The Dutch-based Australian gets a “hometown” win.

In Valkenswaard, the Netherlands, Aug. 21-23, riders competed for the final chance to qualify for the Global Champions Tour Final in November. After two tough rounds, Dutch-based Australian rider Edwina Alexander topped both the $406,638 Global Champions Tour of the Netherlands and the Global Champions Tour rankings.

With the Alltech FEI European Championships starting just a few days after Valkenswaard, some of the big names were riding second strings, which might explain why three of the first five horses on course retired.

The double in front of the grandstand at fence 4 was undoubtedly the bogey fence, although a bicycle shaped upright at fence 8 was nearly as troublesome.

Despite this there were 14 clear rounds, and those who made it through to the second round included Marco Kutscher, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Jessica Kürten and Michel Robert, as well as the current Olympic and World champions Eric Lamaze and Jos Lansink, respectively.

Despite being supported by her European cheering team, U.S. rider Laura Kraut did not make the cut on Cedric, but she was pleased with her overall performance at the show, having had a couple of good placings on other horses. Lauren Hough had one pole with Quick Study and was not quite fast enough to make the second round either.

The changed course in the second round looked deceptively simple, but it soon whittled down the 18 who had made it that far. Kutscher was the first to go double clear on Cornet Obolensky, and he was soon joined by Lansink (Valentina Van’T Heike), Lamaze (Hickstead), Michaels-Beerbaum (Shutterfly), Alexander (Isovlas Itot Du Chateau), Robert (Kellemoi De Pepita) and, to Dutch delight, Piet Raijmakers (Van Schijndel’s Rascin).

A related distance from fence 1 to fence 2 on a bending line proved the toughest challenge in this phase, with several combinations faulting there.

The jump-off started with a safe clear from Kutscher, and although he and his gray stallion left room to be bettered, in a time of 38.39 seconds, they certainly were quick enough to pressure the rest.

Raijmakers could not quite match his other two rounds and dropped a rail, but then the really big guns entered to fight it out for the $135,546 winner’s purse.

Shutterfly, doubtless the favorite in most people’s minds, did indeed jump like the legend he is. Although Michaels-Beerbaum admitted to making several mistakes, they finished in a speedy 35.81 seconds, which the remaining riders knew would take some doing to beat.

Lansink conjured up another clear from his horse despite a breastplate breaking en route but was slower (37.56). Robert, showing the same panache that got him on the podium in Arezzo, Italy, in April, nearly caught Michaels-Beerbaum but could not find quite the stride he wanted to the last. The adjustment he had to make probably cost him the .5 second he failed by. But his time of 35.95 seconds was going to be good enough for third.

That left two to go. Alexander, who had been rather disappointed with a mistake in the first round at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, set off as if the hounds of hell were after her, and Itot du Chateau, who could barely see over some of the fences, looked as eager as she to win. It was probably the handbrake turn into the fourth fence that won the day, although her turn at fence 6 was equally audacious.

There was a hushed silence as everyone looked at the scoreboard and saw she was .4 seconds faster than Michaels-Beerbaum. The crowd was overjoyed, because as a Dutch resident Alexander was the next best thing to one of their own winning.

But there was still the small matter of Lamaze on another small horse with a big heart. Hickstead, though, was not quite able to turn as quickly as his rivals on the grass surface and finished on 36.43 seconds; this time fourth would have to do for the Olympic champion.

Alexander, who rides for Australia, is based at Valkenswaard with partner and trainer Jan Tops, who was as delighted as his rider.

“I am thankful we have such good sponsors as VDL, CN, Rolex and Miracle Africa International Foundation, which has enabled us to run this show for so many years and hopefully for many more to come,” Tops said. “It really was top sport today.”

Alexander leads the GCT Rankings, in which the top 25 riders qualify for the final in Doha, Qatar (see sidebar). Lamaze’s fourth spot was good enough to qualify for the final, Nov. 11-15, and California resident Richard Spooner has also qualified. Only the top 25 in the rankings go through to this glittering event with $2,851,308 in prize money.

Kürten officially retired her long-time partner, Lady Georgina Forbes’ Quibell (see p. 66), after her round, to a standing ovation from the fans. Her ninth-placed finish gave the Irish rider sufficient points to take her to the final. She wanted the 16-year-old mare to go out with a good performance, which Quibell, ever consistent, duly delivered.

Uliano Vezzani’s course provided a stiff challenge in the 1.50-meter jump-off class.

Lauren Hough and Quick Study managed the first clear round, after 17 of the 41 starters had jumped. A tricky combination caused all manner of problems, including a fall for John Whitaker, whose Sultano stopped dead at the first part.

Five others swiftly joined Hough in the jump-off, including Denis Lynch and Bernardo Alves. But the timed round was all about fortune favoring the brave, as there was a long gallop to the last.

In the end Jur Vreiling and VDL Emerson proved to be the bravest and just touched off another Dutchman, Eric van de Vleuten with VDL Tomboy, to win with their final stretch to the finish.

Hough was third. “I’m pretty pleased,” she said. “Quick Study gave me a really good feel today.”

Earlier Lamaze had won the Young Horse Final on his 7-year-old Darco mare Coriana Van Klapsheut who is owned, like Take Off (with whom he won the previous day), by Artisan Farms. He beat a strong field of the best 25 young horses from the weekend’s proceedings and kept two Dutch favorites, Leopold van Asten and Eric van der Vleuten, off the winners’ podium.

“I only got her just before Calgary [this summer],” said Lamaze, “and we were just getting to know each other, so I figured she would be more ready here. I think she has a big future. She gave me enough of a feel when I tried her that I suggested to Take Off’s owners that they might want to invest in this one as well.”