Las Vegas—April 16
The stage is set for the first leg of the Longines FEI Show Jumping World Cup Final, the speed round. Want to know more about how the show jumping competition is scored? Check out our article, The World Cup Finals: What You Need To Know.
There are 41 riders on the order for tonight’s class, and speed is the name of the game. Riders will need to go fast enough to place high enough to remain a factor over the entire weekend, but also keep some horse in hand for all the jumping to come. Riders looking to win the trophy on Sunday might not go for the win tonight, but settle for a top-10 placing to play it safe.
Jos Verlooy/Domino
He’s just 19, but Jos rides with a lot of maturity! He put in a solid, but not speedy, round. He jumped clear, but didn’t take too many risks. He was slick and neat everywhere with his track, though.
Katie Dinan/Stakorado
Stakorado was quite wound up as he came in the ring, unnerved by the crowd and atmosphere. He was sticky off the ground in a few places early on, making Katie ride really hard. They added a stride in a two-stride at 5AB, then hovered up over a few before grinding to a halt in the triple combination. They had some awkward efforts on their second attempt through it and then another stop at an oxer at 12 to eliminate them. They just looked out of sorts the whole way around, though Katie did her best to make things happen.
Patrice Delaveau/Orient Express HDC
Patrice brought the crowd to a roar with a bit of a hail-Mary ride through the triple combination—kicking on with huge efforts from Orient Express HDC—and some daring turns to take over the lead.
Pius Schwizer/Toulago
Pius had a rail at an early jump but rode very efficiently. His pace wasn’t huge, but he wastes no time at all with his track.
Everardo Hegewisch Diaz Infanta/Electric
Everardo had a bunch of rails early in the course and then Electric jumped through the oxer at fence 8, an oxer out of the in-gate corner. He tipped his hat and retired.
Chris Sorensen/Bobby
Bobby makes huge efforts over the jumps, but has a bit of a comical air with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He and Chris had a cracking ride through the triple line, which really requires a forward, positive ride. They had a rail at a Liverpool oxer and again late in the course, adding 8 seconds to their time.
Gerco Schröder/Glock’s Cognac Champblanc
Gerco’s a master and this gray gives the jumps a LOT of air. They tipped the planks at the Vegas vertical to the edge of the cups, but it stayed put. This is a slower-moving horse, so they were a bit slow with 72.42 seconds and into third right now.
Kirsten Coe/Czardas
Kirsten seems to have chosen cautious and clear as a strategy, and Czardas put in lovely jumping efforts. They finished with a time a bit off the pace, but with all the rails in the cups, which is an accomplishment on this course!
Luca Maria Moneta/Connery
The Italian rider had a rail in the triple and the jump after it, along with a late oxer to finish with 12 seconds added to put him down the standings.
Sergio Alvarez Moya/Carlo
Carlo is simple adorable with gray dapples and a knees-to-chin jumping style. Sergio really tested him with tight, tight turns to the big jumps and Carlo answered “Yes sir!” They got away with a couple hail-Mary moments to go into third with a clear round just off the pace.
McLain Ward/Rothchild
McLain wants this. He WANTS it. Rothchild is his usual feisty self as they start, and McLain’s first turn showed he means serious business. “Bongo” was on it in his usual ears-pinned, knees-down style. They had the fastest time so far, but had to add 4 seconds for a light rail at the Liverpool oxer. Their final times of 69.35 seconds put them into fourth.
Manuel Alvarez/Spirit Magic
Spirit Magic is a big, slow-moving horse, and they had a rail down. Then the big bay jumped Manuel a bit loose over the Liverpool oxer, so he went around in the turn to the next jump, costing valuable seconds. So their final times of 74.35 seconds put them into seventh.
Geir Gulliksen/Edesa S Banjan
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Geir rode efficiently, but had three rails in his first World Cup Final appearance since 2006, putting him down the standings.
Andis Varna/KS Coradina
This rider’s from Latvia and competing in his first World Cup Final on an 8-year-old mare, the youngest horse in the field. She’s a big mare with a lot of jump and made genuine efforts in many places, but had rails at three fences and was a bit slow.
Penelope Leprevost/Vagabond de la Pomme
Penelope is in a fetching bright blue jacket tonight. And she’s taking no prisoners, turning about as tight as she can to the jumps and trusting Vagabond’s enormous scope to get them over. Which he does! The French mean business tonight! She goes clear and into second behind Patrice!
Martin Fuchs/PSG Future
PSG Future jumped his heart out for Martin, double-pumping the hind end over a few jumps. Martin didn’t waste any time in the turns, either, and made a great gallop to the last jump to take over third place with a neat and clean round.
Vinton Karrasch/Coral Reef Follow Me II
It’s his first World Cup Final and Vinton rode like he meant it, but a rail came down in the triple combination at A and they finished up with another rail at the last to wind up down the ranks in 10th.
