Season’s second Longines FEI Jumping World Cup qualifier ended the 35th Helsinki Horse Show weekend. Technical course offered a lot of challenges for the riders and the excitement continued to the very end of the jump-off round. Yesterday’s Land Rover Grand Prix winner Robert Whitaker and Catwalk IV galloped to another victory and got a perfect end for their weekend. Before Whitaker, only two others have won the double in Helsinki, so the Englishman was naturally very happy with his result.
Feels amazing to win both Grand Prix and World Cup in the same weekend, I might have done it before in the nationals but definitely not in the international level. My horse jumped amazing yesterday and I thought he would be a bit tired but no, he was super today. This arena really suits him, he is good in the tight turns and made it easy for me. I took a little risk at the wall but it worked out well so I’m really happy, Whitaker said after the competition.
Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya on Jet Run also did two amazing rounds and was awarded with a second place.
I was already happy with our performance yesterday but today I’m even happier. My horse has been amazing, I have had him for 4 months and this is our 10th show together and the more he jumps the better he gets. I didn’t think we could be this fast but somehow I figured it out, Alvarez Moya commented his performance.
The course was technically hard and you had to be really focused the whole time. It’s a challenge to build a course like this but do it in the way that don’t make the horses suffer, so really good job from the designer, Alvarez Moya praised the course designer Guilherme Jorge.
Celine Schoonbroodt-de Azevedo on Cheppetta placed third thus taking her first ever spot in the World Cup’s top three.
I’m really happy with our performance today, the jump-off was good and the course really suited my horse” Schoonbroodt- de Azevedo said after the competition.
For the course designer Guilherme Jorge the arena in Helsinki was already familiar from previous years and he was yet again satisfied with the competition.
I tried to build quite difficult course in the first round, before the competition I said that I’m happy if we get 8 clear rounds and we got 9 so I succeeded in my job. We got more surprises at the wall than I thought since I already used it on Friday in the same way but I think the overall result is very good. Year after year I’m amazed by the quality of horses, it’s increasing all the time and reflects the efforts of the organising committee, the team working for the event is really great and works well together”, Jorge said after the competition.
The feeling during the weekend was yet again really great and there were 50 194 visitors altogether, which is a new record for the Horse Show. Event director Tom Gordin was pleased with the amount of audience and thanked everyone for coming.
The whole weekend was amazing and you could really feel the atmosphere at the arena. Like I say every year, I’m so happy and humbled that you come all the long way to Helsinki, we try our best and we hope you come back again the next year”, Gordin said satisfied.
Sweden’s Peder Fredricson leads the Western European League after two qualifiers. The next qualifier is in Lyon next weekend.
Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™, competition with jump-off. Starts 37, placings 12
1) Robert Whitaker/Catwalk IV, GBR 0-0/38,13, 2) Sergio Alvarez Moya/Jet Run, ESP 0-0/39,81, 3) Celine Schoonbroodt- de Azevedo/Cheppetta, BEL 0-0/40,09, 4) Christian Kukuk/Quintino, GER 0-0/47,18, 5) Pius Schwizer/Cortney Cox, SUI 0-4/39,54, 6) Eoin Mcmahon/Chacon 2, IRL 0-4/40,97, 7) Peder Fredricson/H&M Christian K, SWE 0-8/37,96, 8) Kevin Staut/For Joy van’t Zorgvliet HDC, FRA 0/68,23 Eli, 8) Denis Lynch/GC Chopin’s Bushi, IRL 0/66,73 Ret, 10) Michael Jung/Fischerchelsea, GER 4/64,61, 11) James Wilson/Imagine de Muze, GBR 4/66,33, 12) Philipp Weishaupt/Che Fantastica, GER 4/66,60
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