The HSBC FEI
CLASSICS is a new FEI series linking the five 4-Star Eventing competitions currently
on the international calendar. CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2008:
Rolex Kentucky
Three Day Event (USA) 24-27 April;
Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse
Trials (GBR) 1-4 May;
Luhmuhlen CCI**** presented by EON (GER) 12-15
June;
Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR) 4-7 September;
FINAL
- Les Etoiles de Pau (FRA) 22-26 October. William
Fox-Pitt Wins Luhmuhlen Britain's William Fox-Pitt secured a
superb victory with Macchiato in the CCI 4-Star at Luhmuehlen this afternoon and
subsequently soared to the top of the HSBC FEI Classics™ standings. (William
and Macchiato are pictured at the left below.)  The
German fixture is the third in the series that links the 4-Star events at Kentucky,
Badminton, Luhmuehlen, Burghley and Pau and, adding the points he earned for his
third-place finish with Ballinacoola at Badminton to today's result, the 39 year
old British star now leads the rankings by a significant margin.
Australia's
Andrew Hoy held the lead after a great cross-country performance yesterday, but
the final show jumping phase proved pivotal when his Irish thoroughbred Moonfleet
left four show jumping poles on the floor and also added three time penalties
to drop them to fourth place. Like the eventual winner, Germany's Frank Osholt
held firm with a clear round from Little Paint to finish second and Australia's
Stuart Tinney also kept a clean sheet with Vettori to slot into third. The result
of the 2008 CCI 4-Star at Luhmuehlen was most definitely not decided on dressage
marks - the top-three finishers improving from 9th, 10th and 11th spots respectively
after the opening phase, while just 14 of the initial 24 starters completed. This
morning's final horse inspection saw Australia's Emily Anker (Balmoral Cavalier)
and Italy's Luisa Palli (Axia) removed from the start-list, but numbers were already
depleted following the withdrawal of the dressage leaders, Australia's Lucinda
Fredericks and Headley Britannia, before cross-country yesterday and then five
retirements and two eliminations on course. TOUGH TEST....
As it turned
out the show jumping test was not going to be a walk in the park either. The first
two into the ring, Britain's Julie Tew (Look Out) and Julie Lawson (Howecote Pssamite)
both had four fences down along with time penalties and although Belgium's Karin
Donckers (SS Jett) stemmed the tide with just a single error the next of the British,
Jeanette Brakewell (Chill Out Bob) picked up a massive 31 faults. However
British-based Irish rider Sacha Pemble then showed them how it should be done
with a great round from the little dun mare I've Been Dun before Germany's Simone
Deitermann followed suit with Flambeau to also hold her ground. Kai-Steffen
Meier was lying eighth going into the final phase but slipped a little when Karascada
left a fence on the floor and fellow-German Dirk Schrade had an unhappier time
when his 13 year old Adm. v. Schneider picked up 17 faults to sink them well down
the order. Julie Tew came back again, this time with Sir Roselier who double-faulted,
but as it happened they still held onto sixth place while the pressure was piled
on Hoy at the top of the order following clears from fourth-placed Ostholt and
from Fox-Pitt who was lurking dangerously in third. A total of 13 faults saw French
rider Didier Dhennin lose his grip on runner-up spot with Ismene du Temple but
that only served to leave Hoy with an even more comfortable margin as he set off
with his 17 year old gelding. His dressage mark of 39.30 had been good enough
to earn him third place on the opening day and his copybook clear over the fixed
fences yesterday left him with an 11-point advantage over Fox-Pitt but that dwindled
into insignificance when Moonfleet collected 19 show jumping penalties. It was
a costly tour of the track, although the rider had still achieved one of his main
goals when coming to Luhmuehlen - Olympic qualification. LOOKING GOOD...
Fox-Pitt
now looks to be in a strong position to pick up the top prize of US$150,000 (€97,500
or £77,000stg) as series champion at the end of this inaugural HSBC FEI
Classics™ season. One of the most incredibly successful competitors on the
international eventing circuit, his record at the formidable Burghley Horse Trials
includes wins there in 2005 and 2007 so the next leg of the series will be right
up his street but of course he first has the Olympic Games in Hong Kong to tackle
before that..... Speaking after today's prize-giving he described the last
three days of competition as "really tough, but Lucinda Fredericks pulled
out even though she was leading after dressage and then Andrew Hoy had show jumping
fences down - it just went my way really" he said modestly. However he expressed
his great delight that Macchiato took everything in his stride during his first
4-Star - "he was very good, in all three phases" the rider pointed out.
