What could well be the U.S. show jumping team for Tokyo got a test run at Rome’s Intesa Sanpaolo Nations Cup in the scenic Piazza di Sienna, and it showcased top American talent, even with a disappointing fifth-place finish.
First of all, the placing off the podium was determined by a single time fault, collected by Jessica Springsteen in a round free of jumping penalties with Don Juan van de Donkehoeve, still an improvement over her 4-fault first round.
Laura Kraut isl getting accustomed to her brand new ride, Baloutinue, purchased just last month.Although she had 8 penalties in the first round over the Uliano Vezzani-designed route in the lovely public park, Laura came through with a clear in the second round. Kent Farrington had two 4-fault rounds with his longtime campaigner Gazelle, while McLain Ward showed why he deserved to be the anchor with a pair of perfect trips on Contagious.
McLain Ward and Contagious. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
The team total was 9 penalties. Without the time fault, the U.S. would have tied for third on 8 with France and Brazil, behind winning Belgium and Germany. A representative from each of those countries faced off in a tie-breaker after their second round left them tied on 4 penalties. Both those nations will be among the teams to beat in Tokyo.
“Overall, we’re very happy with the way it all turned out,” said U.S. Coach Robert Ridland.
“Naturally, we always aim for a podium finish and we were just off by a fault, so we were right there in it. More importantly, this is the beginning of the second phase in our preparations for the Olympics, and I have to say, I am very happy with the way things turned out, particularly in the second round. We have some newer horses involved and it is still a bit of an adjustment, but I could not have been more pleased with how things came together for our horse and rider combination and the adjustments that were made. They did a great job. Our rounds were beautiful and it’s a very positive feeling back in the barn right now.”
In the Rolex Grand Prix of Rome on Sunday, Laura showed her new relationship with Baloutinue is blossoming as she finished second to David Will of Germany with C Vier 2. Jessie was third on Don Juan, another hopeful sign. Kent was 37th with Gazelle and McLain 38th on Contagious. Both had 12 penalties.
Other U.S. squads will go forward in the Nations Cups in Poland and the Netherlands next month, before the Tokyo team is named at the beginning of July.