Double Dutch success in Helsinki

The second leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ ended in a Dutch party. Gerco Schröder and Leon Thijssen were a little unlucky one week earlier at the start of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ season in Oslo, but in Helsinki things really turned out well for the guys in orange. The smallest of the three show jumping brothers Schröder was the big winner today, being almost two seconds faster in a thrilling jump off of ten competitors. Last rider to go Leon Thijssen was the best of the rest.

Gerco Schröder was fourth to go in the decisive round and he inspired his mare Eurocommerce Milano to give her best. “In a sense it doesn’t matter when to ride in a jump off”, said the anchor man of the Dutch national team. “A jump off is never done before the last rider crosses the finish. There were not a lot of fast horses in this jump off, but that didn’t influence my decision to give and try everything. I really wanted to put the pressure on the others.”

“This was really exciting. It worked for me from the word ‘go’. The first turn was extremely sharp, but Milano was super attentive and as cooperative as anyone would wish his horse to be. She is in good shape, as she was last week in Oslo when she had two silly rails down. But that’s our sport: sometimes everything works out well. Which was the case today.”

Gerco Schröder took one of his other horses, Eurocommerce Monaco, to the Olympics, which meant a relatively easy summer season for Milano. “It is true that she is fit for the indoor season. Milano won the Grand Prix in Barcelona and today’s win is a big one too. But I make a plan for all my horses, the crucial thing is to keep them all happy and fit. I will try to qualify for Las Vegas, the FEI World Cup really is something special, absolutely. But I would only ride if my horse would be fit.”

Brazilian course designer Guilherme Jorge was quite challenging today. The 13 jumps and 16 efforts were not extreme in height and width, but the riders and horses really had to work hard to tackle the difficult lines in 6 or 7 strides and to ‘survive’ the short turns to a very narrow white gate and to the triple combination. The line in three very short strides to the last fence, the Rolex vertical, was also very tricky. Jorge, who was the course designer of Las Vegas twice and will be the technical delegate for the final in 2009, managed to select the ideal number of 10 riders for the jump off.

After the fourth run, dust and excitement filled the totally packed Hartwall Arena, the site of the 1998 FEI World Cup™ final. The warm Scandinavian heart for show jumping once more resulted in the well known, very special atmosphere. Thousands of screaming horse enthusiasts cheered for Gerco, who today really could not be beaten.

Especially not by his fellow countryman Leon Thijssen, who was the reserve rider In Hong Kong. Thijssen returned from the Olympics with a super fit Olaf, a horse that can jump anything. “I was a bit lucky today that the time was not very short”, said Leon. “The course was pretty technical, lots of options, and we were given to time to work out a plan that would suit our horses. That was to my advantage, because Olaf is not a fast horse by nature.”

“My second bit of luck was the fact that I was last to go in the jump off. So I really had the opportunity to get an idea. I don’t win a lot of competitions with Olaf. I would if the fences were 30 centimeters higher, he could jump a World Cup course walking! Yet I ended up second today. I get to know Olaf very well now, I know exactly what I can do with him. Which I did. If I would have to do it again, I could never be faster, that’s for sure.”

So a double Dutch success today in Helsinki. Gerco Schröder won the second leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ in the western European league in 0/35.37 seconds. The result of Leon Thijssen and Olaf was 0/37.16 seconds. Scandinavia still had something to be happy about. Helena Lundback from Sweden rushed Madick to third place (0/37.96). Andreas Knippling ended up fourth aboard Neolisto van het Mierenhof (0/39.34), followed by Nicolas Delmotte from France, riding the state owned stallion Luccianno (0/39.45).

The Helsinki edition of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ worked out really well for Geir Gulliksen. The Norwegian rider, well known for his fighting spirit, picked up another 10 point to take the lead in the provisional standings after two qualifying events (21 points). Nicolas Delmotte added 12 points to his Oslo result (8 points) and shares the second place in the western European league with Oslo winner Rutherford Latham, who today had one rail down, and Helsinki winner Gerco Schröder. Thomas Velin from Denmark also is on the right track. Having a fast one fault round with Grim st Clair, he picked up two points to total 19 points and take fifth place in the provisional standings.

The Rolex FEI World Cup™ points from Helsinki:
Gerco Schröder (NED) – 20
Leon Thijssen (NED) – 17
Helena Lundback (SWE) – 15
Andreas Knippling (GER) – 13
Nicolas Delmotte (FRA) – 12
Max Kühner (GER) – 11
Geir Gulliksen (NOR) – 10
Vincent Voorn (NED) – 9
Patricck McEntee (BEL) – 8
Omar Bonomelli (ITA) – 7
Jonella Ligresti (ITA) – 6
Morten Djupvik (NOR) – 5
Toni Hassmann (GER) – 4
Pénélope Leprevost(FRA) – 3
Thomas Velin (DEN) – 2
Sören Pedersen (DEN) – 1

Standings after two qualifying events
1. Geir Gulliksen (NOR), 21
2. Nicolas Delmotte (FRA), 20
2. Rutherford Latham (ESP), 20
2. Gerco Schröder (NED), 20
5. Thomas Velin (DEN), 19
6. Leon Thijssen (NED), 17
7. Helena Lundback (SWE), 15
7. Daniel Etter (SUI), 15
9. Vincent Voorn (NED), 14
10. Maikel van der Vleuten (NED), 13
10. Andreas Knippling (GER), 13
12. Morten Djupvik (NOR), 12
12. William Funnell (GBR), 12
12. Patrick McEntee (BEL), 12
15. Max Kühner (GER), 11
16. Omar Bonomelli (ITA), 10
16. Jos Lansink (BEL), 10
18. Ludo Philippaerts (BEL), 9
19. Jonella Ligresti (ITA), 6
19. Abdel Said (EGY), 6
21. Toni Hassmann (GER), 4
22. Pénélope Leprevost (FRA), 3
23. Giuseppe d'Onofrio (ITA), 2
23. Sören Pedersen (DEN), 2