PrintAfter a disappointing 2-rail performance in Round 1 of the Rolex/FEI Show Jumping World Cup Final in Geneva, Switzlerland, Steve Guerdat came back to the Palexpo Arena tonight to give his countryman a performance to cheer for. Guerdat won Round 2 of the Final today, April 16, after a speedy jump-off aboard Tresor V.
“I don’t think [this win] is revenge from yesterday—it’s just the sport,” said Guerdat. “Yesterday I wasn’t good enough, and I was better today. I was good enough to win the class.”
U.S. riders stayed strong, with McLain Ward finishing second again with Sapphire, and Mario Deslauriers piloting the eager Urico to third.
But disaster struck for Ward when the results of a thermoimaging scan disqualified Sapphire from competition after the competition at 12:30 a.m. Fédération Equestre Internationale veterinarian Paul Farrington stressed that there was no evidence of malpractice by Ward or any member of his team. According to the FEI decision, Sapphire was eliminated from Round 2 of the Final and has been disqualified from the rest of the competition.
After a slow start in yesterday’s speed phase, the strong German contingent picked up some momentum, with three riders in the nine-horse jump-off, including Marcus Ehning and Plot Blue who finished fourth, and were bumped up to third following Ward's elimination. And the Swiss fielded two other contenders in the short course, including Pius Schwizer, who has led the Rolex World Rankings for the last three months and will sit fifth heading into tomorrow's competition.
Rolf Lündi built a technical track for tonight’s 1.60-meter grand prix. A vertical-oxer in-and-out set over a pair of liverpools tripped up plenty of horses, as did the final oxer-vertical line, set off a tight turn right by the in-gate. And even if riders did manage to find a safe way over the fences, the time allowed caught up with more than a quarter of the field.
Such a serious course demanded a careful plan, and Guerdat had a strategy in mind from the get-go. He left yesterday’s mount, his 2008 Olympic Games partner Jalisca Solier, in the barn and opted to use Tresor V in today’s class.
“From the beginning it was the plan to start with Jalisca then switch to Tresor,” said Guerdat, 27. “If I had to do it again I would do the same thing. I was ready to win yesterday until I missed the third fence. I was supposed to bring back Jalisca, but I’m going to keep going with Tresor. My strategy is just to win.”
And he just might be able to do just that. Though he’s only 27, this marks his fifth World Cup final, and last year he and Tresor finished ninth. Currently ranked 10th in the world, he heads into Sunday’s final two rounds in a three-way tie for 10th, having moved up 14 places from yesterday’s ranking.
The Right Thing To Do
But to get much further he’ll have to overthrow some serious contenders. Deslauriers would like to reprise his 1984 title while wearing the stars and stripes on his saddle pad, and he now sits just in the lead heading into Sunday.
Rather than try to win the class, most riders didn't opt to go flat-out over the short course, instead opting to aim for an efficient clear go. But the naturally quick Urico made a solid effort.
