The Dutch showed precisely why they are the reigning World and defending Furusiyya champions when soaring to victory at the sixth leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Europe Division 1 League in Falsterbo, Sweden today. It took just three of the four members of Rob Ehrens’ side to clinch it when Harrie Smolders, Maikel van der Vleuten and Leopold Van Asten all jumped double-clear, leaving anchorman Gerco Schroder with nothing to do for the entire afternoon but to watch from the sidelines.

There were five nations chasing qualifying points for the Furusiyya 2015 Final in Barcelona in September and it seemed that the Germans, who were also in the hunt, might force the eventual winners into a third-round jump-off. But in the end they had to settle for joint-runner-up spot along with their hosts from Sweden, while Switzerland slotted into fourth ahead of Spain in fifth and USA in sixth place.

The extraordinary run of Di Lampard’s British side ground to halt today, when the country that has enjoyed three victories so far this season lined up seventh despite a fantastic double-clear from anchorman Michael Whitaker. Team Poland finished last, hampered by a fall for anchor partnership Piotr Morsztyn and Osadkowski van Halen at the pentultimate oxer in the opening round.

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