It was a disappointing way to spend the Fourth of July for the Americans at the Aachen International Equestrian Festival.
The U.S. show jumping team failed to qualify for the second round of the 1 million Euro Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup Thursday during the world’s greatest horse show, after three of the riders logged 4 faults each.
Laura Kraut and Baloutinue put in a clear round for the USA. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
Only Laura Kraut produced a clear round, riding Baloutinue in the test watched by 40,000 spectators.
Teams from 10 countries took part, but under the class specifications, just eight were allowed to continue into the second round over the same course designed by Frank Rothenberger.
The USA is Aachen’s partner country this year as the festival marked its hundredth anniversary, and the show made a big effort at halftime to highlight that, with a country singer and a cowboy galloping around the arena with an American flag. And there was even an American flag plank jump on the course. But sadly, it just wasn’t the USA’s day. (Switzerland, the defending title holder, wound up last and also didn’t make the cut.)
Instead, the Irish—whose first rider had the first fence down—rallied to finish on zero faults, after the 4-fault penalty became the drop score. The anchor rider, Cian O’Connor, didn’t even have to jump Fancy de Kergane in the second round after teammate Shane Sweetnam clinched victory with a sparkling clear performance under pressure on James Kann Cruz to secure the 250,000 Euro winner’s prize for his homeland. It was the sixth time the Irish won the class at Aachen, but the first since 2010.
Shane modestly downplayed what he did, explaining, “It gets easier knowing you have strong teammates that you can count on.”
Shane Sweetnam, the Irish team hero, aboard James Kann Cruz. This jump depicts Charlemagne, who had his capital at Aachen before show jumping was invented.
Mexico, which hadn’t sent a team to Aachen in 20 years, was second on a total of 4 penalties after a remarkable effort by their anchor, Eugenio Garza Perez on Contango, that matched Shane’s trip for drama.
“We are literally speechless,” said team member Federico Fernandez.
“We are so grateful to the organizers for allowing us to take part. It is the most important show in the world. It is magic in every respect. To ride into this stadium gives you goosebumps. It is an amazing feeling, an adventure, a dream. We will never forget it.” In addition to Federico and Eugenio, others on the team were Nicolas Pizarro and Andres Azcarraga, the latter having flown in from Spruce Meadows in Canada.
Britain was third with the same score and a slower time. Robert Whitaker of that team noted, “We were close to winning it. Everyone rode well and the horses jumped brilliantly. We are really happy with the result.”
U.S. Coach Robert Ridland, who will announce his Olympic team after this show, noted, “Obviously, the result today was disappointing for the entire team. We are always aiming for the second round and for the podium and that’s a collective mindset. But I thought all our horses jumped really well and the cards just didn’t fall in our favor.
“There were a lot of clears in the first round, which left very little room for error in terms of the first round scores. Laura and Baloutinue jumped a great clear for us and there is still plenty of jumping left this week.”
McLain Ward had a pole down in the middle element of the triple, which Ilex seemed to jump a bit out of stride.
McLain Ward and Ilex. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
Natalie Dean on Acota M was going clear until she had a knockdown at the final fence, while Katie Dinan with Out of the Blue SCF dropped a pole at the Liverpool marked with the German coat of arms that was a big trouble spot on the course.
The Irish team consisted of three of the riders who will be going to Paris for the Olympics; Shane and Cian, who are on the team, and Bertram Allen, the traveling reserve. The third team rider, Daniel Coyle, is not showing at Aachen.
Michael Blake, Ireland’s ebullient chef d’equipe, congratulated the Mexican and British teams for “pushing us all the way to the line.”
He complimented the enthusiastic spectators, noting, “This show and the Dublin show, the crowds are so big and so knowledgeable.”
The Irish team and Michael Blake. (Jennifer Metzner photo)
EquiRatings’ interesting form guide for the Nations Cup had a lot of great statistics, even if it didn’t pick the winner. Germany, which has won the class 30 times since 1929, more than three times what any other nation has done, was given a 40 percent podium chance (it finished sixth). The U.S. was given a 39 percent chance (and we know what happened to that team), France 38 percent (they were seventh) and Ireland a 34 percent chance. And I’m going on the record to announce Ireland is my pick for Olympic gold. I have heard the Irish national anthem played more times than any other at shows I reported on this year.
Click here for the team standings.
Click here for the individual standings
