No estaba siendo 2014 bueno en completo para los neocelandeses comparativamente con los años precedentes con un Kentucky no ganador, eliminaciones en Badminton, en Bramham… pero llega el importante cuatro estrellas de Luhmühlen y lo ganan por medio de Tim Price con WESKO.
Ello les confiere sus posibilidades para los JEM de este verano en Normandía. Para ellos ganar es diferente que para otros pues ya consiguieron el oro por equipos e individual en los de Estocolmo 1990 y Roma 1998.
Tim Price con el mismo WESKO se cayó en el mes anterior en una de las aguas de Badminton, y dio la sensación que se equivocó y como se ve poco después con el mismo caballo gana al más alto nivel. Todo el mundo se cae y la única ventaja que puede tener es no buscar los “es ques” y realizar una autocrítica para tratar de mejorar. Los ejemplos al respecto son muchos y ya que hemos hablado del equipo neocelandés, hay que decir que en los JEM de La Haya 1994 fueron eliminados y cuatro años después consiguieron el oro y Blyth Tait que logró el oro a nivel individual se cayó en los holandeses.
Antes hemos mencionado que tal vez el jinete se equivocó en Badminton, pero ello no quita que siempre nos ha parecido que monta excepcionalmente, y lo que sí sorprendía es que nunca hubiera ganado un cuatro estrellas. Price en Badminton también lo hizo con el caballo RINWOOD SKY BOY, y tras la doma y el cross (¡qué bonito!) iba 2º pero en la pista la hizo mal con 4 derribos que le retasaron hasta el puesto 9º. Ya nos lo dijo el español Luis Álvarez Cervera (entrena el salto de los neocelandeses) dado que el caballo salta mal en pista. Por cierto, también, cuando en los JEM de La Haya se cayó Blyth Tait en una gran banqueta que había que subir el español la saltó extraordinariamente.
¿Será Tim Price con WESKO seleccionado para los JEM 2014?
De los 52 competidores, bajan de los 40 puntos en doma la británica de nacionalidad australiana Lucinda Murray de Federicks con FLYNG FINISH (38.7), 14 están en las decenas de los 40 puntos. Entre ellos el 2º clasificado el alemán Michael Jung / ROCANA (41.50) y la 3ª la alemana Ingrid Klimke / HALE BOB (42). También entre los mismos está Tim Price / WESKO (43.8) que es 7º.
En el cross de diseño de británico Mark Phillips, 15 no lo finalizan (5 no salen), 26 no cometen falta sobre los obstáculos y de ellos 11 lo hacen en el tiempo óptimo.
La clasificación provisional es 1º Michael Jung / ROCANA con 41.5 puntos, 2º Tim Price / WESKO con 43.8, 3ª la alemana Bettina Hoy / DESIGNER con 44.5, 4º el británico Oliver Twonend / BLACK TIE con 45, 6º el australiano de nacionalidad estadounidense Phillip Dutton / MIGTHY NICE con 46, 7º el australiano Bill Levett / IMPROVISE con 47.7, 8º el estadounidense Boyd Martin / SHAMWARI con 47.8…
Como se ve diferencias escasas que se cree que pueden producir cambios al acabar el salto en pista.
Boyd Martin realiza el recorrido sin falta. Bill Levett y Phillip Dutton comete 12 puntos, 4 Oliver Twonend y asimismo 12 Bettina Hoy lo que indica que Martin está delante ya de ellos.
En penúltimo lugar lo hace Tim Price / WESKO. Recorrido magnífico sin falta que le hacen finalizar con los 43.8 de la doma.
La presión para Jung es tremenda. No puede cometer ningún derribo para ganar. Sin embargo, comete uno y finaliza con 45.4 lo que le confiere el triunfo al neocelandés.
Tim Price es el único que acaba con la puntuación del adiestramiento.
Luhmühlen ha hecho justicia a un buen y sensible jinete.
Nuestra enhorabuena a Luis Álvarez Cervera por el recorrido sin falta de su pupilo.
By Kate Green
New Zealand rider Tim Price is enjoying a purple patch of form and he produced an outstanding display of Jumping to win his first CCI4*, at Luhmühlen (GER), presented by DHL Paket, the fifth and penultimate leg of the FEI Classics™ 2013/2014.
Riding the Wesko Syndicate’s Wesko, an 11-year-old Dutch-bred gelding by Karandasj, Price was the only competitor to finish on his Dressage score, of 43.8, in a thrillingly tight finale.
The Cross Country leader, Michael Jung (GER), looked the picture of concentration as he had fischerRocana FST jumping on springs, but a groan from the crowd signalled that a pole had fallen – the first part of the double at 12a – and that it was not to be a German victory.
Price was evidently thrilled to win, but he was quick to acknowledge the host nation in a gracious acceptance speech, in which he dedicated his victory to the young German rider Benjamin Winter (GER), who died as the result of a fall on the Cross Country yesterday.
“I would like to dedicate this win to Benjamin. It was a very sad day yesterday,” he said. “And I’d like to thank the organisers at Luhmühlen for making us all so welcome. I first came here as a visitor eight years ago and I’ve been waiting ever since to ride here.”
Instead of a lap of honour, the leading riders, all wearing black armbands in honour of Winter, were escorted quietly from the arena.
Boyd Martin (USA) proved to the American selectors that he is fully recovered after breaking his leg in the spring by finishing in with third place on new ride Shamwari 4 and 15th on Otis Barbotière.
Martin picked up just one time penalty to rise four places from seventh on Shamwari 4. This exciting prospect was bought from Swedish rider Ludwig Svennerstal by a syndicate during the winter, but this was Martin’s first opportunity to try out the horse at an international competition.
