The month of May was a very busy and exciting one for the FEI Eventing World Cup with no less than four qualifiers held on 12 through 15 May in Chatsworth (GBR), Warwick, QLD (AUS), Rome (ITA) and Lagoa Santa (BRA).

CHATSWORTH (GBR)
German riders were in a class of their own at Chatsworth where they formed an impressive one-two-three.

Bettina Hoy led from the start with a Dressage score of 43.10 (71.27%) on her likely European Championship team horse Ringwood Cockatoo, whom she will be competing at the new Luhmuhlen (GER) four-star from 16 to 19 June. After a second-best Cross Country result – 8 time penalties – and one Jumping fence down, she finishes on a result of 55.10 penalty points. As a results and following her win at Fontainebleau (FRA) and 2nd placing at Burnham Market (GBR) earlier in the season, she earns 260 points and ties for the lead of the FEI Eventing World Cup standings with Australia’s Phillip Dutton.

Bettina is British-based, but her team mates Ingrid Klimke, 2nd on the British-bred Sleep Late (58.60), and Frank Ostholt, who rose to 3rd on Air Jordan with one of only eight clear Jumping rounds (58.70), had made a special journey to Great Britain as Chatsworth was being used as a German team selection trial.

“I am particularly thrilled to win at Chatsworth, as everyone knows it is an especially prestigious event and the cross-country is challenging,” said Hoy, who collected a cheque for GBP 4,000 plus numerous prizes, including a Nebuchadnezzar (equivalent to 20 bottles) of Taittinger champagne. “And, of course, I’m so pleased that my fellow German riders have done so well on their first visit to Chatsworth; it bodes very well for our team at the European Championships at Blenheim in September.”

William Fox-Pitt was best of the British riders, in 4th place on Moon Man on a score of 60.30 penalty points. He had the chance to challenge Hoy for first place, as he only lay 1.2 penalties behind her going into the final Jumping phase, but Moon Man was slipping in the arena and had two rails down.

The Australians also had a good day, taking five out of the top 11 placings. Matt Ryan, 5th on Bonza Katoomba and 11th on Bonza Puzzle, and Clayton Fredericks, 7th on Ben Along Time, both added to the FEI Eventing World Cup points they have already earned this season. Matt Ryan is now 3rd in the standings with 200 points and Fredericks is 13th with 73 points.

Meanwhile, Clayton’s wife Lucinda was 6th on Koyuna Sun-Glo, the new ride she has taken over from Wendy Schaeffer, and 10th on Headley Britannia, while Hoy’s pupil, Japanese star Yoshiaki Oiwa, followed up his splendid Badminton debut with 8th place on Fifth Avenue Fame to complete a truly international line-up. Badminton winner Pippa Funnell was unusually off the pace after the dressage and came ninth on her Saumur ride, Cornerman.

None of the 45 starters from eight nations achieved the optimum time over Mike Etherington-Smith’s big, bold cross-country course, but William Fox-Pitt was fastest, with 6.4 time penalties. There were 32 clear rounds and 37 completed the competition.

The full results are available on www.bdwp.co.uk/cha.

WARWICK, QLD (AUS),
The FEI Eventing World Cup qualifier, held as a part of the Equilibrium Australia, Equestrian Triathlon on 14 and 15 May at Warwick in Queensland, Australia, was a huge success. With light rain during the week before the event, the grounds were in beautiful condition for a nail biting competition.

Twenty-seven horse and rider combinations were nominated for the FEI Eventing World Cup class and the final result was not decided until the very last rider to go.

The Dressage produced some very nice tests and Olivia Bunn on the 13-year old gelding GV Top of the Line was in the lead with 44.4 penalties (70.42%). Heath Ryan and Flame were just 0.3 penalties (behind 44.7 penalties, 70.21%) and Jessica Irvine-Brown was a close third on 46.6 (68.86%).

The cross country phase proved to be very demanding with no less than ten withdrawals and eliminations. The competition at the top of the ladder was absolutely enthralling with the lead swapping. Heath Ryan and Flame scored 0.4 fewer time penalties than Olivia Bunn and GV Top of the Line after both combinations had gone clear of jumping faults (4.8 and 4.4 time penalties respectively). Kevin McNab on Crestwood Michigan was the only combination to go double clear in the cross country.

