attitude to the challenges ahead. “This year we are on our way back up” he said today. This season is all about “performing well and maybe even featuring strongly in a few stages of the series – but we don’t intend to count our chickens before they are hatched!”

Not all of the managers were prepared to name their teams just yet, but George Morris confirmed that Lauren Hough (Naomi), Christine McCrea (Vegas), Laura Kraut (Cedric) and Richard Spooner (Ace) will be flying the stars and stripes. Belgium’s Lucien Somers has Phlippe Lejeune, Judy Ann Melchior, Niels Bruynseels and Jos Lansink in his side and Switzerland’s Rolf Grass has chosen Steve Guerdat, Werner Muff, Pius Schwizer and Markus Fuchs. Top teams, all ready to do battle in the first leg of a newly-branded series that promises to bring a summer-long celebration of team sport at its best.

For more quotes from the chefs d’equipes – the upcoming season, their teams at La Baule and their ambitions for the year, visit www.meydanfeinationscup.org and click on Quotes

Competition Statistics (for period between 2003 and 2008)

Most Super League Nations Cup starts – Nick Skelton (GBR) – Total 28 starts including 5 win, 8 single clear rounds and 6 double-clear rounds.

Next in line in terms of Super League starts – Laura Kraut (USA) – Total 25 starts including 3 wins, 13 single clears but no double-clear rounds and Cian O’Connor (Irl) – Total 25 starts including 2 wins, 8 single clears and 3 double-clear rounds.

Leading Rider

2006 season – Stephane Lafouge, France

2007 season – Marcus Ehning, Germany

2008 season – Ludger Beerbaum, Germany

At La Baule – Oldest competitor in Meydan FEI Nations Cup – Michel Robert, France, age 60

Youngest Competitor in Meydan FEI Nations Cup – Alexander Zetterman, Sweden, age 19.