CHECKMATE FOR MEREDITH IN 'S HERTOGENBOSCH…The Louise Parkes Report from Holland
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This Louise Parkes report from the World Cup Qualifier in Holland is another preview provided by PhelpsSports.com. Look for the debut of this brand new, dynamic and exciting equestrian news website during the World Equestrian Games in August. PhelpsSports.com is going to change the standard of equestrian sports coverage on the Internet and will be your best source for up to the minute video, unique and personal audio interviews and late breaking news of the High Performance disciplines. Stay tuned!
's-Hertogenbosch, Holland – March 27, 2006 - Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum confirmed that she will be defending her FEI World Cup title with the 11 year old gelding Checkmate at Kuala Lumpur next month following her exciting victory at the penultimate series' qualifier in 's-Hertogenbosch, Holland today. The American-born German rider devastated the opposition with a blistering round in the nine-horse jump-off, although Dutchman Gerco Schroder came very close indeed to knocking her off her pedestal.
Schroder, winner of the second leg in Oslo, Norway last October, won Friday night's Preliminary class with Eurocommerce Milano and the chestnut mare was really going for it when last into the ring today, but despite being well up on the clock over the jump-off track the Dutch partnership had to settle for fifth place when the last fence fell for four faults.
Michaels-Beerbaum, who scooped the €30,000 first prize, said afterwards that Frank Rothenberger's track had been "really difficult, but fair" and there were a number of surprising departures in the early stages of the competition. Italy's Juan Carlos Garcia, who won the ninth leg of the Western European League in Bordeaux with the veteran Loro Piana Albin, decided to withdraw Toronto Van de Padenborre because the rider was feeling the effects of a nasty fall earlier at the show while Belgium's Jos Lansink, Spain's Sergio Alvarez Moya and Holland's Eric Van der Vleuten and Piet Raymakers all retired on course. Pia-Luise Aufrecht was eliminated when parting company with Hofgut Liederbach's Abrisca when the mare uncharacteristically stopped but the German rider is likely to back in action for the last leg in Gothenburg, Sweden in three weeks' time because she is not far off qualification.
Reigning European champion Marco Kutscher was pathfinder in today's jump-off with Cash, collecting eight faults, while Holland's Jurgen Stenfert following with just a single error from BMC Octavia. The next two riders are both aged just 23 and look destined for stardom - Britain's Ben Maher already attracting a big fan-club following his double-victory during the Hickstead Derby meeting last summer and Holland's Piet Raymakers Jr. who is treading in the footsteps of his Olympic medal-winning father, 49 year old Piet Raymakers Snr. Maher set the early target today when clear in the timed round with Niko while Raymakers Jnr made just one mistake with the stallion Van Schijndel's Rascin. German ace, Ludger Beerbaum, demoted Maher with a great round from Gladdys S who was more than a second quicker while World No. 1 Marcus Ehning and Cinderella faulted once to stay down the line. Third-last into the ring, Meredith and Checkmate made no mistake however and really put it up to the final two contenders when taking the lead with a clear round in 36.69 seconds . She knew she had applied plenty of pressure "there were a lot of long runs on the second track and it made for a great competition - the crowd loved it" Meredith said, knowing that it would take something fairly spectacular to beat her. Britain's Michael Whitaker decided not to take the bait, opting instead for a clear with Portofino that was fast but still almost two seconds slower than the target time but, on his home ground, Gerco Schroder was not about to be faint-hearted. Setting off at a ferocious gallop he asked Eurocommerce Milano to give him everything she had, and the mare was more than a second ahead coming to the very last only to meet that one wrong for a devastating four faults.
Schroder however has been enjoying an excellent run of form and is comfortably placed third on the Western European League leaderboard with just one more qualifying round to go. Michaels-Beerbaum lies second behind Britain's Robert Smith who heads the table on a score of 75 - his position boosted by his victory in Wellington, Florida last month. Smith's fellow-countryman, Nick Skelton, lying ninth on the leaderboard after today's competition, collected all of his 51 points on the US/Canadian circuit in recent months but has decided that he will not travel to the final in Malaysia so that leaves the door open
for some others further down the line who are keen to make the cut. And with so many so closely bunched just outside the qualifying zone, it looks like the last qualifying opportunity in Gothenburg could be a cut-throat affair.
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Louise Parkes covers Ireland, Great Britain and Europe for PhelpsSports.com
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