Canada Equine ...On-Line News: Marcus Ehning of Germany and Sandro Boy Have Flawless Performance for Win in 2006 FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Marcus Ehning of Germany and Sandro Boy Have Flawless Performance for Win in 2006 FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

- Jennifer Wood (Phelps Media Group, Inc.)

April 30, 2006

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia --- It was stunning performance after stunning performance for Germany’s Marcus Ehning and the phenomenal bay Oldenburg stallion, Sandro Boy. The world’s number one rider and his breathtaking mount were clear through four rounds of show jumping and handily took the victory without a jump-off.

After two rounds of the World Cup Final on Thursday and Friday, each rider was assigned points based on their performance. Going into the first round on Sunday (the third final), Marcus Ehning and Beat Mändli (SUI) were tied with zero points, with Jessica Kürten (IRE) close on their tails with one point.

Twenty four riders returned for competition today in the first round and there were seven clear trips. Of those 24, 18 returned for a second, shortened course set by Germany’s Frank Rothenberger. The first clear of the second round was the U.S.’s Margie Engle and Quervo Gold, who ended their World Cup experience on a high note and finished in eleventh place as America’s best placed duo.

Engle’s new mount showed no signs of tiring and jumped high and wide over every jump. This is especially impressive considering that he showed and won in the World Equestrian Games’ five trials just one month ago and has only shown indoors twice with Engle. “He has plenty of stamina, and he never hits bottom,” she explained. “He’s a quiet horse too and he has a lot of heart.”

Engle mentioned that the rails she had on Friday and in Sunday’s first round were caused by Quervo Gold seeing the wall at the end of the ring and shifting over the top of the jump, anticipating the turn. “He didn’t do it badly, but just enough to come down. That’s not something he normally does, but I’ve been showing him in big fields,” Engle admitted. “He rode right into the corner for me, but when he jumps and sees the wall, he knows he’s not supposed to go into it, so he shifts a bit. In the other rounds, I thought he could have easily been clean. In hindsight, I might have done him in another indoor ring before here.”

Quervo Gold has improved immensely in the past few months and has become a horse that Engle knows she will call on in the future. “Scope-wise, it feels like he’s jumping around a little schooling jumper course,” she said with a smile. “I thought he did it really easily. He’s got scope enough that it wouldn’t bother me to walk into Aachen or anyplace. He can go into any ring and isn’t a spook. He’s not a fragile-minded horse.”

Engle said proudly, “He’s probably one of the most dependable horses that I’ve ever sat on. He’s very consistent, very brave, and very scopey. He’s kind of a steady Eddie. He’s one that I can rely on. I don’t care what kind of course they build. I feel very confident that whatever we walk into, he can do.”

While Engle set the tone for the second round with the first clear trip, there were others sitting in a position to capitalize on their clear rounds as well.

Other clear trips in the second round today included Pia-Luise Aufrecht (GER) and Hofgut Liederbach’s Abrisca (who was double clear today), Gerco Schroeder (NED) and Eurocommerce Milano, and Michael Whitaker (GBR) and Insul Tech Portofino 63 (also double clear today).

Juan Carlos Garcia (ITA) and the 18 year old Loro Piana Albin II, who showed no signs of advancing age, flew around the 11 efforts on course for their second clear round of the day. After Checkmate and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (GER) had an uncharacteristic and surprising four faults at a single oxer, Garcia moved up to fourth place.

Irish rider Jessica Kürten and Castle Forbes Libertina, who is known by her characteristic high-kicking hind end, celebrated their fourth clear round of the week with a gallop around the ring to the cheering crowd. “To be quite honest with you and it’s not in any way big-headed, I didn’t once feel in danger,” Kürten said afterwards. “In the first round I thought she was going to take things into her own hands and do the job herself, which she sometimes likes to do. The mare just jumped sensational.”

“It’s really quite amazing to have the possibility to sit on a horse like this,” Kürten added. “She’s really a fighter. She’s couldn’t have done anything more. She didn’t put a foot wrong this week.”

Kürten would have to see if either Beat Mändli or Marcus Ehning could go clear. If they did not, she would be the winner.

Kürten was one step closer to the win when Beat Mändli (SUI) and Ideo du Thot had a rail at the 1.60m vertical just off the rail by the in-gate. Mändli explained, “I think I had a bit too much pressure on the red oxer just before, so he was running away from me a little bit. I was holding a bit too much with my hands, and I was too close. I think it was my fault.” Mändli’s four faults put him into third place.

It all came down to Marcus Ehning, who would either win with a clear round or lose with four faults. The stadium, which had been raucous earlier, was quiet for Ehning’s trip as he headed for the final oxer. There was an eruption of noise as Sandro Boy easily cleared the last jump and Ehning landed with both hands high in the air, pumping his fists in victory.

Ehning may have been reserved for the first three rounds of competition, but the quiet German let it all out as he and Sandro Boy circled the ring to the cheers of spectators all around.

After his win, Ehning said graciously, “It’s always hard to win when you have riders like this behind you,” but he never had any doubt in his incredible horse.

“I can put the pressure on him, and he can jump it,” Ehning remarked. “I think there are no words to describe this horse. If he’s in this shape, it doesn’t matter how big, how far, how short, how long it is. He can do everything if he wants. It’s unbelievable.”

What was also not to be believed was Ehning’s innate knowledge of his horse. He rode each course as beautifully as possible, and Sandro Boy was the perfect example of effortless perfection and for that, they are now the World Cup Final champions.

Official Results: 206 FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1. Sandro Boy, Marcus Ehning (GER), 0 (after Round Two)/0 (Round Three, First Trip)/0 (Round Three, Second Trip)=0
2. Castle Forbes Libertina, Jessica Kürten (IRE), 1/0/0=1
3. Ideo du Thot, Beat Mändli (SUI), 0/0/4=4
4. Loro Piana Albin III, Juan Carlos Garcia (ITA), 6/0/0=6
5. Checkmate, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (GER), 4/0/4=8
6. Insul Tech Portofino 63, Michael Whitaker (GBR), 10/0/0=10
7. Mac Kinley 3, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE), 4/4/4=12
8. Hofgut Liederbach’s Abrisca, Pia-LuiseAufrecht (GER), 13/0/0=13
8. Eurocommerce Milano, Gerco Schroeder (NED), 9/4/0=13
10. Aboyeur W, Heinrich Hermann Engemann (GER), 6/4/4=14
11. Quervo Gold, Margie Engle (USA), 10/8/0=18
12. Novesta, Gunnar Klettenberg (EST), 7/8/8=23
13. Judgement, Beezie Madden (USA), 16/4/4=24
13. Cyrenaika FRH, Phillipe Leoni (FRA), 8/4/12=24
15. JPC Modesto Equifoam, Jean-Marc Nicolas (FRA), 17/5/4=26
16. Anthem, Laura Kraut (USA), 15/4/8=27
17. Secret Love, Alison Firestone (USA), 14/12/8=34
18. Camaron Hills Shanroe, Richard Spooner (USA), 16/8/16=40
23. Suncal’s King, Joie Gatlin (USA), 22/27/ - = 49

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