PrintIn yet another jump-off in the Meydan FEI Nations Cup series, the United States was relegated to second but leads the overall standings.
It was heartbreaking—and historic—for the U.S. team.
In a nail-biting third jump-off in this season’s Meydan FEI Nations Cup series, the United States fell .34 seconds short of victory. But second-placed points allowed the U.S. team to hold an eight-point lead in the series after the Rotterdam CHIO, June 17-21, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
It all came down to McLain Ward and Sapphire. But their swift clear round wasn’t enough to hold back the talented mare Jubilee D’Ouilly and Pénélope Leprevost.
Jubilee D’Ouilly, painstakingly brought along by Aymeric De Ponnat from a 3-year-old, broke onto the international scene when the pair won the 2007 Longines King George V Gold Cup Grand Prix of Hickstead (Great Britain). They also launched a polemic in France over the delicate owner-rider relationship after the owners took back all of their horses after the win to seek out Olympic fame.
Luckily for them, the mare responded well to the new French equestrian star, Leprevost, 28, of Normandy, who is riding in her first elite series of Nations Cup competitions this year, practically paralleling the success of U.S. rider Ashlee Bond, but in the French press. Rotterdam was Leprevost’s third Nations Cup appearance and the first time she’d ever done a jump-off at this level.
French Chef d’Equipe Laurent Elias said, “Pénélope is a great asset—she rides to win.”
This year’s Meydan FEI Nations Cup was also the showcase for another star—this time in the course-building arena. Louis Konickx built a masterful course of artistry, rhythm and difficulty resulting in a single double-clear performance in the time by the top rider Jessica Kürten on Quibell for Ireland.
