Auffarth takes control for Germany in Strzegom Germany is proving the nation to beat this year, after European silver medallist Sandra Auffarth opened the 2012 FEI World Cup™ Eventing with a convincing victory at Strzegom (POL) at the weekend and led her team to a second win in the FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing series.

Germany, which won the inaugural competition at Fontainebleau (FRA) in March, now has a commanding lead of 13 points over Spain at the halfway mark in the FEI’s brand new team Eventing series. Auffarth made her team début in the winning German quartet at last year’s HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in Luhmühlen (GER), and had won an HSBC Training Bursary for her outstanding performance at the HSBC FEI Classics™ in Luhmühlen – her first 4* event – only six weeks previously. She stamped her Olympic credentials at the weekend by leading from the start in the CICO3*-W on the 10-year-old chestnut Opgun Louvo and, adding nothing to her excellent Dressage score of 36.7, set an unmatchable target. The 26-year-old was also eighth on Parancs. Switzerland’s Felix Vogg, riding Maverick McNamara, scored the only other sub-40 Dressage mark, 38.1, and was able to have two Jumping rails down and remain in second place, ahead of Andreas Dibowski (GER), whose 0.8 of a Cross Country time penalty on FRH Butts Avedon cost him second place. There were 11 nations represented in Poland in the field of 38 starters, of which 28 completed the competition. Some well-known combinations were aiming to take an early lead at the first of the four-leg FEI World Cup™ Eventing series, including Kenki Sato (JPN), who unfortunately had to withdraw Chippieh from third place after Cross Country. With the cancellation of Chatsworth (GBR) last month, due to heavy rain, there are now three more legs of the FEI World Cup™ Eventing in Minsk (BEL), Malmö (SWE) and Le Pin au Haras (FRA). The new FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing is clearly capturing riders’ and team managers’ imaginations and is turning into a gripping contest. Six of the 11 nations represented fielded full teams to pick up points in the FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing series. The Swiss, who finished second at Strzegom, are now placed seventh just two points behind Great Britain, winners at Houghton Hall (GBR). Spain and The Netherlands, the latter led by fourth-placed Ilonka Kluytmans, also benefitted greatly from a trip to Poland and they have both overtaken France and Australia on the leaderboard to move into second and third place. The next FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing meeting at Aachen (GER) on 3-8 July is likely to be another truly international affair, but Germany, who will be on home ground, remains the nation to beat. FEI World Cup™ Eventing Results1 Sandra Auffarth/Opgun Louvo (GER*) 36.7 + 0 + 0 = 36.72 Felix Vogg/Maverick McNamara (SUI) 38.1 + 0 + 8 = 46.13 Andreas Dibowski/FRH Butts Avedon (GER*) 45.6 + 0.8 + 0 = 46.44 Ilonka Kluytmans/Canna Pride (NED*) 44.4 + 4 + 0 = 48.45 Elmar Lesch/Lazelot 113 (GER*) 47.8 + 0 + 4 = 51.86 Eveline Bodenmüller/Jiva de la Brasserie CH (SUI*) 50.8 + 0.8 + 1 = 52.67 Sanna Siltakorpi/Lucky Accord (FIN) 53.9 + 2.8 + 0 = 56.78 Sandra Auffarth/Parancs (GER) 52.2 + 5.2 + 0 = 57.49 Patrizia Attinger/Ramaulpha (SUI*) 54.7 + 0 + 4 = 58.710 Frank Ostholt/Little Paint (GER*) 47.2 + 0.8 + 12 = 60(*denotes team member) Full results can be viewed here. FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing results1 Germany 155.6Sandra Auffarth/Opgun Louvo 36.7; Andreas Dibowski/FRH Butts Avedon 46.1; Elmar Lesch/Lanzelot 113 51.8; Frank Ostholt/Little Paint 602 Switzerland 193.0Eveline Bodenmüller/Jiva de la Brasserie CH 52.6; Patricia Attinger/Raumalpha 63.9; Felix Vogg/Onfire 81.73 Sweden 228.1Frida Andersén/Herta 60.8; Johan Lundin/Fernet af Kreffe 63.9; Tord Westergren/Touch of Lyric 103.4; Katrin Norling/Cobio Taste XX Eliminated4 Netherlands 262.0Ilonka Kluytmans/Canna Pride 48.4; Jan van Beek/Vision 102.6; Florinoor Hoogland/Captain Henessy 111.05 Spain 280.5Carlos Diaz Fernàndez/Iberon CP 22 64.6; Albert hermoso Farras/Hito CP 86.3; Maria Pinedo/Windsor H 129.6; Juan Varo Zuniga/Western Playboy Eliminated6 Poland 291.9Pawel Warszawski/Hatteria 73.8; Marcin Michalek/Magnolia 86.5; Kajetan Walecki/Bachus 131.6; Katarzyna Kokowska/Czarnolas Eliminated FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing Leaderboard (after 3 out of 6 Events)1 Germany 30 points2 Spain 173 Netherlands 164 Australia 155 France 146 Great Britain 117 Switzerland 98 Sweden 89 New Zealand 710 Brazil 511 Poland 5The FEI’s first team Eventing series, the six-leg FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing 2012, which takes place on a trial basis this year, is open to all nations fielding one team composed of 3 or 4 riders at each leg. The FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing 2012 runs under FEI Eventing rules at CICO and CCIO 3* level and riders accumulate points under a dedicated system created for the new series. FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing 2012 calendar1 Fontainebleau (FRA) 22-25 March 20122 Houghton Hall (GBR) 24-27 May 20123 Strzegom (POL) 1-3 June 20124 Aachen (GER) 3-8 July 20125 Montelibretti (ITA) 21-23 September 20126 Boekelo (NED) 11-14 October 2012 FEI World Cup™ Eventing 2012 calendar1 Strzegom (POL) 1 – 3 June 20122 Minsk (BLR) 13 – 17 June 20123 Malmö (SWE) 10 – 12 August 20124 Le Pin au Haras (FRA) 22 – 26 August 2012 Photo: Germany sustains lead in inaugural FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing after stellar performance in Strezgom (POL). Pictured left to right: Hans Melzer, Chef d’Equipe for the German Eventing Team with Frank Ostholt, Sandra Auffarth, Andreas Dibowski and Elmar Lesch being presented with their trophy by the Mayor of Strzegom Zbigniew Suchyta.