Western European League
1. CHRISTIAN AHLMANN (GER): age 32, Marl, Germany.
CÖSTER: gr. g., 14, German-bred Holsteiner by Calato—Constant mare, owned by Marion Jaub.
A stalwart of the German team, Ahlmann and Cöster have team bronze medals from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and 2006 WEG on their resume, and were 13th in 2003 in Las Vegas at the Budweiser World Cup Final. Together, they won the CSI-W classes at Gothenburg (Sweden) and Leipzig (Germany), and were second at Geneva (Switzerland).
Christian has a really good chance of winning the whole thing and certainly being in the top five. Cöster has been going very well, and Ahlmann is a rider with plenty of experience. I would say that winning the World Cup Final would most likely be a big goal for him. Cöster is not a baby, and I’m sure he’s looking for a title for that horse, since he’s been such a great horse, and this could be the time.
2. MEREDITH MICHAELS-BEERBAUM (GER): age 36, Thedinghausen, Germany.
SHUTTERFLY: dk. b./br. g., 14, German-bred Hanoverian by Silvio—Forrest xx mare, owned by Octavia Farms LLC & Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum.
CHECKMATE 4: b. g., 12, Hanoverian by Contender—Pik Bube II mare, owned by Octacia Farms LLC & Michaels-Beerbaum.
Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly won the 2005 FEI Budweiser World Cup Final in Las Vegas, and she placed fifth in the 2006 Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Checkmate. Michaels-Beerbaum grew up in the United States, and was a protégé of George Morris, but became a German citizen after marrying Markus Beerbaum. She has individual and team bronze medals from the 2006 WEG. She and Shutterfly won the CSI-W at Suttgart (Germany), were second at Gothenburg (Sweden), and third at Bordeaux (France) and at Verona (Italy).
In Shutterfly and Checkmate, Meredith has the best pair of horses in the world today, no question. It doesn’t matter which horse Meredith will ride—she has to be a favorite to win regardless. I don’t know which horse she’s going to bring, or if she’ll use a combination of both of them. She’s a very good rider, and she’s won it before. I think one of the keys to being successful at something like this is knowing a horse very well. I think she knows Checkmate as well as Shutterfly now. She obviously has the experience and the mileage and knows what it takes to win it. She can expect that if everything goes the way she plans it to go, and the way she’s preparing for it to go, she’ll be in the top five. Something has to go wrong for her to be worse than that, and then something has to go a little bit right for her to win.
3. ALBERT ZOER (NED): age 31, Echten, the Netherlands.
LINCOLN: b. s., 14, Westphalian by Anmarsch—Direx mare, owned by Engemann Youngsters GmbH.
LOWINA:
Zoer gathered most of his World Cup points on his No. 1 horse, Okidoki, but Lincoln had good results as well, taking second in the Neumünster Grand Prix (Germany), and fourth in the grand prix at the Maastricht CSI (the Netherlands).
Albert is leaving Okidoki, his horse for team gold at the 2006 World Equestrian Games, home in the Netherlands, and bringing Lincoln. Lincoln has had good recent results and is a very careful horse, but it remains to be seen whether he can put good performances together over a span of three legs.
4. BEAT MÄNDLI (SUI): age 37, Ebertswil, Switzerland.
IDEO DU THOT: b. g., 11, Selle Francais by Arioso du Thelillet, owned by Gloria Theiler.
INDIGO IX: ch. g., 10, by Paladin des Ifs, owned by Zurich AG & Beat Mändli.
Mändli and Ideo du Thot took third in the 2006 FEI World Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mändli has been consistently placing in the top 10 of European grand prix classes with Indigo IX and Ideo du Thot. Ideo du Thot won the Credit Suisse Grand Prix at Zurich (Switzerland) and was third in the CSI-W at Geneva (Switzerland).
Indigo IX was third in the CSI-W at the London Olympia CSI (England). These are two really nice horses, though I don’t know which Beat is planning to bring. Beat is probably one of the best natural horsemen we’ve ever seen. He’s got a chance to win no matter which horse he brings, and I have faith he’ll bring the right one. He’s fantastic at reading horses and knowing what they’re ready and able to do.