Fox-Pitt has had the 10 year old gelding, which he owns jointly with the
Keir family, since the horse was a four year old. "He came originally from
Argentina via Australia - I got him through Sharon Ridgeway who also produced
Navigator and Dumbledore" he explained. Macchiato has won at 3-Star level
at Blair and, most recently, at Bramham "and he is consistent, an incredible
performer who always does his best - he's a real tryer" the rider said. And
he admitted that his victory today was something of a surprise - "I wasn't
expecting it to be honest!" he quipped, "but Macchiato has a way of
pulling it out of the bag!". Talking about the HSBC FEI Classics™
series William said "it is a terrific addition to our sport, a real boost,
and everyone is very excited about it". He explained that riders cannot completely
focus on winning a series of this kind "because we are lucky to have a horse
ready for a 4-Star event so we cannot always be sure when we can compete in them".
However he believes "this series acknowledges the rider who goes best at
4-Star level in any year, and it is extremely valued". AND NOW?....
So
what about the next two legs of the series? "Well Macchiato will have an
easy summer now. Luhmuehlen comes quite late so he will have a break and maybe
he will go to Burghley or Pau - "I don't know just yet," said the man
who leads the HSBC FEI Classics™ table by a big 10-point margin. Kentucky
winner, America's Philip Dutton, lies second with Badminton winner Nicolas Touzaint
in third but this weekend's runner-up placing for Frank Ostholt has moved him
into sixth and, earlier in the week, he expressed an interest in visiting Burghley
later this year. "I did Badminton for the first time last year but I've never
done Burghley - I'd like to if I can" he said. With a handsome prize-pot
up for grabs it might just be worth his while.... FINAL RESULT:
1, Macchiato
(William Fox-Pitt) GBR 51.00;
2, Little Paint (Frank Ostholt) GER
51.40;
3, Vettori (Stuart Tinney) AUS 52.20;
4, Moonfleet (Andrew
Hoy) AUS 58.30;
5, Sir Roselier (Julie Tew) GBR 61.00;
6, Ismene
du Temple (Didier Dhennin) FRA 61.20;
7, Flambeau Z (Simone Deitermann)
GER 74.60;
8, Karascada (Kai-Steffen Meier) GER 75.10;
9, I've
Been Dun (Sacha Pemble) IRL79.80;
10, Adm. v. Schneider (Dirk Schrade)
GER 86.50;
11, Look Out (Julie Tew) GBR 90.30;
12, SS Jett
(Karin Donckers) BEL 99.40;
13, Chill Out Bob (Jeanette Brakewell)
GBR 120.90;
14, Howecote Psammite (Julie Lawson) GBR 153.40. Withdrawn
before show jumping - Balmoral Cavalier (Emily Anker) AUS, Axia (Luisa
Palli) ITA
THE TOP TEN ON THE HSBC FEI CLASSICS™ LEADERBOARD
- (after 3 of 5 events):
1. William Fox-Pitt (GBR) - 25
2. Philip
Dutton (USA) - 15
3. Nicolas Touzaint (FRA) - 15
4. Rebecca
Holder (USA) - 12
5. Lucy Wiegersma (GBR) - 12
6. Frank Ostholt
(GER) - 12
7. Stuart Tinney (AUS) - 10
8. Missy Ransehousen
(USA) - 10
9. Caroline Powell (NZL) - 8
10. Stephen Bradley
(USA) - 8 POINTS SYSTEM:
Points will be awarded to the top ten riders
at each event as follows:
1st: 15 points
2nd: 12 points
3rd: 10 points
4th:
8 points
5th: 6 points
6th : 5 points
7th: 4 points
8th: 3 points
9th:
2 points
10th: 1 point
Riders can only win points with their best horse/performance
at one event and if the combination has obtained a qualifying result. Only the
top ten riders will score points.
