The USA stood top of the presentation podium when winning the second leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series in Rome today, completing with just four faults. It was an historic fourth victory at the Italian venue for an American side – they previously topped the line-up at the Piazza di Siena in 1997 and for Chef d’Equipe, George Morris, the result was particularly special. “I was on the first US winning team here back in 1959 and I’m very proud of my team this evening” he said with great satisfaction.
It was no easy victory however, the French very nearly forcing a jump-off before having to settle for second ahead of the British and Swiss who shared third place. Germany slotted into fifth with Ireland and The Netherlands in sixth, and Italy claimed eighth place. The losers today were the teams from Belgium and Sweden who didn’t make the cut into the second round in which only eight of the 10 competing nations battled it out.
Tough Track
Course designer Uliano Vezzani set them a tough track. “It was more difficult than La Baule” said US anchorman Richard Spooner who clinched it for his side with a superb last-to-go performance from Cristallo. The triple combination proved influential, but it was the final line of fences, beginning with the triple bar at 10 and continuing to a double and concluding oxer that created most difficulty. “The triple bar was VERY big” said Laura Kraut whose only mistake with her Olympic ride Cedric was at the previous vertical at fence 9, “and the oxer going into the double was wide and tall, but the fence my horse didn’t like was the first one, the wall” she explained. The opening vertical, which mirrored Rome’s ancient Colosseum, stopped both Ireland’s Kevin Babington and, ironically, Italy’s Juan Carlos Garcia in their tracks when their horses refused at it before continuing on course.
The Irish were sharing second place with France and Great Britain at the halfway stage with a four-fault score, the Americans already holding the whip hand with clears from Lauren Hough (Quick Study), Ashlee Bond (Cadett) and Laura Kraut (Cedric). Spooner didn’t need to compete as only the best three scores count for each team “but I have not had a good week so far so I wanted to try to qualify for the Grand Prix on Sunday” he explained. As it happened it was a fortuitous decision because his four-fault first-round run prepared him for his all-important second effort with Cristallo.
Second Round
The Swiss and Germans carried eight faults each into round two while the Dutch carried 12 and the Italians carried 20 – their faster time giving them the advantage over the Swedes, also on 20, who joined the Belgians in the rider’s tribune to watch the action unfold.
The Irish lost their grip with 16 faults second time out and the British slipped a little when Nick Skelton, Michael Whitaker and Ben Maher each had a fence down, although John Whitaker produced one of his trade-mark jumping exhibitions to go clear with Peppermill. Third-last into the ring, Kevin Staut needed to stay clear if France was to force a jump-off with the USA who by now would finish with at least four faults after Hough collected eight, Bond went clear again and Kraut had four. Staut however fell victim to the first element of the penultimate double however and as Spooner came into the ring once more he knew victory was in his grasp.
With only one fence in hand however he could not afford a mistake but Cristallo was foot-perfect all the way to the finish. For Ashlee Bond, today was another major milestone as the 23 year old rookie has now completed four clear rounds over the first two legs of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series and another of today’s spectacular performers was 31 year old Clarissa Crotta who also jumped double-clear on her senior Nations Cup debut.
The series now moves on to St Gallen in Switzerland next week.
Results
1. USA 0 faults: Quick Study (Lauren Hough) 0/8, Cadett (Ashlee Bond) 0/0, Cedric (Laura Kraut) 0/4, Cristallo (Richard Spooner) 4/0
2. France 8 faults: Jubilee D’Ouilly (Penelope Leprevost 0/0, Lamm de Fetan (Timothee Anciaume) 4/0, Luccianno (Nicolas Delmotte) 4/0, Le Prestige St Lois (Kevin Staut) 0/4.
3. Great Britain 12 faults; Nemo (Nick Skelton) 4/4, Wonami van der Aard (Michael Whitaker) 4/4, Robin Hood W (Ben Maher 0/4, Peppermill (John Whitaker) 0/0.
3. Switzerland 12 faults: LB Robin Hood (Christina Liebherr) 4/8, Jalla de Gaverie (Jane Richard) 8/0, West Side V Meerputhoeve (Clarissa Crotta) 0/0, Peu a Peu (Daniel Etter) 4/4.
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