The third stop on the Samsung Super League Nations Cup tour, St. Gallen, is set between Lake Constance and the verdant rolling countryside of the Appenzell in eastern Switzerland.

But on June 2-5, the mood was anything but tranquil. The Germans arrived with heavy artillery, their Olympic squad of Ludger Beerbaum, Marcus Ehning, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Lars Neiberg. They were determined to better their fourth- and third-placed finishes from the first two rounds in La Baule (France) and Rome (Italy).

The U.S. squad (Laura Kraut, Anne Kursinski, Beezie Madden and Schuyler Riley) and the British team (William Funnell, Robert Maguire, Ellen Whitaker and her uncle, Michael Whitaker) arrived tied for the lead in the overall standings with 17 points, having both finished first and second in the initial outings.

But it was the French team, adjusting their starting line-up to include Eugenie Angot, Laurent Goffinet, Christian Hermon and Jacques Bonnet, who ruled the day. After disappointing third- and sixth-placed finishes for the League champions of the two previous years, chef d’equipe Jean-Maurice Bonneau’s team walked away with the victory at St. Gallen, finishing with only 6 faults. They were well ahead of the Germans and the hometown heroes, the Swiss, who ended the day tied at 16 faults.

American chef d’equipe George Morris liked Olaf Petersen’s course, describing it as having a “typically German stamp”–rollbacks to tall verticals, a pull up after the water jump to negotiate the triple and with the narrower rails of St. Gallen–but also reminiscent of the Olympics, a track that required a delicate ride.

The nearly 13 feet of water at combination 9-10ABC caused the most frustration. Eight horses faulted at the water, including Michael Whitaker’s Portofino, Sunday’s grand prix winner, and Marcus Ehning’s Gitania. After such a forward ride to the water, reorganizing to jump the oxer-vertical-oxer combination of one strides in the direct seven, or eight steady strides, was difficult.

Four double-clears were produced, including two textbook rides from American Beezie Madden with the 10-year-old gelding Desilvio. After the first round, the U.S. team narrowly led the pack with a score of 4 faults, Laura Kraut with Miss Independence also having scored an initial clear.

France brought 6 faults to round two, as Goffinet and the small but explosive Flipper d’Elle jumped clean but collected 2 time penalties on the clock. The

German and Belgian teams were only a single rail off the lead with 8 penalties. Budweiser FEI World Cup Final victor, Michaels-Beerbaum and her Shutterfly, had a surprising refusal at the oxer, fence 5, and then circled after the water, resulting in elimination.

It was definitely not Albert Zoer’s day. Riding for the Netherlands aboard Okidoki, Zoer became a victim of the scopey triple bar where the bay got hung up and fell. Zoer remounted and finished with 31 faults. Later, in round two, working on a clean round with but two jumps remaining, Zoer executed a half-halt after the difficult combination line only to have the bit break. Cantering in a circle and eventually grabbing hold of the bridle, he managed to get the horse stopped and had to leave the ring.

In the second round, the French added nothing to their 6 faults as Goffinet and Hermon on La Silla Ephebe Forever jumped clear. Angot, with her Cigale du Taillis, rode beautifully and produced a double clear. Surely that performance weighed heavily on the judges’ decision to award her the show’s Longines Style Award.

Michaels-Beerbaum kept Germany in the hunt with a clear ride in the second round, making up for her earlier elimination. Switzerland added only 4 faults to their initial 12 when Christina Liebherr and Beat Mandli produced fault-free rounds, to finish tied for second with Germany.

The U.S. team had an unfortunate second round, save for Madden’s clear, and saw vic-tory slip from their grasp. Kursinski and Riley had uncharacteristic rounds with multiple rails, and Kraut had the final jump down, but nevertheless the team held on for fourth-placed points. The Brits were unable to duplicate their winning ways from Rome, and despite Funnell’s double clear, they had to settle for a fifth-placed tie with Ireland.

Team USA came to St. Gallen tied for first with Great Britain in the Samsung Super League. The Americans now hold the lead alone with a score of 21 points over Great Britain (19.5), France (17) and Germany (15).

The tour culminates with a final show in Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 15-18. The U.S. squad now passes the baton to a new team–Todd Minikus, Callan Sollem, Christine Tribble and Aaron Vale, with Nona Garson as the reserve rider.

Fuchs Is A Favorite

Georgina Bloomberg of the United States rode Lumina II into second in Saturday’s opening class, a 1.40-meter hit-and-hurry, won by Ireland’s Jessica Kurten.

In the 1.45-meter derby, called a hunting competition, Table C, faults converted, Ludo Philippaerts on Tauber van het Kapelhof, a small dark bay by Darco, led for much of the class with a blistering time and two rails down, making for an adjusted score of 80.28.

Bloomberg, this time on her quick and careful mare Nadia, had the Swiss crowd and her American compatriots cheering as she jumped a clear round–one of only three–breaking the timers in 76.76 seconds. But with only three riders remaining, the Swiss were roused again as hometown hero Marcus Fuchs kicked his way around on the rangy Royal Charmer, electing to leave a stride out to the last oxer and slicing .26 seconds off Nadia’s time to lead the victory lap.

In a 1.45-meter power and speed class on Sunday morning, Bloomberg, back on Lumina II, finished with a fast and efficient second place once again behind Fuchs on Granie 5. With her successes at La Baule and consistent placings at St. Gallen, Bloomberg earned the respect of the European rider community.

The first day of showing had also gone well for the U.S. riders, with Madden and Judgement winning the 1.50-meter Table A class with a jump-off. Kraut on Anthem and Kursinski on Lorenzo were second and fourth, while Riley on Opus Sept picked up eighth-placed Swiss francs.

A British Grand Prix Victory

Petersen’s track for the grand prix was scopey and technical and took its toll on the 46 starters. The starting order was determined from the computer list and then drawn. Of the first 18 riders, two were eliminated, four retired, and six had double-digit scores. With the top 12 coming back for round two, only five riders returned penalty-free; the rest carried 4 faults.

The last jump on course, a delicate vertical with only three rails, four strides after 12C, dashed hopes for many top riders, including Christian Hermon with La Silla Ephebe Forever, Ludo Philippaerts with his gray stallion Parco and the crowd favorite Fuchs on La Toya 34.

A different track for round two, with only nine jumping efforts spread across the field, including 12AB, the dark blue Longine fences, had riders against the clock. Two Americans made the cut: Kursinski on Roxana 112 carried in 4 faults and Kraut with her long-time partner Anthem was one of those clear.

Ellen Whitaker, riding AK Locarno, returned last, having had the fastest first round. She was unable to capitalize on her pole position, however. Following her uncle Michael into the ring, the crowd gasped in surprise when her horse appeared to eye the in-gate and added a last-minute stride to fence 1, bringing it down, then collected another rail to finish eighth.

Michael Whitaker on Portofino 63 stopped the clock at 50.50 seconds for the win, and the only other clear round went to Ludger Beerbaum on L’Espoir 7, who opted for a conservative 55.85 seconds.