Jumping International of Bordeaux 2012
From February 3rd – 5th it will bring together three high-level equestrian competitions underneath the same roof: a crucial FEI Rolex World Cup Jumping’s qualifier (thus following he tradition that started in 1978), in which the world elite of jumping riders will participate, as well as two World Cup finals, those of driving and vaulting. A passionate audience will be spoiled.
VAULTING WORLD CUP FINAL
While the story of driving in Bordeaux goes way back in the history of the series (actually back to its creation in 2001), vaulting – with its own World Cup having been created just last year – will make its first apparition in Aquitaine.
Just like jumping and driving, vaulting has its own World Cup that started off in Kiel in October and passes through Munich (GER), Salzburg (AUT), Paris (FRA) and Leipzig (GER). It’s a discipline that combines the equestrian with the artistic-performing world and brings about freshness with many young athletes. The World Cup is reserved for the world’s Top10 of each gender: a list on which can be found two French among the male participants, Nicolas Andreani (world n°1) and Rémy Hombecq (n°6) who will try ensure their participation in the Bordeaux final. A single Frenchwoman is in the female Top10, Anne-Sophie Musset. She will travel with the men to Munich, Paris and Leipzig before hopefully coming to Bordeaux next year.
BORDEAUX LOVES DRIVING
Ten drivers – the world’s Top10 – are qualified for this World Cup that started off in Hannover on the weekend of October 17th. Bordeaux will welcome the six best that will qualify in the course of seven stages: the elite of the elite!
The Dutchman Ijsbrand Chardon will run against last year’s winner of the World Cup in Leipzig, the Australian World Champion Boyd Exell; the duel should be breathtaking, a thrilling neck and neck.
Hall 3 will be running the risk of bursting into flames during this battle of “Chariots of Fire”! Bordeaux has always liked this driving World Championship with four horses and thus deserves its final!
JUMPING: THE TURNING POINT OF THE WORLD CUP SEASON
Since 1978, the year of birth of the World Cup, the Bordeaux stage has always been one of the most competitive ones, a strong moment of the season. The stakes are high, indeed. Only one stage away from the final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands (April 18th-22th), the challenge is to collect the last precious points that could bring about the participation in the rendezvous of the global elite.
In this regard, the competition in Bordeaux represents a strategic turning point and that’s why the jump-offs always offer exhilarating scenarios.
Every year, the best riders of Europe come to Bordeaux for the eleventh out of twelve qualifying stages of the European League, which has the reputation of being the most difficult and most demanding out of the 13 world leagues. About half of the finalists are European but it should be mentioned that only 2 riders out of the Top10 are not. This domination goes on and becomes equally visible in the Top 30 with 22 European riders. At the last World Championship (Lexington 2010), the Europeans monopolized the podium in team… with the French team on the second place (just like in the Championships in Madrid in September). The resurgent French team will obviously be participating in Bordeaux.
ROLEX FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING
The World Cup is the most prestigious winter event – a championship title coveted by many riders. If you ask them how they feel as winter approaches, they can think of only one thing: qualifying for the final – they dream of adding their own name to the prestigious list of previous winners.
The World Cup winner is champion of the indoor show jumping world. Winning the title is all the more rewarding as the qualifying rounds are extremely tough (and the European league is by far the most competitive): the first hurdle is to finish among the 18 best riders in Europe. Then you have to win the extremely challenging 3-stage final.
The competition to reach that point is terrifying – knowing that exactly 100 riders have already tried their chances in the three stages held earlier this season (the Verona event was not completed due to the tragic death of the great Hickstead at the end of his round). The number of contestants continues to increase throughout the season, but there will only ever be 18 finalists – 19 counting Christian Ahlmann, from Germany, winner of the 2011 final in Leipzig last April, who is entitled to defend his title in Hertogenbosch next April, without competing in the qualifying rounds.
While some riders are already practically certain to qualify after the first two stages in Scandinavia, like the European Champion, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson from Sweden (leader of the provisional ranking with 43 points) or Pius Schwizer, from Switzerland (2nd with 40 points,) tied with British rider, Nick Skelton, the other competitors still have to prove their
worth.
In the past, we have seen riders who arrived in Bordeaux without any points, but came back into the running after a single win and obtained the coveted ticket to the final. However, things will be very different this year.
For the moment, two French riders are in the Top 18: Patrice Delaveau (7th) and Kevin Staut (12th). They only need just under twenty points, which should not be difficult to obtain by 26 February, when the Göteborg stage, in Sweden, offers a last opportunity to qualify. In contrast, those who have been emulating the fable of the tortoise and the hare this year will hardly be able to count on Bordeaux to save their winter season, as the cancellation of Vigo means that they really have no possibility of catching up with the field. This is the case of Michel Robert, Simon Delestre, and Eugénie Angot, sleepers in the current ranking, who need to pick up enough points in Geneva, London, and Malines (before the end of this year), then in Leipzig and Zurich (in 2012) before they come to Bordeaux.