Dutch Dominate Rotterdam Nations Cup 1st Round, Sweden Lying 2nd, USA 3rd
10 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Dutch Dominate Rotterdam Nations Cup 1st Round, Sweden Lying 2nd, USA 3rd
ROTTERDAM, June 18, 2015–The Netherlands boosted by a team-leasding and personal best score from Hans Peter Minderhoud on Glock’s Johnson TN took a commanding lead in the Grand Prix first round of the Nations Cup Thursday, with Sweden lying second and the United States third.
Hans Peter and the 13-year-old KWPN stallion scored 76.720 per cent that gave the pair their first ever victory over team mates and world No. 2 Edward Gal and Glock’s Undercover that scored 76.160 per cent for the individual second and third places, respectively.
Patrik Kittel and Watermill Scandic posted the top individual score of the day, 77.260 per cent to power Sweden into second place ahead of the United States in the contest of seven teams in the third of six Nations Cup events in the transatlantic series.
The result for Patrik and the 16-year-old KWPN stallion that he rode for Sweden at the 2010 World Games in Kentucky and the 2012 Olympics was the highest since a result on the Florida winter circuit 2 1/2 years ago.
Arlene Page of Wellington, Florida on Woodstock led the U.S. team with a score of 71.360 per cent, the second best Grand Prix result for the pair that has competed at international Big Tour for less than a year.
Germany, which had no room for error with only three combinations so no drop score, was in fifth place behind Belgium and ahead of Great Britain with France in the seventh spot.
The strong showing by the Dutch could oust Germany from the top of the standings in its third year as a “test” series while the United States could drop to third place from its current second after the second round on Saturday. The riders from each team placed third and fourth in Thursday’s Grand Prix move on to the Special during the day Saturday while the top two pairs compete in the Freestyle under lights Saturday night that will decide the winners of this Nations Cup.
Germany’s Sönke Rothenberger on Cosmo won the Under-25 Grand Prix on 75.767 per cent with the Netherlands’ Kim Schmid on Theodoor second on 71.814 per cent and Jill Huybregts on Zamacho Z third on 70.674 per cent.
Two American competitors, Genay Vaughn of Elk Grove, California on Donarweiss GGF placed eighth on 66.791 per cent and Chase Hickok of Wellington, Florida on Sagacious HF was 11th on 65.744 per cent.
Results:
