I have had a lot of control problems, but it’s amazing when you compete a difficult horse and you get him to work with you instead of against you like he did today!”
(PRWEB UK) 12 November 2012
On an afternoon of pure magic in the jumping stadium at Verona, Italy, today Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya produced a stunning victory in the fourth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2012/2013 Western European League. This competition was special for a number of reasons, not least because the Spaniard was riding a horse that was just eight years old, and because Italy’s Luca Moneta was so proud and yet so humble when filling runner-up spot.
The excitement generated during the 12-horse jump-off was electrifying as horses and riders rose to the occasion to produce a piece of pure theatre that had spectators gripping their seats. As third-place finisher, Sweden’s Malin Baryard-Johnsson said afterwards, “the sport was amazing, I haven’t competed in a class as exciting as this in a very, very long time!”.
Today’s result has left Moya well on the road to the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg, Sweden next April. Already at the head of the leaderboard before today’s class began, he has now accumulated a massive 58 points, so has no more worries about qualification.
No Walk in the Park
Rolf Ludi’s first-round track was no walk in the park, with the triple combination at fence seven and the double at fence nine consistently hitting the floor. And the FEI vertical at fence eight proved tricky as many discovered. Approached on a bending line, and on a tidy four-stride distance from the previous triple combination, it came up very quickly indeed for horses that were running on the forehand, and Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander looked like she might try to take it on in three strides with Guccio only to crash through it before retiring.
A total of five horses were retired in the first round, but 12 still found the key and it was Great Britain’s Robert Smith and Voila who led the way against the clock.
Bravest of the Brave
The jump-off course would reward the bravest of the brave, and there was no shortage of courage from the outset. Smith returned clear in 46.91 seconds to set the target but Moneta then set the arena alight with a thrilling run with Neptune Brecourt.
Full report at http://www.fei.org
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