One horse spun at final trot-up at Boekelo, plus outcome of British team appeal

Ireland’s hopes of recording a good finish in the final eventing Nations Cup of the season faded this morning at Boekelo when Jim Newsam’s ride Magennis was eliminated at the trot-up.

The 14-year-old gelding by Limmerick jumped clear across country yesterday with 12.8 time-faults for 24th overnight. But this morning the ground jury — Wayne Quarles, Ciska van Meggelen-Peek and Sándor Fülöp — sent the horse to the holding box. Jim re-presented him, but Magennis was spun.

Ireland now only has Padraig McCarthy (Bernadette Utopia, 18th) and Tegan White (Texan Style, 49th) in the competition as James O’Haire did not present China Doll this morning. Having been sixth overnight in the Nations Cup, they will now drop down the order to ninth.

One British individual horse, Charlotte Bacon’s ride Last Touch, was sent to the holding box, but he was accepted when he was re-presented. Sweden’s Christoffer Forsberg withdrew Wanskjaers Carlsson from the holding box.

Two other individual horses were withdrawn overnight — Tourmaline Du Fief, ridden by France’s Nicolas Mabire, and Phoenix D’Amigny, ridden by Italy’s Umberto Riva.

Outcome of British appeal

There was good news for Britain last night as an appeal against the time-faults given to Nations Cup rider Laura Collett was successful. Laura was recorded as having 3.6 time-penalties when she finished the cross-country on Mr Bass, but she and team officials Philip Surl and Yogi Breisner believed there had been a timing error.

“I knew I was about five seconds inside the time so I was easing off as I finished,” she said. “Yogi had the same time for me, but when Philip looked at the results I’d be given 3.6 time-faults.

“We appealed and the officials looked into it, but to start with they didn’t find anything and it looked like the penalties would stand. That was a bit gutting as he didn’t deserve time-penalties. But when they went through it again they found what had gone wrong.”

Laura has now been given a time of 10 minutes 47 seconds, which puts her three seconds inside the optimum. She lies ninth individually (instead of 13th with the faults). Her score combined with that of Oliver Townend (Cooley SRS) and Izzy Taylor (Trevidden) puts Britain 29.6 penalties in the lead in the Nations Cup before today’s showjumping.

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The time of Italian rider Umberto Riva, who went out six competitors before Laura, was also amended from nine minutes 15 seconds to 10 minutes 15 seconds.

Full report of Boekelo in H&H next week, out Thursday 13 October.

Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.