5. MICHAEL WHITAKER (GBR): age 43, Whatton, Notts, Great Britain.
INSULTECH PORTOFINO 63: b. m., 13, Dutch Warmblood by Habsburg—Betstricha, owned by Gillespie Equestrian.
Whitaker and Portofino earned most of their World Cup points in North America, winning the $75,000 Budwesier World Cup Grand Prix of Syracuse (N.Y.), taking fourth in the $64,544 CN World Cup Grand Prix (Ont.) and ninth in the $100,000 President’s Cup (D.C.). They were sixth in the 2006 World Cup Final (Malaysia).
Portofino hasn’t been going that well recently, and that’s the horse he’ll take. But Michael is a little bit of a magician and always rises to the big occasions. He’s very good at that. While he as a rider is one of the very, very best, I’m not sure that he feels like he and his horse are at the top of their game right now. I’m sure he’s going to do everything he can to pull that together. I wouldn’t say that he would give himself as good a chance as you’d think from the results on paper. But on the other hand, he won’t quit trying.
6. STEVE GUERDAT (SUI): age 24.
JALISCA SOLIER: b. m., 10, Selle Francais by Alligator Fontaine—Jalisco B mare, owned by Lutta Gian Battista.
TRESOR: b. s., 11, Belgian Warmblood by Papillon Rouge—Laudanum xx mare, owned by Ignacio Soriano Tous.
Guerdat is known for his catch-riding at the top level, having formerly been a resident rider at Jan Tops’ stables. In 2003, he graduated from the European Young Rider ranks, and in 2004 he competed at the Athens Olympics. He and Pialotta—now ridden by Edwina Alexander—were sixth at the 2005 Budweiser World Cup Final in Las Vegas. He won the CSI-W classes at Geneva (Switzerland) and Vigo (Spain) on Jalisca Solier.
Steve is a very good rider, and he’s had some success with these horses, but I think that for a championship, they probably don’t know each other well enough. I think he can do a great job with the horses, picking and choosing his spots to win, but one of the fundamental issues of a championship is that there are three legs. You need a horse and rider combination who don’t need to pick and choose their spots; they need to be wash and wear. When you think about riders and horses who win individual championships, it’s usually names that roll off the tip of your tongue together, and Steve doesn’t have that with either of these horses yet. He’s an excellent rider and can win anywhere, but the long haul of a championship might be a little tough for his partnership with these horses.
7. MARCO KUTSCHER (GER): age 31, Riesenbeck, Germany.
CONTROE: b. s., 15, Holsteiner by Contender—Aloube Z mare, owned by B&S Sportferde GmbH.
CASH:
Kutscher—a protégé of Ludger Beerbaum—was fifth in the 2005 Budweiser World Cup Final and eighth in the 2004 World Cup Final (Italy), and has individual and team bronze medals from the 2004 Athens Olympics. He and Controe placed third in the CSI-W at ’s-Hertogenbosch (the Netherlands) in March to clinch their World Cup berth after having been third at Leipzig (Germany) and eighth at Bordeaux (France).
I don’t know much about Controe. Marco is one of the best riders in the world, but I don’t think a really top finish is really in the cards for him this year. It’s a nice horse, and he’s going to do the best that he can, but I don’t expect him to be in the running for the top five. That said, I know he’s not going to be going for a Las Vegas holiday, either. I’m sure that he’s going there to try and stay in the thick of things, and if he got a top 10 finish, that’d be good. And at the World Cup Finals, that’s quite good.
8. EUGENIE ANGOT (FRA): age 36, St. Leger en Yvelines, France.
CIGALE DU TAILLIS: b. m., 17, Selle Francais by Jalisco B—Galifo mare, owned by Bernard Bouteiller.
ILOSTRA DARK: b. m., 11, Selle Francais by Palestro II—Nemrod de Baussy mare, owned by Earl Elevage de L’Angnardiere La Vellerie.