Tie-Break: In case of equality of ranking
points, the best-placed rider is the competitor with the lowest total of penalty
points at the specific event (=differentiating score). PRIZE MONEY
HSBC
will contribute US$1million to the series over the next three years. At the end
of each season, the five riders with the greatest number of points will be awarded
PRIZE-MONEY as follows:
Series Champion - US$ 150,000; 2nd - US$ 75,000; 3rd
- US$ 50,000; 4th - US$ 33,333; 5th - US$ 25,000.
This represents the biggest
prize pot on offer in the sport of eventing on an annual basis.
15/06/2008
- Minus Two at the Close of the Second Horse Inspection Leading into the Final
Jumping Phase -
Luhmuehlen (GER)
T’was not to be for two of the horses
presented this morning at the vet inspection, namely Balmoral Cavalier ridden
by Emily Anker (AUS) and Axia II ridden by Italian rider Luisa Palli. First consigned
to the holding box before a second trot up, there was little Ground Jury President
Judge Christoph Hess (GER) could do other than present his excuses and have the
horses declared not accepted.
The competition thus goes on, now with 14
heading into the Jumping phase from the original 24 that started in the Dressage
on Friday. Indeed, following the elimination/retirement of 8 horses yesterday
during the highly technical and demanding 4* cross country course, the remaining
combinations will be fighting hard to earn a spot in the top ten and thus accumulate
points towards the HSBC FEI Classics™ standings, while William Fox-Pitt will
definitely be looking to maintain, if not better, his current third place to convincingly
take the lead of the HSBC FEI Classics™ standings.
14/06/2008
- Hoy Takes Over the Driving Seat at Luhmuehlen...
Andrew
Hoy took over the lead on a drama-filled cross-country afternoon at Luhmuehlen
today where the third leg of the HSBC FEI Classics™ series continued to build
to a crescendo. (Andrew and Moonfleet are pictured at the right below.) Hoy's
Australian colleague, Lucinda Fredericks, was out in front with Headley Brittania
after a superb dressage test on Friday but decided to withdraw at the last moment
today, so when  Germany's
Simone Deitermann lost her grip on runner-up spot due to a cross-country glitch
with Flambeau it was third-placed Hoy who swept ahead following a superb tour
of the track with the brilliant Moonfleet. "He was copybook!"
the delighted rider said about his handsome horse just moments after dismounting.
"We were clear jumping, and inside the time by about four seconds I think.
The time wasn't easy to get, but Moonfleet is a thoroughbred and a great Irish
horse and I knew he could do it!" he added. A STIFF CHALLENGE....
Not
everyone found the stiff 4-Star challenge so agreeable however. From the starting
field, which was reduced to 23 after Fredericks' withdrawal, just 16 completed.
There were two eliminations - Ireland's Sarah Wardell and Kincluny, lying 21st
after dressage, falling just two fences from home and Italy's Alberto Giugni,
lying 23rd with Catherston Defender, disappearing from the reckoning after three
refusals. Giugni also retired his second ride, The Nightflight, while three of
the British contingent called it a day including James Robinson with Comanche,
Fiona Hobby with Smart Approach and Julia Crowson with Jakata and French rider
Arnaud Boiteau pulled up with Expo du Moulin at fence 10. Hoy's finishing
time of 10.59 minutes was indeed well inside the time limit of 11.04 and the only
other rider to beat the clock was Frenchman Didier Dhennin. Riding Ismene du Temple,
the horse with which he claimed European team silver at Pratoni in 2007 and European
team bronze at Blenheim in 2005, Dhennin crossed the line in 11.03 and this rocketed
him up from 13th place after dressage to hold second position going into tomorrow's
final show jumping phase. Next in line is William Fox-Pitt who is currently
lying fifth on the HSBC FEI Classics™ standings. The British star collected
just 3.60 time cross-country time penalties today with Macchiato and is strongly
positioned to take over at the top of the HSBC FEI Classics™ leaderboard
if he can keep pole position in his sights tomorrow afternoon. But while Hoy has
more than eight points of an advantage over second-placed Dhennin, Fox-Pitt is
only 0.4 points ahead of Germany's Frank Ostholt and Little Paint. PRE-OLYMPIC...
