Ten American Show Jumpers Set to Take on the World at the Rolex FEI World Cup Final

By Joanie Morris

Lexington, KY − The 2008 Rolex FEI World Cup Final boasts another strong international field of show jumpers. The U.S. horses shipped to Goteborg, Sweden on April 18 to take on the world’s best.

The World Cup Final features a unique format of three rounds of jumping, Goteborg hosted the inaugural World Cup Final 30 years ago. 17 nations will be represented in the Final to be held April 24-27, 2008.

East Coast League winner Kent Farrington has been on in serious form with Up Chiqui since the beginning of 2007. The pair won multiple grand prixes over the last 12 months including the Rolex/USEF National Championships and the $150,000 CN US Open CSIO 5* on March 9, 2008.

One of the most experienced horses on the U.S. squad is Laura and Meredith Mateo’s Casadora. The chestnut mare represented the U.S. at last summer’s Pan American Games and won a team bronze medal with rider Lauren Hough. Together they jumped the only double clear at the $75,000 Green Cove Springs World Cup Qualifier in January 2008. Casadora has a very consistent Grand Prix record and Hough is a veteran of the 2000 Olympic Team. They were 16th at the Final last year in Las Vegas.

“All is well, the horses and people have all arrived safely,” reported Hough from Goteborg on Wednesday, April 22. “Everyone passed the jog and the warm-up goes this morning. We are all looking forward to the start!”

Danielle Torano and 19-year-old Brianne Goutal will be making their first World Cup Final appearances and both flashed plenty of quality form in Florida over the past 12 months. Torano who is married to fellow top show jumper Jimmy Torano, was fourth behind Hough at Green Cove Springs with Vancouver D’Auvray. Highlights for Goutal included a second place finish in the $50,000 Grand Prix in January with her World Cup horse, Onira.

Margie Engle and Todd Minikus are veterans of multiple U.S. squads and World Cup Finals. Engle has ridden in 14 World Cup Finals and was placed 17th at last year’s Final in Las Vegas in 2007 with Hidden Creek’s Quervo Gold. Engle is closing in on 200 grand prix wins. Minikus was on the bronze medal winning team at last summer’s Pan American Games with Hough and won the $30,000 WEF Challenge on March 19 with Olinda.

Peter Wylde didn’t have much time to pack his bags; he and Esplanade were a substitution last week. Wylde, a member of the gold medal winning team at the 2004 Olympic Games, has all the experience to produce good results on short notice. Owned by Louisburg Farm, Esplanade was second in the World Cup Qualifier at the Kentucky National Horse Show.

The riders hailing from the West Coast have accolades of their own. Richard Spooner broke the century mark in 2008, and is only the second U.S. rider (Engle was the first) to achieve this feat. Nicknamed ‘The Master of Faster’ Spooner is looking to out run and out jump the competition on Cristallo in Sweden. Equally capable is Rich Fellers who won the West Coast League. Riding Flexible, Fellers won three of the four FEI World Cup Qualifiers at HITS Thermal.

Mandy Porter and Summer, owned by Wild Turkey Farm, outlasted 34 other pairs to win the $50,000 STRONGID C 2X Grand Prix at HITS Thermal. They were also second in the $50,000 Tourneau FEI World Cup Qualifier, presented by Adequan. 

For more information please contact Joanie Morris at: jmorris@usef.org.