USA Leads the way in Aachen - and Oki Doki is back!
Friday, July 04, 2008
The American team will be first into the ring as the fifth leg of the 2008 Samsung Super League with FEI series gets underway in Aachen, Germany tomorrow evening.
The elite nations' cup competition, which will begin at 7pm local time, will take place under floodlights and if you are not lucky enough to be there then you can watch the action unfold on live-stream video by clicking on the Aachen website www.chioaachen.de.
The order of go is as follows : 1, USA; 2, Belgium; 3, Great Britain; 4, Ireland; 5, Sweden; 6, The Netherlands; 7, Switzerland; 8, Germany.
WHATEVER....
USA Chef d'Equipe George Morris was unperturbed when his team was drawn in the No. 1 slot this afternoon - "there's first, second, third - whatever - we've done it all" he said nonchalantly.
Despite their perilous position at the bottom of the league table the Swedish are not fielding any of their Olympic horses for tomorrow's event - "we are keeping them fresh for Hong Kong" explained Chef d'Equipe Maria Gretzer. With just 2.75 points to their credit after the first four legs of the series it seems the Swedes are in a lot of trouble and there will be enormous pressure on Helena Lundback riding Bukowskis Erbblume, Royne Zetterman with Isaac, Henrik von Eckerman with Enorm and Rolf Goran Bengtsson with Quintero la Silla as they take their turn.
FEI Jumping Director, Capt John Roche, pointed out that tomorrow's leg of the Samsung Super League with FEI series "will be decisive Olympic-wise" and so it will because many of the team managers will be making their final choice of Olympic team members in the aftermath.
The Irish, lying seventh of the eight nations at this stage of the series, have only one Olympic spot to fill and while Denis Lynch, who has cemented an extraordinarily successful partnership with the former Gregory Wathelet ride Lantinus, looks the front-runner it is clear that team manager Robert Splaine is leaving his options open until after the German fixture. Lynch is joined in the Irish side by Edward Doyle who partners Sequoyah Farms Utopia for the fifth consecutive leg of the series, Capt David O'Brien who made a superb Super League debut with the Irish army horse Mo Chroi in Rotterdam and Cian O'Connor with the seasoned Irish Independent Echo Beach.
STRONG SIDE....
In sixth spot after the first four rounds are the Swiss, and Rolf Grass is sending out a strong side including Pius Schwizer (Nobless M), Niklaus Schurtenberger (Cantus), Steve Guerdat (Jalisca Solier) and Beat Mandli (Ideo du Thot).
George Morris is armed with two former Aachen Grand Prix winners in Anne Kursinski (Champ) and Beezie Madden (Authentic) and they will fly the American flag along with McLain Ward riding the brilliant Sapphire and Laura Kraut riding Cedric whose jumping was particularly impressive during the previous leg in Rotterdam.
Nick Skelton returns to the British team with the much-loved stallion Arko and he will be joined by Peter Charles riding Rupert R, Tim Stockdale with Corlato and John Whitaker riding Peppermill. Lying fourth on the league table they are carrying exactly the same number of points - 19 - as the third-placed Belgians who started the season with a superb victory in La Baule in May. Philippe le Jeune (Vigo), Ludo Philippaerts (Cavalor's Winningmood), Dirk Demeersman (Tymoon Caloo Meerchen) and Jos Lansink (Valentina van't Heike) will be hoping to maintain their country's elevated position.
Drawn last, the host team from Germany have all the advantage going into tomorrow's competition and Christian Ahlmann (Coster), Marco Kutscher (Montender), Ludger Beerbaum (All Inclusive) and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (Shutterfly) will be a formidable force. However Germany had a faltering start in this Samsung Super League with FEI series and it has taken them some time to climb up to second spot on the leaderboard. A great win in Rotterdam has secured that position but they will, no doubt, be keen to oust the Dutch from the head of the leaderboard if things go their way tomorrow.
OKI BACK IN ACTION....
Dutch team manager Rob Ehrens is mighty relieved that the potentially disastrous accident suffered by Albert Zoer's Olympic ride, Oki Doki, did less damage to the great horse than first expected. Two weeks ago on the eve of the Super League event in Rotterdam Oki wrenched almost all of his lower teeth out of his jaw when they became impaled after he clenched them on a bar in the stable and there were great fears for his recovery in the immediate aftermath. But by the following afternoon, when the high-stepping hero was already tucked away in his own stable at home, his teeth had been pushed back in and the jaw re-set and Albert was able to watch the nations cup class unfold with a smile on his face.
"He is going to be fine" the Dutch rider said, "I am told I can ride him again next week". Amazingly he has recovered brilliantly and the partnership will line out tomorrow, hopefully looking as if nothing ever happenend. Angelique Hoorn (Blauwendraad's O'Brien), Vincent Voorn (Audi's Alpapillon Armanie) and Gerco Schroder (Eurcommerce Berlin) will complete The Netherlands line-up.
So the stage is all set for another classic leg of the 2008 Samsung Super League with FEI series - and there is Olympic fever in the air.....
SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE WITH FEI 2008 - LEADERBOARD AFTER FOURTH LEG IN ROTTERDAM:
- 1. The Netherlands - 23.5
- 2. Germany - 22.0
- 3. Belgium - 19.0
- 4. Great Britain - 19.0
- 5. USA - 16.83
- 6. Switzerland - 15.08
- 7. Ireland - 11.83
- 8. Sweden - 2.75
