Former young rider European eventing champion Michael Jung (pictured) confirmed his arrival in senior ranks by taking the World Cup title yesterday in Strzegom, Poland.
The 27-year-old German jumped a clear show jumping round to move up from second overnight on his Luhmühlen winner, La Biosthetique-Sam FBW.
After the cross-country, Michael’s fellow German Frank Ostholt (Air Jordan 2) was in line for victory. But when Air Jordan hit the middle part of the treble, Frank dropped to second place.
Michael said: “I came here having won at Luhmühlen and Wiesbaden, so obviously I knew I had a good chance, but so much can go wrong and I was quite nervous today because I wanted to do the horse justice. I’m very happy that it all turned out so well.”
Frank has recently married Sweden’s Sara Algotsson, sister of Linda who won the World Cup in 2003 and 2004, and he and Michael are both on the German team for the forthcoming European Championships in Fontainebleau, France.
Clayton Fredericks and Ben Along Time, World Cup winners in 2005 and 2008, finished third this time.
Oliver Townend looked set to add to his Badminton title with Flint Curtis when he led the dressage on an excellent score of 29.6. But the pair suffered a fall on the flat early on the cross-country, having already cast a shoe at fence four.
This left Ruth Edge as best of the three-strong British contingent. She finished fifth on PC Wilson, who won the CIC*** at Luhmühlen earlier this year.
The other British rider was Hannah Kirkhill, 22, who was impressive on the big stage to finish 15th on Temple Bridge.
Full report on the World Cup final in Poland, plus Mark Phillips’s comment on the event, in this week’s Horse & Hound, on sale 27 August.
RESULTS
1. Michael Jung on La Biosthetique-Sam FBW (GER) 36.4
2. Frank Ostholt on Air Jordan 2 (GER) 37
3. Clayton Fredericks on Ben Along Time (AUS) 41
4. Andreas Dibowski on Euroridings Butts Leon (GER) 44.8
5. Ruth Edge on PC Wilson (GB) 48
6. Marina Köhncke on Calma Schelly 50.2