In 2006, Angot and Cigale du Taillis won the richest grand prix in the world, the $849,110 CN International Open II Cup (Alta.). They were on the French team at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and finished fourth in the 2004 World Cup Final in Milan, Italy. Most of her World Cup points this season have come with placings on Ilostra Dark.
Eugenie has two very nice horses that have been going well. She’s got a great feel in her riding and has a beautiful, light riding style. She gives her horses every chance to succeed, and she’ll be competitive with either horse, but I see her as a top-15 finisher, not in the top five. It’s one of the great things of the World Cup Final—we tend to think of the Germans and the Dutch and the Belgians as the favorites, but the French have a habit of popping up and doing well.
9. LEOPOLD van ASTEN (NED): age 30.
VDL GROEP FLECHE ROUGE: b. m., 14, Selle Francais by Papillon Rouuge—Kissovo mare, owned by Stoeterij Duysels’Hof.
This will be van Asten’s first World Cup Final appearance. He represented the Netherlands at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where the team finished fourth. Second-placed finishes in the CSI-W classes at Vigo (Spain) and Verona (Italy) put him on the path to Las Vegas.
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Fleche Rouge is a lovely mare, and he’s a nice rider, but I think he’ll have a difficult time to pull it together for three legs. At times he has problems with his focus. He and that mare have jumped a lot of spectacular rounds, and if she likes the place, she’s really quite good. But I can’t see them being a contender in the top. I think a lot of times Leopold might be his own worst enemy—it’s a nice horse and he’s a good rider, so it’s hard to put your finger on what goes wrong. Ocassionally, I think he has a little bit of a lack of focus, and I think that’s exposed at championships.
10. TONY ANDRE HANSEN (NOR): age 28, Sandefjord, Norway.
CAMIRO 19: gr. g., 10, Holsteiner by Lord Cassini—Lord mare, owned by Kjell Ulrichson.
Hansen has the unusual task of balancing his international show jumping career with his career as a top pop-star in Norway. He graduated from the junior and young rider ranks and promptly represented his country in the 2006 WEG (Germany) aboard Camiro. He confirmed his travel to Las Vegas with a fourth place at the CSI-W in Gothenburg (Sweden) over “a tough course,” according to Ludger Beerbaum.
This horse is very scopey and can jump all the rounds. But I think Tony’s short on experience for a championship. He can be solid in one or two of the legs. If he makes it to the final 25 for the last day, the horse has the ability to jump clear rounds.
11. ALOIS POLLMANN-SCHWECKHORST (GER): age 42, Warstein, Germany.
CANDY 195: ch. m., 15, Holsteiner by Coriall—Latino mare, owned by Hans Helmut Bauer.
Pollmann-Schweckhorst and Candy placed ninth in the 2005 Budweiser World Cup Final in Las Vegas. He and Candy took second in the CSI-W at London-Olympia (England) and sixth in Amsterdam (the Netherlands).
Alois is a great guy, and he’s going to be right at home in Las Vegas, because he loves Elvis Presley and does a great impression of Elvis. You might find him wandering around singing “Viva Las Vegas.” Candy is a very good indoor horse, and I think he does a great job getting everything out of that horse that she has. Having said all that, I think a top-five finish would be great for him. The horse falls a little short at a major championships, but he squeezes the lemon pretty good and gets all the juice he can out of her. She’s a nice horse, but maybe just a little shy of ability for a major championship. Everything would have to fall into place perfectly for him to factor at the top, and it’s hard to predict that that will happen.
12. MARKUS BEERBAUM (GER): age 36, Thedinghausen, Germany.
LEENA: b. m, 14, German-bred Oldenburg by Lord Liberty, owned by Jim and Nancy Clark.
Leena and Beerbaum won the CSI-W classes at London-Olympia (England) and Amsterdam (the Netherlands) for their World Cup Final berth.
Markus is in a little of the same boat as Alois. Leena is a good, careful, nice horse, but I think she just doesn’t have quite enough to finish the job. Each of those horses can jump any leg or round, and they will, but I don’t think there’s enough extra gas in the tank to be able to do it three days out of four. Markus is a very good rider and has a very good approach to the sport, so I’m sure he’ll give the horse every chance, but I think he’s working with a little too little horsepower. Having said all the above, Leena had very good indoor results in Europe.