Ostholt
was one of many German riders who lined out in today's CIC 3-Star competition
as part of their pre-Olympic programme and while he was disappointed with the
surprise stop which dropped his top horse, Air Jordan, from third to 20th he was
pleased with his other ride, Mr Medicott, who lies 10th going into the final day.
He was even more pleased with his 4-Star partner Little Paint who, like Fox-Pitt's
Macchiato, picked up just 3.6 time penalties in an otherwise foot-perfect performance.
A silly run-out at the third element of the final water complex at fence 27 put
paid to Little Paint's 4-Star chances here last year - "it is quite narrow"
Ostholt pointed out after finishing today, "and it is a good question late
on the track but today we got into a good rhythm and he stayed fresh and kept
his line all the way around the course so I was very happy with him" he said. Australia's
Stuart Tinney rose from overnight 13th to fifth spot when adding just 4 time penalties
to his tally with Vettori, but Britain's Julie Tew's eight time penalties with
Sir Roselier proved costly as she dropped from third to sixth. HAPPY TO
RIDE...
Event Director, Julia Otto, confirmed that Lucinda Fredericks had withdrawn
due to concerns over the firm ground but Ostholt pointed out that "eventing
is an outdoor sport and the team here had a difficult job and did their best"
while Andrew Hoy had no complaints about the going. "For me it was fine -
my horse felt healthy and I was happy to ride him out there. I've been here many
times and, wet or dry, I have complete faith in the organisers" he said. The
48 year old rider was also feeling a little relieved, because at last it seems
he should be able to clinch that all-import Olympic qualifying spot which evaded
him when things went so remarkably awry in Badminton last month. "Yes, Moonfleet
felt so good over the first four fences at Badminton and then we had the fall
at the fifth fence - I knew going out today that I needed a qualifying result.
If I didn't finish today and I don't finish tomorrow then that would be the end
of it" he explained. That fall left the Sydney Olympic silver medallist
with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the saddle for two weeks. "I
flew to Germany right away and saw the German team doctor and Bettina kept Moonfleet
going for me. Last week she had him working in the German team training camp -
we've been out here for a few weeks ahead of Luhmuehlen" he added. FAMILY
AFFAIR....
And it was quite a family affair for the Hoys today as Andrew's
wife, Bettina Hoy who rides for Germany, steered that other evergreen Irish-bred
Ringwood Cockatoo to retain her lead in the CIC 3-Star. Tomorrow is another
day however, and event riders know only too well that all can change in the show
jumping ring on the final afternoon. Andrew Hoy has the luxury of being able to
afford two fences down, but he won't want to be using up any of his luck and with
Dhennin waiting to pounce, the ultra-competitive Fox-Pitt lurking just a fraction
behind and a hungry Frank Ostholt also waiting in the wings the Australian needs
to keep his concentration - and Moonfleet needs to leave those fences in place....
RESULT AFTER CROSS COUNTRY:
1. Moonfleet (Andrew Hoy) AUS 39.30;
2. Ismene du Temple (Didier Dhennin) FRA 48.20;
3. Macchiato (William
Fox-Pitt) GBR 51.00;
4. Little Paint (Frank Ostholt) GER 51.40;
5. Vettori (Stuart Tinney) AUS 52.20;
6. Sir Roselier (Julie
Tew) GBR 53.00;
7. Adm. V Schnieder (Dirk Schrade) GER 69.50;
8. Karascada (Kai-Steffen Meier) GER 71.10;
9. Look Out (Julie Tew)
GBR 71.30;
10. Balmoral Cavalier (Emily Anker) AUS 72.70;
11. Flambeau (Simone Deitermann) GER 74.60;
12. I've Been Dun (Sacha
Pemble) IRL 79.80;
13. Chill Out Bob (Jeanette Brakewell) GBR 89.90;
14. SS Jett (Karin Donckers) BEL 95.40;
15. Axia (Luisa Palli)
ITA 103.50;
