Thursday, 30 September 2021
Britain’s riders claimed the coveted Longines FEI Nations Cup Challenge Cup under the lights in Barcelona last night. They beat four other teams to the €300,000 grand prize and importantly retain their place in the top flight of the FEI Nations Cup for 2022.
Holly Smith got the team off to a great start with just a single pole down riding Denver XI for owner Ian Dowie. Fresh from her good form at the FEI European Championships, Emily Moffitt pulled out a fantastic clear, the first of the whole competition, with Poden Farms’ Winning Good to give Britain a fighting chance.
Harry Charles riding Anne Thompson’s Romeo 88 secured the win with a fantastic, foot perfect clear despite the pressure heaped on the 22 year old’s shoulders. The clear also gave him a €50,000 double clear bonus to make the performance all the sweeter. Team anchorman John Whitaker riding Unick Du Francpor, owned by Claire Whitaker, didn’t have to jump as the British score of four was unassailable.
Watch Harry and Romeo 88's stunning clear:
France finished second in the Challenge Cup on 10 points, with third place going to Team Norway on 21 points. Switzerland finished fourth on 25 points, with Italy in fifth on 43, relegating them to Division 2 Nations Cup competition next season.
Tonight the final eight teams battle it out for the overall Longines FEI Nations Cup title. You can follow the competition as it happens by tuning in to FEI.TV powered by ClipMyHorse TV or via the live results which can be found on www.csiobarcelona.com.
Full Challenge cup results here.
Photo copyright ©FEI/Łukasz Kowalski