Dutch Deliver in Dublin

In a thrilling conclusion to the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup™, the team from The Netherlands put up a tremendous fight to win the last round in Dublin today where the French were crowned series champions for the second successive year. The Dutch came to the Irish fixture knowing that only victory would guarantee them a place amongst the elite nations in 2011 and, inspired by their Chef d’Equipe Rob Ehrens, and ably assisted by the only two double-clear rounds of the competition from Eric Van der Vleuten and Marc Houtzager, they succeeded in their mission in the finest of style when finishing on a four-fault total.

The French arrived knowing they already had the series title in their grasp, but that didn’t take any of the fight out of them. Chef d’Equipe Laurent Elias said yesterday “we come to Dublin to win, just like everywhere else. We had a great start to the season with three victories and we know we are the champions again, but we have a great team here and we want to win this Aga Khan Cup and finish off our great season in the best way” he added.

TRAILING
The Dutch, however, left all the others trailing in their wake, Ireland and the USA sharing runner-up spot on 20 faults, while the French finished fourth with 24 ahead of the British with 28. For Spain, making their debut in the top level this season, it was a deeply disappointing day. Lying sixth on the 10-nation leaderboard, they could not afford to be overtaken by any of those below them who were all lying in the bottom-four relegation zone. But they were undermined by a finishing total of 32 faults, which was only good enough for equal-sixth place alongside Sweden, and when The Netherlands earned the maximum 10 points as today’s victors the two nations swopped places – the Dutch moving up into sixth on the overall league standings and therefore qualifying for next year’s series, while Spain dropped to seventh and will now be relegated to the Promotional League in 2011 along with Sweden, Switzerland and Poland.

Clear rounds for some of the early riders seemed to suggest that Bob Ellis’s track might be a little too kind, but that wasn’t how it turned out. The man who will set the questions for riders at the 2012 Olympic Games in London had given them a tough task and the fences fell at every point around the course, but particularly regularly at the triple combination which was the last obstacle on the track – the front pole of the final element denying many riders that vital clear. The vertical following the water at fence seven did its job as expected too when riders couldn’t quite regain enough control, while both parts of the double at fence five also regularly hit the floor.

SURPRISE
It seemed the Swedes might be about to spring a surprise similar to the one they sprang on their home ground at Falsterbo last month when they went into the second round as joint-leaders with the eventual winners carrying just four faults. Peder Fredricson had lifted Swedish hearts with a great opening clear from H&M Arctic Aurora Borealis which was followed by eight from Alexander Zetterman with Isaac. Then older brother Daniel Zetterman produced a fabulous round from the grey, Glory Days, before Henrik Von Eckerman and LB Paola returned with just four on the board after lowering the vertical that followed the double.

The Dutch however were already digging in, Van der Vleuten’s clear with the nine year old VDL Utascha and Houtzager’s anchorman fault-free effort with Tamino leaving them looking strong while Jur Vrieling and VDL Bubalu made it all the way to the penultimate vertical before picking up four faults there and Harrie Smolders made his only mistake with Exquis Walnut de Muze at the vertical after the water.

Next in line was the USA with eight on the board, four each from Beezie Madden (Coral Reef Via Volo) and Cara Raether (Ublesco) and a clear from last man Rich Fellers (Flexible) while McLain Ward’s eight (Rothchild) provided the discard. Ireland, Great Britain and France all shared a first-round tally of 16 while Spain and Switzerland carried 20 each into round two, but Germany missed the cut when only eight nations returned to the ring. The first-round German total of 28 proved much too expensive.

GAME OVER
By the time Holland’s Vrieling followed Van der Vleuten’s second clear with a great round from the stallion Babalu it was already game over however, Swedish chances rapidly disappearing when Von Eckerman picked up 16 faults and both Fredricson and Daniel Zetterman left three fences on the floor. Alexander Zetterman’s four fault effort this time was in vain. The Irish rallied with clean sheets for both Cian O’Connor (K Club Lady) and Denis Lynch (Nabab’s Son), adding only the four picked up by pathfinder Billy Twomey (Tinka’s Serenade) who has been pivotal to Ireland’s survival in the top-level series this season. And this brought them on to level pegging with the Americans whose only clear in this round came from Madden. The French meanwhile could only manage a single clear in each round, while the British got it together in the closing stages when both Tina Fletcher (Hello Sailor) and Nick Skelton (Carlo) were fault-free second time out but it was only good enough for fifth place.

The Spanish recovered to rack up three four-fault efforts second time out but it was all too late. Their fate was sealed as they joined the Swedes in sixth place while the Swiss limped home with another 20 to add in round two for last place.

Rob Ehrens was immensely proud of the effort his team made today. Asked if he was under huge pressure ahead of this final leg of the series he said “it has been difficult for us during the whole season. I really admire my riders but also the horse owners, the sports federation and all the people who supported us and made this possible. I’m also a really happy coach that I have no problem at all getting good riders to all the top league shows. They always said yes when I called them. It went slowly, slowly, slowly at the beginning of the season, then a little bit better, but four penalty points over two rounds today – I’m really delighted!” he said. He added “we always speak together and the most important thing for us over the whole season is the welfare of the horse. We have a couple of younger horses so you can’t put them in to all shows, you have to make a mix and it worked out well in the end. Harrie was always there when I needed him, the same with all the riders, we do everything with good harmony” he pointed out, saying with a grin “we had a little less beer yesterday evening and I put them to bed early and it all worked out fine!”

