Katrin Eckermann, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and Tim Gredley with Dr Ghanem Al Hajri, Secretary General of the UAEERF; Matar Rashed Binjabr Alsuwaidi, CEO of Al Forsan International Sports Resort; Mr Patrick Aoun, Regional Brand Manager of Longines. Photo © Nour Al Masri.
Edited press release from Emirates Jumping Cup
The second day of the Emirates Jumping Cup in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, reached its peak with the highly anticipated CSIO5* 1.60m Emirates Jumping Cup presented by Longines – a competition counting for the Longines Rankings Group AA – on Thursday.
A star-studded line-up of horses and riders tackled the demanding course, with nine of the 45 starters jumping clear. Eleven pairs progressed to the second round, and it was Sweden’s Rolf-Göran Bengtsson who delivered a double clear aboard Zuccero HV (VDL Zirocco Blue x Caretino) to take the title.
Finishing in 48.25s, they edged out British pair of Tim Gredley and Imperial HBF (Glasgow-W vh Merelsnest x Original VDL) – the only other double clear – who secured second place in a steady time of 54.10s. Katrin Eckermann (GER) and Iron Dames Dialou Blue PS (Diarado's Boy x Chacco-Blue) completed the podium with a third-place finish in the quickest time of 48.16s, but with an unfortunate pole down.
“He’s a really fantastic horse that’s reached the top, but unfortunately the horse is going to be coming up for sale and that’s a real shame for me,” Rolf-Göran Bengtsson said after the class. “This makes the win even more special, as this could be the last show. I don’t have a back-up horse at the moment, and it takes time to make a new horse again,” he added.
“I’m not as fast as the younger generation, but I have two really great horses, and I love to come here and compete. Everything is great, from the organisation to the footing. The course designer (Santiago Varela) has built a fair course suitable for the various levels of rider. It’s not easy, but it gave the right amount of clears,” Bengtsson concluded.
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