13. THOMAS FRÜHMANN (AUT): age 56.
THE SIXTH SENSE: b. g., 11, Zorro T—Grannus Granit mare, owned by Thomas Frühmann.
The winner of the 1992 World Cup Final on Genius, Frühmann seemed to have faded from the top of the sport until last year, when he began winning all over again with The Sixth Sense (see p. 70). They were fourth in the CSI-W at ’s-Hertogenbosch (the Netherlands) and sixth at both Leipzig (Germany) and Vigo (Spain).
Frühmann is going to try and win again, like the last time he came to the United States for a World Cup Final, in 1992 in Del Mar, Calif. Everyone should come to watch him ride. He’s got a distinctive style—he’s not the youngest rider out there, so he has a very typical older European style. He’s a fantastic competitor. He’s got a very good horse, and he has a wonderful relationship with the horse. He’ll either win or lose in a spectacular fashion—he’ll be coming to win the whole thing. The horse has the ability to do it, and he has the ability to do it. It’s kind of a cool thing to see; he’s got a great horse that he brought along. And he’s been successful with it after quite a hiatus from the top of the sport. He’s got a good shot at winning the whole thing.
14. JUDY-ANN MELCHOIR (BEL): age 20, Lanaken, Belgium.
VDL GROEP GRANDE DAME: dk.b./br. m., 15, Oldenburg by Grannus-Granit—Ramino mare, owned by Stoeterij Zangersheide.
The daughter of Leon Melchoir, the founder and owner of the famed Zangersheide stud farm in Belgium, Judy-Ann graduated from the European young rider ranks in 2005 and competed in the 2005 European Championships (Italy) and the 2006 WEG (Germany).
She’s a little in the same boat as Alois and Markus. I think she’s a bit under-horsepowered for a major championship. She’s got a very careful, nice horse in Grande Dame. Judy-Ann is a little shy of experience, but she’s been a great success story. She’s come along fantasti-cally in the last few years and really developed as a rider, and I think that at some point in the future, she will be a real contender, but probably not this year.
15. GERCO SCHRÖDER (NED): age 29, Tubbergen, the Netherlands.
EUROCOMMERCE MILANO: ch. m., 13, Dutch Warmblood by Indorado—Beaujolais mare, owned by Eurocommerce Promotion.
Schröder competed in the 2002 and 2003 World Cup Finals on Eurocommerce Geneve, and then was on the fourth-placed Dutch team at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and won team gold at the 2006 WEG (Germany). He and Milano placed second last year in the $849,110 CN International Open II Cup (Alta.) and tied for eighth in the 2006 World Cup Final (Malaysia).
Gerco is a great competitor, and if he takes Milano, he’s got a shot. He’s had good success with that horse, and it’s a careful, nice horse. Whether it’s peaking at the right time is the big question, but obviously Gerco is very, very good. I wouldn’t say he’d come unless he was ready to play. Gerco is a world-class rider on any horse.
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16. RENE TEBBEL (GER): age 38.
TEAM HARMONY COUP DE COUER: gr. s., 10, by Calido, owned by Rasha Hareb.
KIRA BELL:
Tebbel and Coup de Couer won the CSI-W in Verona (Italy) and were second at Helsinki (Finland) and third at Stuttgart (Germany).
I saw this horse last year, and this is a really good horse. Looking at the results from the past year, you wouldn’t call them a favorite. But Rene is a really good jockey, and it’s a very good horse. Even with a
little bit of lack of experience on the horse’s part, and a little bit of a short resume for this horse and rider combination together, the word is that they could be very successful. It goes against conventional wisdom, but they could have a good chance to win it.
17. DANIEL DEUSSER (GER): age 25.
AIR JORDAN Z: b. s., 11, Oldenburg by Argentinus, owned by Stoeterij Zangersheide.
