Third victory in a row for Dutch team in Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of The Netherlands
The Dutch team have won the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup at CHIO Rotterdam for the third year in a row. In a competition that was a nail biter right until the last rider entered the arena, the home team stepped up their game in the second round to defeat Ireland and Germany.
After the first round, the Dutch found themselves in second place with five penalty points. The Irish team had an impressive first round with two Irish riders, Michael Duffy and Daniel Coyle, managing to jump the course without any faults. Their team total after the first round was just four points.
In the second round, the Irish kept their high level, but the Dutch caught up to them. Harrie Smolders and Monaco N.O.P. were the second to last combination to enter the ring. Smolders knew he had to ride a clear round to give the Dutch a chance at winning. He and Monaco N.O.P. kept their cool and made it past the last obstacle without any faults, leading to a team total of 6. 'Monaco was outstanding', Smolders said. 'He's so smart and reliable. He feels it when it's important that we do well, and always gives that little bit extra.'
After that, the pressure was on Daniel Coyle and Gisborne VDL to stay clear to seal the victory for the Irish, but they made a mistake on obstacle five, giving the Irish a team total of 8. Much to the delight of the home crowd, the win went to the Dutch team instead.
'All four made this result possible'
Dutch chef d'equipe Jos Lansink commended all four of his team riders for their performance. ,,After that first round I thought, well, maybe we won't make it today, but they all had a very strong second round. All four of them made this result possible. It was a fantastic day for us.''
Jur Vrieling had four penalty points in the first round but stayed clear with Long John Silver 3 N.O.P. in his second attempt. ,,Long John was a bit fresh in the first round. After that, I worked with him a bit more in the warm-up arena and in the second round I had more control and he jumped very well. He's a great horse. It's a privilege to be able to ride on this team and to represent my country.''
He praised the efforts of his team member Leopold van Asten especially. Van Asten had an unfortunate run in the first round with 16 penalty points, but only had one time penalty point in his second try. ,,Out of all of us I think Leopold had the best result in the end. He has a horse that is still young and to then come back in the second round like he did shows a lot of skill'', Vrieling said.
Van Asten on his performance with VDL Groep Iron Z: ,,Our first round was more than a bit difficult. My horse overjumped the water obstacle and got a bit tense and rushed after that. I'm very happy with how he jumped in the second round. What had happened before did not affect him, we could start at zero again.''
Perfect end of the day
Maikel van der Vleuten and O'bailey vh Brouwershof had a first round with 1 time penalty point. ,,My horse jumped fantastic. After that second round I analysed how I could avoid the time penalty in the second round . You had to be fast on the first part of the course before the water obstacle, and we were. That mistake on the first obstacle was very unfortunate, but he felt very comfortable throughout, and he is a lovely horse to ride.''
Yves Houtackers, tournament director showjumping, was pleased with how the competition played out this year. ,,It was exciting for everyone, right until the last rider. It was the perfect end of the day.''