 |
| Mario Deslauriers and Urico win the first qualifier at WEG for the USA. By Kit Houghton/FEI |
The host nation took a firm grip on both the team and individual leader boards as the jumping championship got underway at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Game in Kentucky, USA, on 4 October 2010. Mario Deslauriers steered Urico into pole position in the exciting speed event, run under table C rules, which is both the first individual qualifier and the class that decides the rankings for tomorrow's team competition. And he had the best back-up around in the shape of fellow American McLain Ward came home just a little slower on the great mare Sapphire to slot into runner-up spot.
As expected, the US riders, who are strongly tipped for medals this week, came out all guns blazing. But there were plenty of surprises throughout the day and the biggest of these was the spectacular performance of Hungary's Sandor Szasz, who finished in third place.
Riding Moosbachhofs Goldwing, the relatively unknown 39-year-old stormed into the lead with a clear round in 71.79 seconds as the first half of the competition was coming to a close. But, with just four left to run before the lunch-break, Mario and Urico raced through the timers in 71.25 seconds to re-set the target.
That was the time they were all chasing as the remainder of the 120 starters took their turn throughout the afternoon. Conrad Homfeld's 13-fence course asked plenty of questions with problems for competitors occurring at the double at four (a triple-bar to vertical); the open water at fence seven, which claimed a large number of scalps; the unusual Kentucky Fence Line double at 10 (an oxer to vertical of planks located just past the in-gate), and the final Rolex double.
The second element of the latter fell time and again, often as a result of a complicated stride pattern created by the previous Liverpool oxer and one of its many victims was Frenchman Kevin Staut whose mare Silvana de Hus slammed on the brakes so that he had to re-present her. As a result, the current world number is lying way down in 70th position going into the second stage of the competition.
Germany's Marcus Ehning, the world number two, is much further up the order in 28th after adding four time penalties to his score when hitting fence five, the mountain range vertical, which was followed on a short three-stride distance by the natural arch. Ireland's Denis Lynch, fifth into the ring, had a spectacular moment here when Lantinus became airborne after two strides and crashed through the natural arch wall, completely demolishing it.
The top ten includes Venezuela's Pablo Barrios, who was so fast with G&C Lagran that even with the four faults he picked up at the same fence as Marcus he still made fourth place in a time of 73.42 seconds. He is followed by Saudi Arabia's Khaled Al Eid (Presley Boy), The Netherlands' Marc Houtzager (HBC Tamino) and Germany's Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (Checkmate). The 2008 Olympic champion Eric Lamaze is next in line with Hickstead in eighth place and only 2.39 points separate him from Mario.
The US team of Mario Deslauriers, McLain Ward, Lauren Hough (Quick Study) and Laura Kraut (Cedric) have a fence in hand going into the first leg of the team competition today (5 October 2010) with Germany's Marcus Ehning, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Janne-Friederike Meyer (Cellagon Lambrasco) and Carsten-Otto Nagel (Corradina) in second. And, despite Staut's dramatic round, France lie third ahead of The Netherlands in fourth, Canada in fifth and Spain in sixth.
The first day's winner
Former Canadian Mario talked about transferring allegiance to the USA last year.
"I've been living here for a long time, my business has been here for 24 years and I recently got married to Lisa," said Mario. "Jane Clark (Urico's owner and President and CEO of USET) is very involved with the USET and she wanted to move forward. It seemed just the right time to make the change and hopefully I have many good years ahead as an American rider."
Talking about his ride around today's course, Mario said: "Conrad [Homfeld] is a great course-designer and he made it nice for everybody, but sometimes difficult. There was no inside line to take, everyone had to ride the same track, he wanted you to take one out or add one in according to your own horse. He did a great job."
Team-mate and runner-up
McLain Ward was satisfied with his round too.
"Sapphire has a big stride and a lot of experience. You have to jump what is presented to you. This is a good result," he said. "It's going to be a long week and it's a great start.
"My goal was to be in the top three today but obviously I was trying to win. I tried very hard because I wanted to put us in a good position for the week."
British riders
Robert Smith got off to a good start as first to go for Britain with his own and Di and Pennie Cornish's Talan. His clear round left him in 14th place at the end of the first day.
David McPherson and Ansgar and Ellen Holtgers’s Chamberlain Z, had two-down to finish in 56th, while Scott Brash and his father Stanley's Intertoy Z had three fences to leave them in 82nd.
Michael Whitaker was the last to go with Beatrice Mertens’s GIG Amai
"We had a very good start to the day with Robert Smith and you must remember that we have a team of inexperienced horses and a rider making his first senior team appearance," said British chef d'equipe Rob Hoekstra. "It’s still close and clear rounds over the next two days will keep us up with the leaders."
Listen to interviews with some of the first round riders:
Robert Smith
Mario Deslauriers
McLain Ward
Sandor Szasz
David McPherson
Scott Brash
Michael Whitaker
For full results, click here
No comments:
Post a Comment