STARTED WELL
Speaking on behalf of the French team, reigning European champion Kevin Staut said “we started really well with three good victories, then we changed a little bit the horses and riders, so we could finish all the time in the top four in each round of the series”. He said that that the focus for France will now be turned to the forthcoming Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky and he said ominously “we would like to continue like this”. He continued – “a lot of French riders did a really good job to help us through all the rounds of the Meydan series and I’d like to thank all the owners, sponsors and all the people around the French team who were really concentrated on helping us. This result is really good for everybody” he pointed out.

Rob Ehrens pointed out that it was due to the “great idea that came from Jacob Melissen to create a fund, through a syndicate, to keep horses in Holland – that we have a great horse like Utascha. Its really good for us that we can keep the best horses in our own country, especially next year which is the year before the Olympic Games when so many horses are sold”.

FEI Director of Jumping, John Roche, congratulated Dublin Horse Show “for organising a fantastic event and for improving facilities so that they are now world-class”. And he added “I’d like to thank Meydan for their support for the last two seasons, without which none of this would be possible”.

Laurent Elias was in complete agreement, “yes, thank you to Dublin – the French team is always very happy to participate here” he said, adding, “and I’d like to congratulate the Dutch team – once again they have proven that they are a superb equestrian nation!”.

For further information on the last leg of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ in Dublin go to website http://www.dublinhorseshow.com/ or contact Press Officer JP Montgomery at Email: jp@rds.ie or Tel: +353 1 6680866.

RESULT:
1. The Netherlands 4 faults – VDL Groep Utascha SFN (Eric Van der Vleuten) 0/0, VDL Bubalu (Jur Vrieling) 4/0, Exquis Walnut de Muze (Harrie Smolders) 4/8, Tamino (Marc Houtzager) 0/0.

2. Ireland 20 faults – Tinka’s Serenade (Billy Twomey) 0/4, Hallmark Elite (Dermott Lennon) 12/8, K Club Lady (Cian O’Connor) 8/0, Nabab’s Son (Denis Lynch) 8/0.

2. USA 20 faults – Coral Reef Via Volo (Beezie Madden) 4/0, Ublesco (Cara Raether) 4/8, Rothchild (McLain Ward) 8/8, Flexible (Rich Fellers) 0/4.

4. France 24 faults – Mylord Carthago HN (Penelope Leprevost) 0/8, Kellemoi de Pepita (Michel Robert) 8/4, Admiable (Marie Pellegrin Etter) 8/0, Kraque Boom (Kevin Staut) 8/4.

5. Great Britain 28 faults – Murka’s Pom D’Ami (Peter Charles) 8/12, Billy Congo (William Funnell) 12/12, Hallo Sailor (Tina Fletcher) 4/0, Carlo (Nick Skelton) 4/0.

6. Spain 32 faults – Guarana Champeix (Rutherford Latham) 8/4, Herald (Pilar Cordon) 8/4, New REmake de Servery (Fernando Fourcade Lopez) 12/4, Action Breaker (Sergio Alvarez Moya) 4/5.

4/16.

6. Sweden 32 faults – H&M Arctic Aurora Borealis (Peder Fredricson) 0/12, Isaac (Alexander Zetterman) 8/4, Glory Days (Daniel Etterman) 0/12, LB Paola (Henrik Von Eckermann) 4/16.

8. Switzerland 40 faults – Tresor V (Steve Guerdat) 16/4, Kiamon (Werner Muff) 12/12, Upanisad di San Patrignano (Jane Richard) 8/4, Carlina IV (Pius Schwizer) 0/12.

9. Germany 28 fautls in FIRST round – MacKinley (Mario Stevens) 8, Calado (Jorg Naeve) 8, Neolisto Van Het Mierenho (Andreas Knippling) 12, Leoville (Philipp Weishaupt) 13.

2010 MEYDAN FEI NATIONS CUP™ – FINAL STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 8 AT DUBLIN:
1. France – 53.5
2. USA – 44.0
3. Great Britain – 42.5
4. Ireland – 38.00
5. Germany – 35.5
6. Netherlands – 31.00
7. Spain – 25.5
8. Sweden – 18.00
9. Switzerland – 16.00
10. Poland – 0

FACTS AND FIGURES
– The Dutch team won the final round of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series in Dublin, Ireland today but it was FRANCE who won the series title for the second year in a two.
– Today’s course designer was Great Britain’s Bob Ellis who will create the courses for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
– There were just two double-clear rounds in today’s competition – both produced by members of the winning Dutch team – Eric van der Vleuten (VDL Groep Utascha) and Marc Houtzager (Tamino).
– The four teams relegated to the Promotional League due to finishing in the final four places on the series leaderboard are Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Poland.
– The bogey fence on today’s course was the triple combination, the last obstacle on the 12-fence track. It fell 10 times in each round and had a considerable influence on the result of the competition.

QUOTES
Pat Hanly, Show Director Dublin Horse Show – “This has been a fabulous day, the spectators were great and really got involved in the competition. We continue to build crowd each year for past five years since we re-did the arena. Thanks to Bob Ellis for putting on great competition in full of stands packed with spectators who really enjoyed themselves”.

Bob Ellis, Course Designer – “I was just a little bit concerned when they first started, I didn’t think I’d done enough but in the end I thought it was a very fair course – it rode well”.