Oliver Townend (GBR) hit fence 10 on the 13-year-old Black Tie, but he remained in fourth place and left the ring with a broad smile on his face.
Indeed Townend has plenty to smile about: this was the second time this year that he has been the highest-placed British rider at a CCI4*, having finished as runner-up at Badminton on Armada. As a result, he has now leapt into second place in the FEI Classics™, just 10 points behind William Fox-Pitt (GBR), which means that the series will go right to the wire at Burghley in September.
Elaine Pen (NED) must be delighted with her first CCI4* performance. She rose three places to fifth on her former Young Rider horse Vira with just one rail down.
A four-fault round was good enough to move Andreas Ostholt (GER) and So Is Et up five places to sixth, while the USA’s Phillip Dutton (Mighty Nice, seventh), Germany’s Bettina Hoy (Designer 10, eighth) and Australia’s Bill Levett (Improvise, ninth) all dropped down the order with three rails down each.
The up-and-coming Belgian rider Lara de Liedekerke, riding Quella Langonnaise, enjoyed her second 10th placing at CCI4* level this year, following an excellent Badminton debut.
Tim Price found Wesko “by chance at the end of a long, cold day” in a Jumping yard where he was being competed by British rider Siobhan Edmonds. The white-faced bay gelding proved “flawless” in his early Eventing competitions and went on to win twice at three-star level, at Blair Castle (GBR) CCI3* last year and at Tattersalls (IRE) CIC3* a fortnight ago. The pair contested Badminton, but took an early ducking in the Lake.
“I’m thrilled for my horse. This is his first four-star completion, and my first visit here, and I certainly didn’t expect to be standing here as the winner,” he said.
New Zealand has provided the winners of eight CCI4*s since Sir Mark Todd set the ball rolling at Badminton in 2011. Now this tiny country with such a huge legacy of horsemanship has another hero to salute.
About the winner
Tim Price, 32, grew up on a farm near Canterbury in New Zealand’s South Island and began his riding career in Jumping, up to FEI World Cup™ level, before deciding that most of his horses were better suited to Eventing.
He paid for his first trip to the UK by selling a good horse, Vortex; they were later reunited and competed at CCI4* level together, finishing 20th at both Badminton and Pau in 2009.
This year he was ninth at Badminton on Ringwood Sky Boy and a member of the winning New Zealand team in the FEI Nations Cup™ at Houghton (GBR).
He is now based in Wiltshire in the UK with his wife Jonelle (nee Richards), another South Islander, and a yard full of horses; Jonelle was a member of New Zealand’s bronze medal team at the London 2012 Olympic Games and finished 12th (Classic Moet) and 16th (The Deputy) at Luhmühlen.
Final Results
1 Tim Price/Wesko (NZL) 43.8 + 0.0 + 0 = 43.8
2 Michael Jung/fischerRocana FST (GER) 41.5 + 0.0 + 4 = 45.5
3 Boyd Martin/Shamwari 4 (USA) 47.8 + 0.0 +1 = 48.8
4 Oliver Townend/Black Tie (GBR) 45.0 + 0.0 + 4 = 49.0
5 Elaine Pen/Vira (NED) 43.2 + 4.8 + 4 = 52.0
6 Andreas Ostholt/So Is Et (GER) 50.5 + 0.0 + 4 = 54.5
7 Phillip Dutton/Mighty Nice (USA) 46.0 + 0.0 + 12 = 58.0
8 Bettina Hoy/Designer 10 (GER) 43.3 + 1.2 + 15 = 59.5
9 Bill Levett/Improvise (AUS) 47.7 + 0.0 + 13 = 60.7
10 Lara de Liedekerke/Quella Langonnaise (BEL) 50.2 + 0 + 12 = 62.2
Full results on www.luhmuehlen.de
FEI Classics™ 2013/2014 Leaderboard (after 5 of 6 events)
1 William Fox-Pitt (GBR) 30 points
2 Oliver Townend (GBR) 20
3 Tim Price (NZL) 17
4 Sam Griffiths (AUS) 15
5 Christopher Burton (AUS) 15
6 Phillip Dutton (USA) 15
7 Maxime Livio (FRA) 12
8 Lauren Kieffer (USA) 12
9 Michael Jung (GER) 12
10 Sonja Johnson (AUS) 12
See full standings here.
FEI Classics™ 2013/2014 calendar
1 Les Etoiles de Pau CCI 4* (FRA) - 23-27 October 2013
2 Australian International 3 Day Event (AUS) - 14-17 November 2013
3 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event (USA) - 23-27 April 2014
4 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR) - 8-11 May 2014
5 Luhmühlen CCI 4* presented by DHL Paket (GER) - 12-15 June 2014
6 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR) - 4-7 September 2014
Photo Caption: New Zealand’s Tim Price and Wesko finished on their Dressage score to claim the honours at the German CCI4* at Luhmühlen (GER), presented by DHL Paket, the fifth leg of the FEI Classics™ series. Photo: www.eventingphoto.com /FEI.
FEI Photo Catalogue: Images for editorial purposes are available for free download at www.feiphotos.org.
[caption id="attachment_23411" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Tim Price con WESKO[/caption]
Tim Price con WESKO[/caption]
Prize money
At the end of the FEI Classics™ 2013/2014 season, the five riders with the highest number of points collected across the six FEI Classics™ events will share a total prize fund of US$120,000 split as follows: 1st - US$40,000 (Series Champion); 2nd - US$35,000; 3rd - US$25,000; 4th - US$15,000; 5th - US$5,000.