Hardin Towell/Lucifer V
He’s your Chronicle One To Watch in his first World Cup Final, and he lit Lucifer V on fire on his way around. They had a great trip through the triple, but at rail at the next two fences. They go into 10th with 74.62 seconds for a final score.
Douglas Lindelöw/Casello
Hello Sweden—Douglas was right on the pace with a lovely round but had a heart-breaker rail at the last, putting them down into seventh.
Jur Vrieling/VDL Zirocco Blue N.O.P.
Zirocco Blue made the triple look easy and Jur rode a ruthlessly efficient track. He was well up on the time on the turn to the last and hit the gas. He stopped the timers in 66.44 seconds and clear to go into a TIE for the lead with Delaveau.
Hans-Dieter Dreher/Cool And Easy
They had a bit of a nail-biter, hanging up over 5A, but jumped it clear. They weren’t so lucky at the Vegas planks, having it down. Hans-Dieter was a few seconds of the pace, and they’ll go into 14th.
Vladimir Beletskly/Rocketman
The Russian had an early rail and a rough ride into the triple line, resulting in a rail there. With an outside turn and another rail, they’ll finish out of the top half of the results.
Maikel van der Vleuten/VDL Groep Verdi Tn N.O.P.
Maikel, the man who defies gravity in his jumping position, got lucky in a few places early in the course with rubs, but the rails stayed in the cups! He had a nice, flowing forward pace and really sliced the angle to the vertical in the middle of the ring. He’ll go into sixth with that efficient clear round.
Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani/First Devision
First Devision really turned himself inside out over a few of the jumps to avoid the rails, but later in the course some rails came down. They had a miscommunication on the way to the vertical across the ring, punching through it. They go into 21st with three rails and a slower time.
Beezie Madden/Simon
Simon is so deceptively fast. He’s so big he doesn’t look like he’s hurrying, but he eats the ground up. Beezie made the crowd gasp with her turn to the single vertical across the ring. They took a rail at the last, a bit off the pace to go into ninth.
Edwina Top-Alexander/Fair Light van T Heike
Things don’t start well for Edwina as she has a rail at 1 and a stop at 3. She waves to the judges to retire.
Todd Minikus/Babalou
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This is a man who knows how to go fast. And he’s leaving nothing on the table. Bablou is turning in lovely jumping efforts—like a hunter. A really quick hunter. But they have rails at 8C and 9, finishing with a time that puts them into 18th.
Marcus Ehning/Singular La Silla
A bold jump into the triple line made Ehning pull out from the triple combination, then jump a courtesy fence to retire on the 9-year-old stallion.
Kristaps Neretnieks/Romanee Cece
This big chestnut tries so hard, but four rails come down for the Latvian rider. He’ll finish out of the top half, but completes the course.
Kevin Staut/Silvana HDC
Kevin means business—he brought Silvana, his top horse just back from recovering from an injury, to Vegas for this. He’s about as efficient around the turns as you can be. He got lucky over B of the triple, but the luck round out at the C element and he had it down. He’s still blisteringly quick, though, and had the time to go into the lead. But the 4 seconds added up them into ninth.
Bertram Allen/Molly Malone V
Molly almost turned Bertram off on one slice and they simply couldn’t BE any faster. The crowd goes wild as “Good Golly Miss Molly” blares and Bertram goes into the lead by almost a full second.
Daniel Deusser/Cornet d’Amour
Cornet made the crowd murmur with a rattle of the rails at 5A, but they stayed up. Then Deusser picked up the pace and paid for it with a rail at the vertical across the ring. He’d finished with a time that would have gone into first, but instead they’re in eight with the 4 seconds added.
Rich Fellers/Flexible
That was UNREAL. Flexible looked like he was 8 years old again and just nipped into second place with a flying time. Seriously, he looked like it’s his first World Cup Final and he jumped here six years ago in Vegas! They’re truly inspirational.
Lucy Davis/Barron
Barron’s giving the jumps plenty of room, but he looks a bit difficult to ride. They run into trouble and a rail in the triple, but go into 14th with a respectable time.
Steve Guerdat/Albfuehren’s Paille
Steve Guerdat is a master of the tight turn and he’s schooling us all in the art. What a precise ride on a horse who looks so conscientious at the jumps. He goes carefully to the last jump and finishes clean going into fifth.
Katie Laurie/Kiwi Iron Mark
On the Thoroughbred cross, Laurie had just one rail down to go into 24th. The crowd loved her genuine horse’s efforts!
Marco Kutscher/Cornet’s Cristallo
Kutscher scratched before starting.
Laura Kraut/Nouvelle
Nouvelle ran into trouble in the combinations, having rails at 5B and 8B. They were really quick though, so they’ll go into 24th.
Bassem Hassan Mohammed/Primeval Dejavu
Bassem rode very precisely, and this bay gelding was WAY up over some of the jumps with lovely style. They finished clean just a few seconds off the winning pace to go into 11th.
Joao Eduardo Ferriera de Carvalho/Ragtime Rouge
A rail down in the triple and then at the plank vertical for the Brazilian. They add four more to go into 36th place.
