Steffen Peters on Suppenkasper Appears Set for Paris Olympics After Excused from Further USA Selection Events
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June 10, 2024
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
Steffen Peters on Tokyo Olympic silver medal partner Suppenkasper appears certain to be selected to the United States team for the Paris Games after being excused from the final American selection trials so he can compete at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany at the beginning of July.
The U.S. federation confirmed Monday that selectors approved the request by Steffen to compete the 16-year-old gelding Suppenkasper at Aachen based on the duo’s “previous proven ability” that included team silver at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon as well as Tokyo.
Steffen, 59, and based in San Diego, California and “Mopsie,” as the horse is nicknamed, was the highest ranked American combination in the only head-to-head competition of contenders last weekend at Hagen, Germany. The pair scored 72.869% to place third in the Grand Prix and 72.660% in the Special as runner-up behind another Scandinavian duo.
The U.S. team of three riders and horses is scheduled to be announced after final selection events in Kronberg, Germany and Rotterdam, Netherlands next week.
Steffen competed at the Atlanta Olympics on Udon in 1996, on Ravel in Hong Kong for the Beijing Games in 2008 and London 2012, on Legolas in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and on Suppenkasper at Tokyo. In addition to silver at Tokyo he he was awarded team bronze medals at Atlanta and Rio.
Ravel, owned by Four Winds Farm of Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang as is Suppenkasper and Legolas, was ridden by Steffen as only the second American to become World Cup champion, which they did in 2009 at Las Vegas and two individual bronze medals at the 2010 WEG. The first was Debbie McDonald on Brentina in 2003, a partnership that also earned team silver at the 2002 World Games, bronze at 2006 WEG and bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Most of the U.S. short listed combinations will go to Kronberg next week.
They are Adrienne Lyle on Helix, Endel Ots on Zen Elite’s Bohemian, Anna Buffini on Fiontini, Anna Marek on Fire Fly and Marcus Orlob on Jane. Kasey Perry-Glass on Heartbeat W.P. who was not short listed but placed second in Hagen’s Grand Prix Freestyle on a score of 75.280%, and is coached by Debbie McDonald as is Adrienne will also go to Kronberg.
The CDIO5* Nations Cup team for Rotterdam includes the short-listed pair Katherine Bateson Chandler on Haute Couture and Ashley Holzer on Hanzel, not on the short list, but with 72.000% the second highest scoring American combination in the Special, behind Steffen and Suppenkasper. Ashley is a four-time Olympian including team bronze in 1988 for Canada. She started riding for the the USA in 2017.
Kevin Kohmann on Dünensee that competed at the World Cup Final two months ago and Jennifer Williams on Joppe K will complete the four-member team in Rotterdam.
U.S. team selection for the end of July Olympics has been what some describe as a complicated jigsaw puzzle. The format in Paris is that the top 10 three-member teams in the Grand Prix will advance to the Special where the medal position of teams will be decided. The Freestyle will decide individual medals.
Steffen and Suppenkasper have been the most successful U.S. team partnership. Salvino ridden by Adrienne Lyle at Tokyo and the Tryon WEG, and Sanceo ridden by Sabine Schut-Kerry at Tokyo were retired. So, too, was Verdades ridden by Laura Graves at Rio and the Tryon WEG and Kasey Perry-Glass on Dublet in the same two competitions.
Most combinations to start in the U.S. Olympic selection trials were untried at top sport before this year.
They include Adrienne Lyle on Helix and Lars von de Hoenderheide, Endel Ots on Zen Elite’s Bohemian, Anna Buffini on Fiontini, Kasey Perry-Glass on Heartbeat, Ashley Holzer on Hansel and Hawtins San Floriana and Marcus Orlob on Jane.
In the Hagen Grand Prix, aside from Steffen on Suppenkasper, other Hagen results included Adrienne on Helix 71.956%, Endel on Bohemian 71.891%, Anna on Fiontini 71.783%, Ashley on Hansel 71.456%, Katherine Bateson Chandler on Haute Couture 70.674%, Marcus Orlob on Jane 69.957%, Anna Marek on Fire Fly 69.848% and Kasey Perry-Glass on Heartbeat 68.848%.
In the Special after Steffen on Suppenkasper, scores were Ashley/Hansel 72.000%, Adrienne/Helix 71.979%, Marcus/Jane 71.936%, Endel/Bohemian 71.745%, Anna Marek/Fire Fly 70.574%, Katherine/Haute Couture 69.511% and Anna/Fiontini 68.957%.
