If you wanted to pick a winner in the opening classes of dressage and show jumping at the FEI World Cup classes, very little handicapping was required.
Hours after defending dressage Cup champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl of Germany topped the field in the Grand Prix (see second story on this page), world champion Henrik von Eckermann took the speed round in show jumping.
Henrik von Eckermann takes a victory gallop, followed by Scott Brash. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
When last he was at the CHI Health Center arena in Omaha for the Cup’s first run in the city in 2017, Henrik finished third behind Romain Duguet of Switzerland and winner McLain Ward of the USA. At that time, the Swede was a fresh face for me; not on my radar. He had worked for German star Ludger Beerbaum before going out on his own in 2016.
So his 2017 Cup placing was important for him, he explained after last night’s victory, because it was an achievement that contributed to the success of his new business.
Henrik, a 2020 Olympic team gold medalist ranked number one in the world with his partner, King Edward, had the advantage of going last in the Cup’s 40-horse field over a course laid out by Bernardo Costa Cabral of Portugal.
(Ironically, at the draw ceremony for the order of go on Tuesday, it was McLain who plucked the 40th spot out of a basket for Henrik.)
One of the complex course’s most interesting features was a “double of doubles,” a vertical/oxer one-stride (10A and B) on the long side of the ring that was four strides from an oxer/plank-topped vertical. On the opposite side, there was another double, 7A and B, two verticals that caused less trouble for competitors.
The time to beat was 59.23 seconds set by Britain’s 2012 Olympic team gold medalist Scott Brash on Hello Jefferson, 13th to go. The fact that it stood up until the end of the class spoke volumes, and Henrik only beat it by 0.14 seconds. Leaving the fences up was key, naturally, but that was doubly important because each dropped rail added three seconds to a score.
Henrik has a great love for King Edward (very understandable), noting that outside of the ring, he’s like a pet you could bring in the house (though that might get messy!)
“The horse, as most people know, is an unbelievable, fantastic horse and he’s done so many great things, and thanks to the owner Georg Kähny, I can ride him,” said von Eckermann of the 13-year-old gelding, a former 1.40-meter amateur mount originally bought for Henrik’s wife, Janika Sprunger.
“It was love at first sight. At home and to take care of, he is like a dog,” he observed, but added that when the Belgian warmblood gets to a competition, the easy-going part is over.
His nerve shows, and “he has incredible power. He’s a small horse, but somehow the engine he has behind is unbelievable, and that’s why he can jump such big jumps — and of course, he’s very careful.”
His task was made more difficult, Henrik said, by the fact that “the ground (footing) was not great,” explaining it was “deep in the corners.”
Scott first saw Hello Jefferson jumping in Peelbergen with Charlotte Philippe.
“It took a bit of time to buy him, she was very attached to him,” Scott said.
That was five years ago, and the two have a great understanding now.
“He’s strong minded, so it’s taken a bit of time to grow the partnership,” Scott observed, “but I feel it’s there now and he’s an amazing horse. in
They enjoyed support from the spectators in what Scott called, “Great atmosphere. It’s nice when the crowd cheers for us Europeans, too.”
Under the Cup scoring system, Henrik leads with 41 points, followed by Scott with 39. Germany’s Daniel Deusser who was third with Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z (59.45 seconds) is one point back of that, and so on down the list.
Hunter Holloway is the highest-placed American on her reliable Pepita con Spita with 33. She was eighth after posting a 61.35-second trip.
Hunter Holloway and Pepita con Spita. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Her family has a farm in Kansas, two hours from Omaha, and before she came to the show she was doctoring sick calves. Hunter is a woman of many talents who has been a regular at shows in Omaha.
McLain, seeking another Cup title, has 30 points to stand 11th after a 61.69-second trip. He rode Callas, a mare he characterized as “not probably the speediest horse in the whole world. I hope the jumps get a lot bigger and it gives us some room to climb.”
McLain Ward and Callas. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
He said since it was his first championship with her, he erred on the conservative side and could have left out another stride.
McLain added, “Her greatest quality is that she’s totally predictable. To be honest, you really have to make a mistake to screw something up.”
Devin Ryan, whose top level career was launched by a second-place 2018 Cup finish in Paris, stands 21st with Eddie Blue after a fault-free effort in 64.62 seconds.
“Everything came up nicely, but there wasn’t much of an option,” he observed.
“The couple of inside turns, you had to do them. Sometimes it’s fun when there’s an option where you can leave out (a stride) with a big-strided horse, but that wasn’t part of the course.” (Click here to read more from Devin)
Interestingly, the designer did such an artful job that no one was eliminated. It’s quite a task to build a layout suitable for the top of the sport while seeing that those of far less experience don’t come to harm. The field is quite diverse, with riders from the Middle East and Asia in the mix.
Shout-out to Nurjon Tuyakbaev of Uzbekistan, who turned in a careful round with just one fence down to stand 30th on Lancelotta. It is the first time I have ever seen a show jumping competitor from that country.
Nurjon Tuyakbaev of Uzbekistan on Lancelotta.( Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
The competition continues tonight with a time first jump-off class.
Click here for results. Click on this link for overall standings.
