Team NAF move up the Longines FEI Nations Cup Table in St Gallen

Sunday 02 June 2019

Team NAF move up the Longines FEI Nations Cup Table in St Gallen

It was a thrilling three-way jump off in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Switzerland at St Gallen this afternoon which saw France take the eventual honours and Italy settle for the runner up spot with the home nation taking 3rd. 

For Great Britain it was a 4th place finish for the team, competing under the title sponsor banner of Team NAF, with their cumulative score of 16 penalties.  This means that GB move into 3rd place on the overall league table on 120 points and within the target range of ensuring they finish within the top seven to secure their place at the Barcelona Final and on the top tier league for next year.  Switzerland and France top the table on 180 points whilst Belgium and Italy sit on 90.

The competition, which saw competitors test the skill across the 12 fence course designed by Swiss designer Garard Lachat caught a high proportion of riders out, in particular as they turned towards the home straight which took in a double of verticals before finishing on a related distance Liverpool oxer.

It was James Wilson from Frome in Somerset, who as the penultimate rider for the team and making his debut on a top level Nations Cup competition, delivered the sole double clear for the Brits.  Riding Imagine de Muze, an 11 year-old black mare owned by Susan Larson, he made light of the course returning home within the time allowed on a zero penalty score each time.  Described by the FEI media as a ‘shining star in the British team’ he certainly made his presence felt and ensured people remember him with what was an outstanding performance.

Opening for team was Laura Renwick from Maldon, Essex with Dublin V, an 11 year-old chestnut gelding owned by Arabella Prior. Looking as strong in the first round as they did in the Grand Prix earlier in the week when they finished 3rd, it was an incredible bit of bad luck that saw the last fence topple when Dublin jumped to the right of the fence resulting in Laura’s foot catching the wing and the back pole of the Liverpool fence lowering. Their second round, again saw them come to the final line clear, however a touch jumping into the double of verticals saw them pick up a 4 penalty score.

For Holly Smith from Loughborough, Leicestershire with Hearts Destiny, a 10 year-old British bred bay gelding owned by T J Hall Limited and Holly it was a 4 penalty finish in each round. The initial round had seen them roll the back pole of the oxer jumping into the combination whilst the second round saw them caught, as Laura was, at the same vertical as they jumped into the final double.

William Funnell from Dorking, Surrey with Billy Diamo, a 9 year-old British bred chestnut gelding owned by The Billy Stud took the role of anchor.  This was the first step up at this level for the big jumping gelding and he seemed to take it all in stride.  A misjudgement at an oxer towards the end of the course however saw them pick up 4 penalties, with an oxer also catching them out in the second round to finish on the same score as their first. 

It was Brazil that took 5th place on their score of 22 penalties with Norway some ten points further behind them taking 6th with Denmark and Austria taking the next two places respectively with a score of 42 and 48.

The competition was suspended towards the final stages of the second round when Brazilian rider Stephan Freitas Barcha took a heavy fall from Artois D’Avillon at the final element of the combination.  Requiring medical attention in the arena, where it was understood he was both conscious and responsive, he was then taken to hospital in an Ambulance for further examinations.  British Showjumping would like to take this opportunity to express a speedy recovery to Stephan.

The Chef d’Equipe accompanying the team was World Class Performance Manager for Showjumping, Di Lampard.

For further information on the show and full results visit www.csio.ch.

British Showjumping would like to thank NAF, title sponsors of the Senior Nations Cup Teams along with the Children, Junior, Young Rider and Veteran teams.

NAF’s premium range of Five Star brands include Superflex, Superflex Senior, PROFEET, Optimum, Magic, Oestress and Respirator Boost with quality at the heart of everything they do. They are a UFAS (Universal Feed Assurance Scheme), GMP+ (International Feed Assurance Scheme) and BETA NOPS (Naturally Occuring Prohibited Substances) accredited company and this enables them to guarantee full traceability on all the natural ingredients they utilise in their formulations, which are also selected in compliance with the FEI guidelines for Clean Sport. For further information, visit www.naf-equine.eu/uk/index.jsp.

The GBR showjumping teams are supported by the British Equestrian Federation’s World Class Programme, funded by UK Sport through the National Lottery. The Programme focuses on identifying talent, developing potential and maximising medal-winning performances on the world stage.

 
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