Gothenburg, Sweden—March 25

Sometimes a winning speed round looks rushed and chaotic, as riders race around the turns and take chances on their distances. Penelope Leprevost’s winning trip in the Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final speed leg was not that way. Leprevost and Vagabond de la Pomme floated their way to a deceptively fast round (63.78 seconds) over fellow French rider Simon Delestre on Qlassic Bois Margot (66.04 seconds). 

“Vagabond is very simple to ride,” said Leprevost. “He has a lot of scope. At the beginning with him, the problem was control, and now he has enough dressage, so there’s no problem with control.”

(Penelope Leprevost and Vagabond de la Pomme. Photo by Kat Netzler.)

Leprevost and Delestre walked the track together, and they set a similar plan in action.

“I knew I was quite fast, but I was not stupid fast,” said Delestre. “We tried to do it with a good gallop from fence 1 to fence 13.”

(Simon Delestre on Qlassic Bois Margot. Photo by Kat Netzler.)

Germany’s Daniel Deusser slotted into third on Cornet d’Amour in 66.54 seconds, all part of his own plan. 

“I knew it was possible to go faster, but my goal was to be in the top five, six or seven horses. That worked out. But OK, we still have a couple of rounds to go, and a lot can happen. I have a good feeling, but we’ll see what happens.” 

(Daniel Duesser and Cornet d’Amour. Photo by Kat Netzler.)

How Did The U.S. Riders Fare?

Callan Solem, 10th (clear; 67.99 seconds) on VDL Wizard 

(Callan Solem and VDL Wizard. Photo by Kat Netzler.)

“What a horse. I’m so lucky to ride him. He really jumped me out of a jam at fence 2. After that, I thought I did a decent job, but wow. He’s the best. I’ve ridden a lot of horses for a really long time, and he’s so special. I’ve done this from pre-green hunters and low hunters, and I’ve been a professional since I was 18, and I’ve done this the long way. It’s not easy for anybody no matter what, but it makes you really appreciate a horse that’s going to go in there with all that and just do his best. He really did his best. He was trying his hardest. I would have had to do something pretty serious for him to not get it done.”

On her first World Cup experience:

“It was so much fun. The pressure is nothing new. I always put a lot of pressure on myself. I don’t think you tack a horse up unless you’re willing to give it the best you have. I’m not into wasting anyone’s time. At this level, you have all the staff that comes with these horses. My mother came, my farrier, vets, my owners. There’s a huge contingency of people I wanted to do it for. It’s why…the class started at 6:15, and I had my hat and coat on at 3:15, and I was like, ‘OK, I’m ready for my class.’ ” 

Audrey Coulter, 14th (one rail, converted to 70.10 seconds) on Alex

(Audrey Coulter on Alex. Photo by Kat Netzler.)

“My horse jumped amazing, and I felt like it was a good round. I thought we got a little unlucky having the last jump down; maybe he got a little flat for that one. I thought the course was well done. There were some tricky turns and a lot of options. Alex doesn’t have all the scope in the world, but he tries hard, and he wants to do it right. I think he knew this was an important event, and it made him jump even better.” 

Peter Lutz, 18th (one rail, converted to 72.44 seconds) on Robin de Ponthual 

(Peter Lutz on Robin de Ponthaul. Photo by Kat Netzler.)

“I thought Robin jumped beautifully and easily. It’s our first time here, so we were both a little excited, I’d say. But I was so proud of him, and I felt like I rode the course well. I maybe could have just let go a little bit to the last jump, which I had down. But I was so happy with him. It’s such an amazing horse, and I’m so happy to be here.  

On riding at his first World Cup:

“It’s been a great experience. I’ve heard so much about this horse show, and I hear the audience is great, and that was definitely the case. They’re so enthusiastic but also respectful. 

The course was challenging. I didn’t know what to expect because it’s my first time here. I thought it was fair, and there were some options to go around or outside.”

Rich Fellers, 24th (two rails, converted to 75.15 seconds) on Flexible

(Rich Fellers on Flexible. Photo by Kat Netzler.)

“I made a rider error when I landed off the plank [at the second-to-last]. I looked immediately at the last jump, and I thought I saw a distance very early there. I started to move up, and it was like, ‘No, that’s too long in this stage of his career.’ I had to fit one in, and it’s difficult with any horse to basically make two decisions there. That was a rider error to his last. 

On riding a 20-year-old horse in the final:

“He feels great. I think he could have been very competitive in that round, and I just unfortunately wasn’t super sharp in there. It happens. That’s sports. Things happen quick.”

Katie Dinan, 26th (two rails, converted to 78.42 seconds) on Nougat du Vallet 

(Katie Dinan on Nougat du Vallet. Photo by Kat Netzler.)

“I was happy with the way my horse jumped. I was a little disappointed with our score; obviously I wanted to jump a clear round. I wanted to be a little higher up in the hunting going into tomorrow. But I thought I had a better ride than the score, and that’s really all I can focus on. My horse feels good, and it’s a long week ahead of us. I need to stay focused, and I know he’s jumping well, so I just need to ride him.”  

On jumping at her fourth World Cup final: 

“I’m in awe by the people I’m surrounded by. I realize there’s a lot for me to learn. I’m feeling a little different than when I came here the first time. If anything, I think your first time, you don’t want to come not trying to be competitive, but for sure the first time I was came it was a little for the experience too. Now you put a little more pressure on yourself. You have been here before, and you want to do well.”

Hardin Towell, 27th (three rails, converted to 79.02 seconds) on Lucifer V

Quentin Judge, 30th (two rails, converted to 87.50 seconds) on HH Copin van de Broy

(Quentin Judge jumped several fences without his right stirrup on HH Copin van de Broy. Photo by Kat Netzler.)

Charlie Jacobs, 32nd (four rails, converted to 88.77 seconds) on Flaming Star

Curious how the World Cup scoring works or when the riders jump again? You can also see the full scores here.