I arrived today looking forward to watching our very last Canadian WEG team member at these 2014 World Equestrian Games compete in the individual jumping final. I was blissfully but briefly unaware that Yann had pulled out of today. He wasn’t alone. Also withdrawing today were a few of the rock stars that show jumping fans everywhere love to watch – the likes of Ludger Beerbaum, Kent Farrington, and the rider of the best looking horse of the WEG show jumping, Pedro Veniss of Brazil.
Liver chestnut with a flaxen tail – just gorgeous
The rationale is of course that these riders don’t have a chance of making the final four, so they are saving their horses for such things as Spruce or Barcelona. Frankly, I’m shocked that they are allowed to do this. It’s unsportsmanlike and shows a lack of respect for the spectators, the organizers and the riders who are following through to the end as I am quite sure is spelled out in the FEI rules. (and yes, I am fully aware that the folks out there who have taken such exception to my unglossy coverage this week are already preparing to unleash their fury here or on Facebook)
The sport today is superb, and I would say the course designer this week, Frédéric Cottier, has done a top notch job of building courses that have weeded out the chaff (of which there was unfortunately too much, as per my previous posts from the first team round), not killed the horses, but continued to keep the competition very, very interesting. The top half of the field of 30 today were so close at the start that Rodrigo went from being a possible final four candidate in fifth all the way down to tenth for a single rail and time fault in the first round.
If I were shopping for the next great jumping horse, I’d be finding out what the country phone code is for Morocco. Quickly de Kreisker jumped with the handicap of an unskilled rider (and judging from the bucking and pinned ears, the stallion isn’t exactly in love with his pilot), but he still looks to my not-very-jumping-educated eye like one of the best horses here.
Morocco’s Abdelkebir Ouaddar and Quickly de Kreisker
A tip of the chapeau to Rodrigo for doing right by his horse today. Status was obviously tired, and after several rails came down in the second round, Rodrigo retired at the half way point, patting his horse as he walked out of the ring.
Rising Star award of all the WEG show jumping must go to 19 year old Bertram Allen of Ireland. He’s just a wisp of a thing but he sure can ride. He posted the first double clear of the afternoon (though he did have a time fault in the first round). It would have been awesome to see him in the final four but a couple of rails in the team rounds kept him out of that top group – though not far. He finished 7th in the whole wide world, which is pretty darned impressive for a whipper snapper from the Emerald Isle.
The future looks bright for Bertram
Beezie had what would otherwise have been a very costly rail in the first round, if it weren’t for the fact that until then she had been one of the only two not to have a single fence down all week – Rolf-Goran being the other. Rolf had one rail in the second round, provoking an actual scream from the very unfiltered audience, but like Beezie he could afford it. Jeroen Double-down earned his spot in the final four with one of only three fault free performances today. The French are currently on their feet in here because Patrice’s name just blazed across the top of the leader board. Tomorrow’s final four will be truly awesome, with four nations including the home country represented. And there is a woman, a rare thing in the world championship final four. I’d be thrilled to see any of them win gold tomorrow. The horses are all incredible athletes, ridden by four of the world’s great show jumping riders. A demain for the menage a quatre!
