Dutch dominate as Gerco gallops into the lead

With three riders finishing in the top five it was a fine day for the Dutch at the third leg of the 2006/2007 FEI World Cup™ Jumping series at Verona in Italy today where FEI WEG team gold medalist Gerco Schroder swept to victory ahead of Leopold Van Asten while Albert Zoer slotted into fifth.

The result shoots Schroder to the top of the series leader board, and with 37 points now to his credit he is looking like a sure-fire contender for the final in Las Vegas, USA next April.

Course designer Giolvanni Bussu's 13-fence first-round track gave them plenty to think about and five of the 40 starters retired en route including Britain's Robert Smith whose stallion Marius Claudius was obviously not on song, and Vici Van't Plutonia who was also lacklustre for Belgium's Ludo Philippaerts. El Salvador's Ortego Alfredo Hernandez survived an action-packed tour of the track only to hit the floor when Takashi Van Berkenbroek stood a long way off the last and unseated him, but the partnership collected only 16 faults because the rider had cleared the finish line before parting company with his mount.

A total of 10 made it through to the second-round jump-off in which Italy's Piergiorgio Bucci led the way with Da Zara Tabluetin. The 10 year old Belgian-bred left three fences on the floor this time out however but Albert Zoer's high-stepping Oki Doki made only a single mistake when next to go in what proved to be the fastest time in the class – 39.55 seconds. Sweden's Royne Zetterman and Isaac lowered two while Denmark's Thomas Velin and Godsend du Reverdy faulted just once, but then the home crowd went wild with delight as the first double-clear of the competition was recorded by their very own Jonella Ligresti Bonomelli.

From Milan, and Chairman of one of the biggest insurance company's in Italy, SAI, Jonella is an amateur rider with a difference who competed with her other good horse, Quinta, at the FEI WEG in Aachen in August. Not in the least phased by the fact that she had one of the super-stars of German show jumping, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, following in her wake, Ligresti Bonomelli brought the 11 year old Dutch mare Nanta through the finish in 45.03 seconds to take the lead, but it did prove to be short-lived when Meredith shaved more than three seconds off that target with a great round from Shutterfly.

Italy's Giorgio Nuti and Jeff de Boele had three fences down and, surprisingly, so did Australia's Edwina Alexander and Isovlas Pialotta who were two of the great heroes of the WEG final-four individual competition this summer but Leopold Van Asten and VDL Groep Fleche Rouge put it up to his fellow-countryman Schroder when, second-last to go, he scorched home without incident in 41.02 seconds.

Results (12/11/06)
FEI World Cup – Verona (AM5)

1º Gerco Schröder (Hol) / Milano / 0/0-40,09
2º Asten, Leopold Van (Hol) / Fleche Rouge / 0/0-41,02
3º Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (Ale) / Shutterfly / 0/0-41,51
4º Jonella Ligresti (Ita) / Nanta / 0/0-45,03
5º Albert Zoer (Hol) / Oki Doki / 0/4-39,55
6º Thomas Velin (Din) / Godsend Du Reverdy / 0/4-44,78
7º Royne Zetterman (Sue) / Isaac / 0/8-41,64
8º Edwina Alexander (Aus) / Pialotta / 0/12-40,01
9º Piergiorgio Bucci (Ita) / Da Zara Tabluetin / 0/12-44,47
10º Giorgio Nuti (Ita) / Jeff du Boele / 0/12-45,51

Ranking FEI World Cup 2006/2007
after Verona

1º Michael Whitaker – 41
2º Gerco Schroder – 37
3º Beat Mandli – 31
4º Leopold Van Asten – 30
5º Rene Tebbel – 27
6º Eugenie Angot – 22
7º Harry Smolders – 20
8º Christian Ahlmann – 20
9º Piet Raymakers – 17
10º Judy Ann Melchior – 17
11º Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Ellen Whitaker, Ludo Philippaerts – 15
14º Peter Wylde, Jonella Ligresti – 13
16º Albert Zoer, Geir Gulliksen – 12
18º Daniel Etter – 12
19º Thomas Velin – 11
20º Eric Van der Vleuten, Royne Zettermann, Jos Lansink – 10