16. Howecote Psammite (Julie Lawson) GBR 132.40.
Retired - Comanche 22 (James Robinson) GBR, Expo du Moulin
(Arnaud Boiteau) FRA Smart Approach (Fiona Hobby) GBR, Jakata (Julia
Crowson) GBR, The Nightflight (Alberto Giugni) ITA Eliminated
- Kincluny (Sarah Wardell) IRL, Catherston Defender (Alberto Giugni)
ITA
Withdrawn - Headley Britannia (Lucinda Fredericks) AUS. *
* * * Luhmuhlen
Second Day of Dressage
Australia's Lucinda Fredericks
is well on her way to earning some valuable points in the new HSBC FEI Classics™
series after her sparkling performance with the brilliant little mare Headly Britannia
put her out in front after the dressage phase of the 4-Star competition at Luhmuehlen
this afternoon.
"Brit" as the mare is affectionately known is
now 15 years of age but has lost none of her "look what I can do!" quality,
and the leading partnership left a star-studded field of runners in their wake.
"She deserved the marks she got" Lucinda said after topping the scoreboard
in the opening phase. "Brit doesn't do her best work in the practice arena
but she knows when it’s the big-time!" the rider added. Lying
second at this early stage is 27 year old German rider Simone Deitermann with
another 15 year old horse, the gelding Flambeau. On a score of 35.40 they are
just over two points behind the leaders while Australian star Andrew Hoy holds
third spot with Moonfleet another four points adrift. British riders featured
strongly in the earlier part of the day but the afternoon session saw Hoy move
out in front before Deitermann squeezed ahead only to be overtaken by Fredericks
who was fourth-last of the 24 starters. Lucinda has ridden dressage at Grand
Prix level so her skills in this phase of the three-day-event are pretty exceptional
and she knows that gives her a good advantage. However as she pointed out, Headly
Britannia is not the most extravagant mover - "her natural paces are not
very exciting" she said. But when it comes to competition time the little
mare lights up - "and she loves the "tricks" involved in the 4-Star
test, like the flying changes and the half-passes and particularly the extensions
- she got good marks in all of these today because she thought it was great fun!"
Lucinda explained. "With her there is a huge difference between collected
and medium and extended trot so the judges really notice that. She's difficult
to prepare though, because she gets bored in practice so you have to keep her
amused by doing playful things. I'm extra proud of her right now because over
the last few weeks we just had two foals from her by embryo transfer - both by
Jaguar Mail - we are very excited about that" the rider added. A heavy
shower during the lunch-break today came as a huge relief because the ground conditions
have been causing some concern and Lucinda said she would be watching developments
ahead of tomorrow's cross-country phase. However Ground Jury member Christian
Landolt (SUI) said this evening that he was confident the going would be fine
as riders head out to tackle Capt Mark Philips' 32-fence cross-country challenge.
"The organisers here at Luhmuehlen are aware that the ground has been hard,
but last year we rotovated it early in the week at the riders request and it went
the other way so it was decided to wait until today to work on the course. Some
of it still has to be done but 90% of it has now received attention and it is
much better. If riders gallop on the track it will be fine" he said. "The
course is technical - not huge - but there are plenty of big ditches out there!"
Lucinda commented while second-placed Simone Deitermann described it as "fair,
but big". Simone, who is based near Warendorf, was reserve rider on the German
team for the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 and finished third in the World Cup
and sixth in Boekolo in 2004 with Flambeau who she has been riding since he was
a four year old. "I think the time will be difficult to get" she said,
"but I will be concentrating on getting no penalties". Earlier
in the week Mark Philips talked about the Luhmuehlen course which has seen some
changes over the last few years. How strong is the challenge out there? he was
asked. "If you ask me is it Badminton, the answer is no - ask me is it Burghley,
the answer is no - ask me is it a 3-Star the answer is no. This is not a world
championship track but it is definitely a 4-Star. Pau and Luhmuehlen are quite
alike in the challenge they present and I would describe them both as "move
up" 4-Star courses" he pointed out. The track runs through some forestry
but most of the fences are in open areas with a concentration of jumping activity
in the "arena" area where horses and riders face seven jumping efforts
quite close together. "There is an intensive minute in there from fences
20 to 26" the course designer explained. The water complex at fence 27 also
promises some excitement with a 1.80m drop in followed by four strides to an island
with an arrowhead on top, a drop back into water and then three more strides to
a house. It’s difficult to imagine that this will create any problems
for Lucinda and Headley Britannia who stormed around Burghley to claim that coveted
title in the finest style in 2006 but the rider knows that luck also plays a big
part in this most testing of sports. "I wouldn't be here this weekend if
my mare hadn't been given medication that gave her a skin infection and stopped
her from competing at Tattersalls in Ireland two weeks ago" she pointed out.