Jumping in reverse order, Olivia and GV Top of the Line scored the only clear Jumping round of the competition. They had thrown down the gauntlet to Heath and the pressure was on. Coming into the last element, a triple combination, the crowd was on the edge of their seats. Clear over A, the top rail on B came down and, even though C remained upright, the FEI Eventing World Cup Qualifier in Warwick went to Olivia Bunn and GV Top of the Line (final score 49.2). Heath Ryan and Flame were 2nd (53.1), Catherine Davies and Queens Ransom, 3rd (63.7). Heath Ryan also takes the 4th place with his other mount Diablo Heart (66.5).

In all, 300 combinations competed at Warwick across the whole range of grades.

The full results are available on www.wht.org.au

ROME (ITA)
Twenty riders representing Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland had gathered for the only qualifier of the 2005 FEI Eventing World Cup series to take place in Italy. It was held at the historic race course of Tor di Quinto near Rome, inaugurated as far back as 1890.

Home star Susanna Bordone and her Olympic partner from Athens, the 13-year old mare Ava, were the happy winners on a final score of 58.3. They had taken the lead from the very beginning (48.30 after Dressage). However, because of the 10 time penalties collected on the Cross Country course, victory did not come easily. France’s Pascal Leroy, who was only 1.6 points behind Susanna after Dressage (49.90), was impressive across country with only 4 time penalties. He was therefore in the lead at the end of the second competition day with one comfortable bar in hand before Jumping. Unfortunately, his 11-year old Selle-Français gelding Glenburny, which he owns, had two Jumping fences down which relegated the pair in runner’s up position on a final score of 61.90. Susanna Bordone jumped faultlessly, only one of three riders to do so, which gives her the final victory.

Fellow countrywoman Alice Bertoli on Oakengrove Milan is 3rd (68.00) followed by another home rider, Marco Cappai, on Orfeo di Giulfo with 71.9 penalties. Marco was the event’s only rider to perform a clear Cross Country within the optimum time.

LAGOA SANTA (BRA)
The Brazilian city of Lagoa Santa will host the only 2005 FEI Eventing World Cup qualifier held in South America. Lagoa Santa is located in the state of Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil, near Belo Horizonte, the country’s third largest city. It is the third time that this venue hosts a World Cup event, the inaugural qualifier having taken place in April 2003.

Eight Brazilian riders and nine horses took part in the competition, which was won by Lourenco Vieira da Silva, one of Brazil’s leading Eventing riders, on the 10-year old mare Spuma on a final result of 83.50. He also takes 9th place on Dimensional shades of Glory (147.03). After an average Dressage test (55 penalties, 67.50%), which had initially placed them in 7th position, the pair performed the event’s only one of two clear Cross Country and, despite four rail down during the Show Jumping, took the final victory.

Twenty-one year old Raul Senna on Super Rocky is second with 94.94. The couple have been making progress since 2003 and their first participation in an FEI Eventing World Cup qualifier: they were in 8th place that year and progressed to 3rd in 2004. Renan Santos Guerreiro on Rodizio AA is 3rd with 96.29.

The standings of the 2005 FEI Eventing World Cup after 12 events are as follows:

1. Phillip Dutton (AUS ) - 260 points
1. Bettina Hoy (GER) – 260
3. Matt Ryan (AUS) – 200
4. Ruth Edge (GBR) - 139
5. Lourenco Vieira da Silva (BRA) – 114
6. Olivia Bunn (AUS) – 100
6. Neilus O'Donoehue (IRL) – 100
6. Susanna Bordone (ITA) – 100
6. Matthew Grayling (NZL) – 100
6. Jessica Heidemann (USA) – 100
11. Darren Chiacchia (USA) – 97

The complelete standings are available on the FEI website www.horsesport.org, section Eventing, Results, Standings (direct link http://www.horsesport.org/C/c_03_03.html)

According to the 2005 FEI Eventing World Cup Regulations, points are awarded to all riders that have completed the competition regardless to the number of starters, with 100 points going to the winner and 1 point to all the riders after the 20th place. A rider that rides more than one horse in a qualifier will be awarded points for each result. The full Regulations are available on the FEI’s website www.horsesport.org, section Eventing, Rules (direct link http://www.horsesport.org/C/c_04_01.html)

The 13th FEI Eventing World Cup qualifier will take place at Schenefeld (GER) during the coming weekend (26-29 May).