Ilya Anisin, a 20-year-old member of Belarus’s Young Rider squad, went one better than last year and secured his place at the 2009 HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing Final at Strzegom (POL) next month with a convincing win in the sixth qualifier, at Minsk (BLR).
Anisin, riding the 13-year-old Russian Trakhener stallion Arbat, made a meteoric leap from 14th place after Dressage to 2nd after Cross-Country, by virtue of producing the fastest clear round for just 1.6 time penalties.
Aistis Vitkauskas nearly made history as the first Lithuanian rider to win an HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing qualifier, but 16 faults in the final Jumping phase compared to Anisin’s 8 dropped him to 2nd.
Vitkauskas, riding the appropriately-named AK’s Galloper, by the great show jumping stallion Parco, made a similarly dramatic rise up the leaderboard, from 13th after Dressage to take the Cross-Country lead – he and Anisin were the only riders to score less than 19 time penalties.
Russian rider Alexandr Markov finished 3rd and 4th on Paul vom Gau and Go-Ahead and has sprung into 3rd place into the HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing standings.
The Dressage leader, Aliaksandr Faminou (BLR), had a refusal at fence 6b on the Cross-Country on Gorlinka and eventually wound up in 7th place.
The Dressage runner-up and 2008 winner, Aliaksandra Hlushakova (BLR) on Logika was eliminated for 3 refusals.
Facts and Figures
19 starters from 4 nations (Belarus, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine)
Dressage marks ranged from 51.3 to 79.4
Ground jury was Martin Plewa (GER, President), Mercedes Campdera Alatorre (MEX) and Natallia Yuranava (BLR)
Technical Delegate was Per Magnusson (SWE)
Cross-Country Course-Designer was Mikhail Rybak (BLR)
12 horses completed the Cross-Country
There were 9 clear rounds
No one achieved the optimum time of 7min 06sec
There were 2 retirements and 5 eliminations (2 horse falls)
Two horses were withdrawn before the Jumping, both ridden by the 2007 winner Viachaslau Poita (BLR)
10 horses started the Jumping
Jumping course designed by Vytas Paznanskis (LTV)
There were 2 clear rounds
The Winner
Ilya Anisin also rose from last after Dressage to 6th place with one of only two clear Jumping rounds, on Rascasse, winner of the Moscow CIC** last year and runner-up at Minsk last year. He represented Belarus in the last two FEI European Young Rider Eventing Championships – the team finished 5th last year in Kreuth (GER) – and was 14th in the Junior Europeans in 2006.
Results
1 Ilya Anisin/Arbat (BLR) 65.2 + 1.2 + 8 = 74.8 penalties
2 Aistis Vitkauskas/AK’s Galopper (LTU) 64.2 + 2.4 + 16 = 82.6
3 Alexandr Markov/Paul vom Gau (RUS) 56 + 28.4 + 4/1 = 89.4
4 Alexandr Markov/Go-Ahead (RUS) 56.3 + 28.8 + 4/3 = 92.1
5 Alena Tseliapushkina/Passat (BLR) 56 + 29.2 + 4/6 = 92.2
6 Ilya Anisin/Rascasse 79.4 + 18.8 + 0 = 98.2
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