And her compatriot Andrew Hoy knows all about luck too. In Badminton with
Moonfleet he seemed ready to cruise to success only to find himself in a heap
at the formidable Huntsmans Close. He will be hoping to leave that experience
far behind him this time out.... Lucinda has the Olympic Games in Hong Kong
in her sights, and this weekend's result is an important step along the way. "She
has done three advanced CIC's and she has been very good" she said, hoping
that her luck stays firmly in place. Luhmuehlen is the third leg of the
HSBC FEI Classics™ series that also includes the 4-Star fixtures in Kentucky,
Badminton, Burghley and Pau and which offers a prize-fund of US$1million over
the next three years.
RESULT AFTER DRESSAGE:
1, Headly
Britannia (Lucinda Fredericks) AUS 32.60;
2 Flambeau H3 (Simone
Deitermann) GER 35.40;
3, Moonfleet (Andrew Hoy) AUS 39.30;
4, SS Jett (Karin Donckers) BEL 41.80;
5, Sir Roselier (Julie Tew) GBR
45.00;
6, Comanche (James Robinson) GBR 45.20;
7, Adm. v. Schneider
(Dirk Schrade) GER 45.90;
8, Expo du Moulin (Arnaud Boiteau) FRA
46.50;
9, Macchiato (William Fox-Pitt) GBR 47.40;
10, Little
Paint (Frank Ostholt) GER 47.80;
THE STANDINGS (after 2 of 5 events)
- Luhmuhlen Points Are NOT Included:
1. Phillip DUTTON (USA)
- 15
2. Nicolas TOUZAINT (FRA) -15
3. Rebecca HOLDER (USA)
-12
4. Lucy WIEGERSMA (GBR) -12
5. William FOX-PITT (GBR) -10
6.
Missy RANSEHOUSEN (USA) - 10
7. Caroline POWELL (NZL) - 8
8.
Stephen BRADLEY (USA) - 8
9. Sharon HUNT (GBR) - 6
10.
Kimberly SEVERSON (USA) - 6
11. Polly STOCKTON (GBR) - 5
12.
Karen O'CONNOR (USA) - 5
13. Nic WILSON (GBR) - 4
14. Jennifer
WOOTEN (USA) - 4
15. Matt RYAN (AUS) - 3
16. Daisy DICK (GBR)
- 2
17. Georgie DAVIES (GBR) - 1
18. Boyd MARTIN (AUS) - 1 The
HSBC FEI CLASSICS is a new FEI series linking the five 4-Star Eventing competitions
currently on the international calendar. * * * *
First
Veterinary Inspection Great excitement and anticipation
could be felt as the first horse inspection went ahead this afternoon in Luhmuehlen
as the third leg of the HSBC FEI Classics™ gets underway. There weren’t
any last minute surprises as all 24 horses were accepted; ready and poised for
the challenging task ahead and the possibility of earning points for the HSBC
FEI Classics™ standings board. It’s a true four star line up
here in Luhmuehlen, with winning combinations such as Australia’s Lucinda
Frederickson competing with Headly Britannia, winner of Burghley 2006 and Badminton
2007 and France’s Arnaud Boiteau and Expo du Moulin to name but a few. While
William Fox-Pitt, currently in 5th place on the HSBC FEI Classics™ standings
will definitely be looking to better his position and perhaps even top the board
following a good performance this weekend. The programme
Friday - Dressage
from 10:00 to 16:20
Saturday - Cross Country from 13:45 to 16:25
Sunday
- 2nd Horse Inspection at 10:00
Sunday – Jumping from 13:55 to 15:10
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