Zetterman creates a Swedish Shockwave

Even at the final qualifying leg of the 2006/2007 FEI World Cup Jumping series at 's-Hertogenbosch there were still surprises in store as, after 12 thrilling competitions earlier in the season, the thirteenth qualifying round produced a great winning performance from the unassuming Swedish rider Royne Zetterman and his big gelding, Isaac.

On a very tough afternoon of jumping only four horse-and-rider combinations went through to the second-round jump-off and the result was unpredictable to the very end. But at last the questions about who will make the cut to jump at the final in Las Vegas next month are answered. A total of eighteen riders have earned their places from the Western European League along with Australia's Edwina Alexander and the defending champion from Germany, Marcus Ehning. Today's winner is only on the reserve waiting list however, but he wasn't complaining. “This is my first ever World Cup victory so I'm very, very happy!” Zetterman said with delight this afternoon.

Course designer Frank Rothenberger certainly didn't make it easy to earn those decisive, last-minute qualifying points. His first-round test was over a spectacular course that presented challenges at every turn. The dog-leg line from the vertical at three to the following triple combination proved the undoing of many, and one of the most surprising victims was the ultra-experienced Isovlas Pialotta, who slammed to a halt when arriving in a bad spot in front of this one. The mare's absolute honesty was apparent by her willingness to pop it easily when asked again by Edwina Alexander who finished with just five faults on the board despite the momentary drama. The next line was a real rider-frightener with a 1.60m triple bar followed by four strides to the flimsiest of blue wavy planks over water, and then either three long or four short strides to a 1.60 FEI vertical. The genuine nature of many of world's best show jumping horses was called into question here, but one that drew a gasp from the crowd was Marco Kutscher's clever, clever Controe who defied his rider's instructions and opted for an extra one down the second distance. Kutscher, who eventually finished third, was amused himself at the end of the day. “I wanted to go on three to the vertical but Controe jumped too high over the water planks. I still asked him for just the three but he decided he knew better – and he was right!” the 2005 European champion said afterwards.

Another tricky line from the oxer at fence 11 to two drunken rustic verticals at fence 12 saw poles fall time and again and clear rounds were hard-earned, with 13 through the finish before Zetterman found the key. Another 11 toured the track before Austria's Thomas Fruhmann and The Sixth Sense made it look a bit easy as they joined the Swedish partnership in the jump-off and then Kutscher and Controe followed suit for Germany but only one more, the home side's Albert Zoer and Okidoki, could do likewise. On a day that created some unusual results Britain's Michael Whitaker, who was second-last into the ring, picked up an uncharacteristic 12 faults with Suncal Portofino while last into the ring, the super-efficient German duo of Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly clipped the first element of the triple combination for four faults to miss out on a place in the dramatic finale.

Zetterman's 11 year old gelding caught the front bar of the oxer three from home to kick off the deciding round with four faults in 40.81 so didn't seem likely to complete at the head of affairs but Thomas Fruhmann's The Sixth Sense arrived unbalanced to the same fence and, having clipped that, also knocked the following two for a total of 12 faults in 41.93 seconds to leave the door still wide open. Kutscher then set off with Controe and had made a clear plan. “I decided to go for a slow clear” he said afterwards, “but it didn't work out”. Controe left all the fences intact until hitting the penultimate vertical and with the clock showing 49.46 seconds and four faults on the board it was the Swedish rider who was still out in front. No-one could have expected however that the final partnership would fault at the very first fence. Albert Zoer's World Championship winning partner Okidoki arrived deep at the opening triple bar and the home crowd gasped with horror when, despite their best efforts, the Dutch duo crossed the line with four faults and trailing the Swedish leaders by almost two seconds to slot into runner-up spot.

Zoer had taken a very nasty fall from Lincoln during the previous evening's Grand Prix jump-off when the pair seemed to lose the plot a bit and, getting wilder and wilder as they galloped round the track, missed badly at the oxer at fence 10 which Lincoln paddled through before crash-landing. “He was a bit stiff and bruised this morning, and so was I” the Dutch rider pointed out this afternoon, but he was not using that as any excuse for his performance today. “I'm actually very satisfied with Okidoki, he has had two months off and I think he is jumping really well” he said, unperturbed by the fact that he could not provide a win for his home fans at this, the 40th anniversary show at the Brabanthalle in 's-Hertogenbosch.

On Saturday he joined fellow WEG gold medallists Gerco Schroder and Piet Raymakers to accept the Dutch Rider of the Year Trophy at a special afternoon ceremony during which Dutch Chef d'Equipe Rob Ehrens was also honoured, and with over 70,000 spectators over the weekend the 2007 's-Hertogenbosch fixture was declared another great success. For Royne Zetterman it certainly was a day to remember. He won the Grand Prix in Stockholm last December, but his most recent major individual victory prior to that had been the Grand Prix in Luxembourg in 1997, so today was a real cause for celebration. And he was full of praise for Isaac. “He is not the fastest horse in the world, but he is one of the scopiest” he pointed out, “and today the track suited him because it was big”.

Results (25.03.07)

CSI-W Hertogenbosch
Event 9 – Grand Prix – AM5 (1,60m)

1º Royne Zetterman (Sue) / Isaac / 0 / 4 – 40,81
2º Albert Zoer (Hol) / Okidoki / 0 / 4 – 42,26
3º Marco Kutscher (Ale) / Controe / 0 / 4 – 49,46
4º Thomas Frühmann (Aut) / The Sixth Sense / 0 / 12 – 41,93
5º Daniel Deusser (Ale) / Upsilon D'ocquier / 4 – 64,51
6º Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (Ale) / Shutterfly / 4 – 65,08
7º Ludger Beerbaum (Ale) / Couleur Rubin / 4 – 66,23
8º Piet Raymakers (Hol) / Curtis / 4 – 66,38
9º Piet Raymakers Jr (Hol) / Rascin / 4 – 66,71
10º Marcus Ehning (Ale) / Gitania / 4 – 67,37