Karin Donckers, Belgium’s leading lady rider, can add the 2012 FEI World Cup™ Eventing title to her long list of honours after scoring three top 10 places in a highly successful raid at Haras du Pin (FRA), the final leg of the season.
She was third on the 12-year-old thoroughbred Lamicell Charizard, a horse Donckers bought as a two-year-old at a racing sales in Germany, and eighth and ninth on two eight-year-olds, Lamicell Unique and Extebaria Van’t Verahof.
The first rider to win the FEI World Cup™ Eventing title, worth €9,000 this season, through scoring all points in just one outing, Donckers finished just two points ahead of Swiss rider Felix Vogg, who had headed the leaderboard after Malmö (SWE) earlier this month.
Vogg earned points at three events: Strzegom (POL), where he was the runner-up, Malmö, where he was seventh, and Haras du Pin, where he finished 12th with Onfire.
Sandra Auffarth (GER), Olympic team gold and individual bronze medallist, stayed in third place in the FEI World Cup™ Eventing rankings following her win and eighth place at Strzegom, despite not contesting Haras du Pin.
The winner of the CIC3*-W at Haras du Pin was none other than Auffarth’s team mate, the reigning Olympic, World and European Champion, Michael Jung (GER), who once again impressed with his quiet horsemanship.
His winning mount this time was a young horse, Halunke FBW, by Heraldik XX. Jung said: “I liked the Cross Country very much. My horse is only an eight-year-old but he did it very well. I thought afterwards he was a bit tired, but in the Jumping he showed that he was still fresh and powerful. He was a little bit nervous of the public, because he isn’t used to crowds.”
Jung also complimented the organisers, the Le Goupil family: “The ground was great and the organisation was fantastic, so I have really enjoyed it.”
Pascal Leroy (FRA), who finished second and best of the home nation, added to this, saying: “I am a big fan of Pierre Le Goupil’s courses. I was a bit nervous about the Cross Country because my horse Minos de Petra hasn’t jumped fixed fences for a while, but he is a good galloper and that’s what you needed on a course like this.”
Jung and Donckers (on Lamicell Charizard) were in equal second place after Dressage; Donckers was fractionally faster across country, but hit one rail in the final Jumping phase to slip to third. Nicolas Touzaint (FRA) and Neptune de Sartene, one of only three combinations to achieve the optimum Cross Country time, slotted into fourth.
Emily Baldwin (GBR) and the veteran Drivetime, winners of Haras du Pin in 2010 and regulars on the FEI World Cup™ circuit, led the Dressage phase but dropped to fifth place with 8.8 Cross Country time penalties.
There were 52 starters in the CIC3*-W, of which 33 completed. The FEI Technical Delegate, Gillian Kyle (IRL) commented: “The Cross Country was well up to standard. We put up some black flag alternatives, as requested by the rider representatives, because horses have been short of runs this summer due to the weather. The course rode well and everyone had a happy day.”
Results
1 Michael Jung/Halunke FBW (GER) 43.5 + 2.8 + 0 = 46.3
2 Pascal Leroy/Minos de Petra (FRA) 47.8 + 0.8 + 0 = 48.6
3 Karin Donckers/Lamicell Charizard (BEL) 43.5 + 1.6 + 4 = 49.1
4 Nicolas Touzaint/Neptune de Sartene (FRA) 46.9 + 0 + 4 = 50.9
5 Emily BaldwinDrivetime (GBR) 42.2 + 8.8 + 0 = 51.0
6 Alix de Herce/Minx du Mane Roz (FRA) 49.6 + 0 + 4 = 53.6
7 Yoshiaki Oiwa/Noonday de Conde (JPN) 45.8 + 5.6 + 4 = 55.4
8 Karin Donckers/Lamicell Unique (BEL) 47.2 +3.2 + 7 = 57.4
9 Karin Donckers/Extebaria Van’t Verahof (BEL) 53.0 + 5.2 + 5 = 63.2
10 Sam Griffiths/Paulank Brockagh (AUS) 49.8 + 2 + 14 = 65.8
Full results on www.legrandcomplet.com
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