Falsterbo, Sweden – The Icon Global U.S. Jumping Team delivered standout performances in the Falsterbo Jumping Nations Cup CSIO5* to finish on the podium, earning third place amongst a strong line up of top international teams today at the Falsterbo Horse Show, fighting their way from sixth place to third overall after two rounds. The Icon Global U.S. Jumping Team, which featured both younger horses and younger athletes coming up through the pathway for the U.S., finished the competition on just eight faults after two rounds, slotting them in on the leaderboard just behind Belgium and Switzerland, who jumped off to determine first and second place.
“This is one of our youngest teams across the board we’ve fielded at this level. We had several of our younger athletes and horses really step up to the plate today,” said Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland. “The course was substantially harder the second round for a lot of combinations, which made it a very interesting competition. Our guys really took on the challenge and it’s impressive to have all four riders jump a clear at some point across the two rounds – with two clears in the first round and the other two in the second. It felt like a real team effort against some very strong teams. Falsterbo always has a significant Nations Cup, so a great place for us to enjoy a podium finish.”
With up-and-coming mount Descartes SR, Kent Farrington (Wellington, Fla.) was the pathfinder for the U.S. team, and delivered one of the first clear rounds of the day, as the team went fourth in the draw order. Natalie Dean (Palo Alto, Calif.) and Fornett d’Emeraude, making their debut as a partnership for the U.S. team in this Nations Cup, followed Farrington’s round with another poised clear to add nothing to the score sheet, keeping the team secure on zero faults heading into the third rotation of combinations.
Mimi Gochman (Palm Beach, Fla.) and Iron Maiden made their way through the course with confidence, just nudging the second-to-last fence from the cups to cross the finish line with four faults. Charlotte Jacobs (Wellington, Fla.) and Playboy JT Z rounded out the team’s first round efforts as anchors, jumping a solid round, adding four faults, to move the team forward to the second round in sixth place on a total of four faults.
Starting round two, Farrington and Descartes SR, a 2017 Mexican Sport Horse gelding (Caramelo x Oklund) owned by Kent Farrington LLC, and cared for by Denise Moriarty, were tasked with leading off the team once again and crossed through the timers in 76.77 seconds with just four faults. Dean and Fornett d’Emeraude, a 2015 Selle Français gelding (Cornet Obolensky x L’Arc de Triomphe) owned by Marigold Sport Horses LLC, and cared for by Luis Guarneros, were unfortunately eliminated after two stops at the triple combination, leaving Gochman and Jacobs with the pressure to produce clears to keep the team in the hunt.
Both took on the task and delivered, with Gochman and Iron Maiden, a 2015 Zangersheide gelding (Clarimo ASK x Kashmir van’t Schuttershof) owned by Mimi Snow Sport Horses LLC, and cared for by Juan Hernandez, delivering the first clear of the second round for the team, before Jacobs and Playboy JT Z, a 2015 Zangersheide gelding (Presley Boy x Plot Blue) owned by North Star, and cared for by Denisa Kissova, anchored with a stellar round to ensure the team would finish on just eight faults across both rounds, earning the Icon Global U.S. Jumping Team a well-earned podium finish after fighting from sixth all the way up to third place by the conclusion of the second round.
Results
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