UPSILON D’OCQUIER: b. g., 10, Belgian Warmblood by Landetto—Romeo mare, owned by Stal Tops.
This will be Deusser’s first international outing. He has had good results, taking second in the CSI-W at Stuttgart (Germany) on Upsilon d’Ocquier, who was also fifth at ’s-Hertogenbosch (the Netherlands). Deusser spent his winter in Florida at the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Daniel is also a very good rider—all the Germans are very good. But I question his experience to be on top in Las Vegas. He’s very well prepared, and he won’t be coming just to go. But I don’t think he can really be dynamic enough to win. I’ll never forget Markus Fuchs in 2005, coming flying out of the turn, with everything wrong, and he pulled it off and won. That’s what I mean when I say dynamic. But you have to couple dynamic with experience too. I don’t see that happening with him. I see him being consistent, but other people are going to have to fall apart for him to finish really high.
18. PATRICK McENTEE (BEL): age 32.
EVER MURY MARAIS Z: b. g., 10, Zangersheide by Elton—Farn mare, owned by Insurance de Buyl.
McEntee competed in the European Young Rider Championships in 1994 and ’95, and has started in two Nations Cups for Belgium. He and Ever Mury Marais Z placed fourth in the CSI-W in Mechelen (Belgium) and fifth at Leipzig (Germany). This will be his first World Cup Final.
Patrick was the reserve rider for the Belgian team for the 2006 WEG (Germany), so he’s definitely an up-and-coming rider to watch. But this is a very big horse, and he might have a hard time fitting him into this small ring. He’s a good rider who’s gaining in international experience, and this will be a good test for him.
19. EDWINA ALEXANDER (AUS): age 33, Valkenswaard, the Netherlands.
ISOVLAS PIALOTTA: b. m., 16, Westphalian by Pilot—Akitos xx mare, owned by E. Alexander & C. v Opstal.
A native of Australia, Alexander now lives in the Netherlands, as Jan Tops’ girlfriend. She rode to fourth place individually in the 2006 WEG with Pialotta, and they earned good placings in CSI-W classes throughout the season to qualify for the Final.
This is a good, solid mare. Edwina has come along a lot over the last couple of years, but she doesn’t have the same regularity that some of the other riders have. She and that mare are a great match—they’re very hand-in-glove. But the mare is a little bit older now, and this might be a bit of a stretch for her. But don’t forget their fourth place at the WEG. She and Pialotta, with Jan Tops’ management, wouldn’t surprise me if they placed highly.
Other Leagues
The different leagues are a wonderful mix of riders. And some of the riders won’t have a chance to win at all. But they’re the best in their home territory, and it gives them a great opportunity to keep adding experience to their resumes. If you only invite the top 20 riders in the world every time, it’s really tough for all the rest of the riders to get enough experience to break into that top 20. My overwhelming feeling is that—with all the different leagues, from all the parts of the world—the World Cup is a great way to try and raise the level of competition everywhere.
Everyone’s going to come and give it their best. And winning is different for different people. There’s only going to be one winner of the World Cup Final, but there will be a lot of personal winners who leave there at the end of the week. There are a lot of ways to win. J .M.
Australian League
GAVIN CHESTER (AUS): age 47, Victoria, Australia.
WARLORD II
South American League
DENIS GOUVEA (BRA): age 34.
VDL NANTES
Japan League
TAIZO SUGITANI (JPN): age 30, Osaka, Japan.
CAITANO
Mexican League
SANTIAGO LAMBRE (MEX): age 31, Monterrey, Mexico
CAMPINO
ALBERTO MICHAN (MEX): age 28.
CHINOBAMPO LAVITA
Central European League
KRZYSZTOF LUDWICZAK (POL): age 32.
NURJEV
HOF SCHRETSTAKENS QUAMIRO
KONKRET
MYLADY
LUKASZ JONCZYK (POL): age 29.
DJANE DES FONTENIS
LAVIDA
LETHAL WEAPON II
Arab League
A. BIN METAL AL SAUD (KSA)
SAUDIA
AL SAAD KHALED
NOAF AL ESSA (KUW)
OMNIA
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