Rich Fellers and Flexible (Photo by SusanJStickle/PhelpsSports.com)
Rich Fellers, Thursday's round one winner, guided the diminutive Flexible to a near flawless round just faulting at one fence. Fellers (Sherwood, OR) and Harry and Mollie Chapman's 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse stallion jumped another efficient round only adding four faults at the middle oxer of the triple at fence 11. The pair finished tonight's class in eighth place.
"That was a funny triple. I don't know what was affecting the horses' vision, what they were looking at, but that's not a typical rail for Flexible. I felt like I rode him well and I don't know what I would have done differently there. Anyways, that's the sport." The consummate sportsmen, Fellers feels he may have benefit from tonight's unlucky rail. "We always try to see the positive. I thought of that when I came out of the ring, at least I don't have to jump him off, and he'll just be that much more fresh for Sunday because you do two rounds"
Fellers goes into Sunday's two round final in equal second place in the overall standings with a one fault total.
Beezie Madden and Cortes 'C' (Photo by SusanJStickle/PhelpsSports.com)
"I'm a little disappointed with that. But I thought he jumped well and we're in a good place." Madden likes her chances on the final day and believes the course will suit her horse. "My horse has lots of scope and normally they big build on Sunday. So we will look to jump good rounds and I think we can move up."
They head into Sunday's final competition in eighth place with seven faults.
Margie Engle and Richard Spooner will enter the final round in equal 16th place on 14 fault totals. Engle (Wellington, FL) and Gladewinds, Griese, Garber, and Hidden Creek Farm's Indigo were on pace to jump a clear round until an unfortunate rail at the last fence leaving them in ninth place for Friday's class. Spooner (Agua Dulce, CA) and Show Jumping Syndication International's Cristallo faulted at two fences for an eight fault total in round two.
Earlier in the day Spooner piloted Molly Ohrstrom's Billy Bianca to a win in the Brabants Dagblad Prijs, out running the field by a full two seconds.
Kirsten Coe (Johnston, SC) heads into Sunday in 18th place on a score of 15 faults. While, Charlie Jayne (Elgin, IL) and Kent Farrington (Wellington, FL) are tied for 23rd place in the overall rankings on 19 fault scores.
The final U.S. entry in round two was Francie Steinwedell-Carvin (La Canada, CA) who gained valuable World Cup experience with Prentis Partners' Taunus this week.
Switzerland's Pius Schwizer goes into Sunday's final two rounds with a total of zero faults and the overall lead. Steve Guerdat also of Switzerland lies tied for second overall with Fellers on a one fault total.
The winner of the second round of the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final was Philipp Weishaupt and Monte Bellini of Germany, posting a speedy time of 33.04 seconds in tonight's three horse jump-off.
The first round of the final competition in the 2012 Rolex/FEI World Cup Final gets underway Sunday at 2 p.m. CEST.
Watch live action from the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final on https://www.feitv.org
Follow the 2012 U.S. Jumping Team: https://usefnetwork.com/featured/2012Jumping/
Details about the Finals are available at https://www.indoorbrabant.com/