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It’s Guerdat’s gold in Milan while Maher settles for fourth

Sunday, 03 September 2023

After a well earned rest day, 24 of Europe’s top combinations came forward for the climax of this year’s FEI European Jumping Championships, the individual final. With temperatures topping out at 30 degrees Celsius and two rounds of maximum height and dimension fences, it was a true test. With a coveted double clear, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat held his nerve to take the 37th European Championship individual gold, while it was a case of so near yet so far for Britain’s sole representative, Ben Maher riding Faltic HB, who narrowly missed a medal in fourth.

The newly christened Marco Fustré Arena at the San Siro Racecourse was packed with bright fences imaginatively forming two courses ready for the two rounds featuring today. Uliano Vezzani and his team had again made good use of the spacious arena with two short courses set to test stamina, athleticism and bravery. With a maximum height of 1.60m and spread of 1.70m, the horses and riders would need to be at their very best to finish on the coveted European Championship podium.

Round A

The first course was 505 metres long and featured 12 obstacles with 15 jumping efforts combining every nature of test for horse and rider – height, width, related distances, technical lines and a water jump, but this was a test to decide championship medals.

Ben Maher was 20th to go with his own, Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s Faltic HB and there had been plenty of poles lowered by those who preceded them. Their round was going perfectly with the stallion soaring over the fences, giving every effort to make sure he cleared them with room to spare. They were clear until the final treble, which ran along the arena fence in front of the public grandstand – a combination that had been causing issues all afternoon. Faltic just gave the tiniest touch to the back bar with his front hoof, sending it down. They rallied to clear the remaining elements and the final fence, but the disappointment was evident on Ben’s face as he left the arena.

The additional four faults put them on a new score of 7.13, dropping them to eighth place, but there wasn’t time to dwell on it – with the top 12 qualifying for round B, Ben had only a brief respite before it was back out to walk the new course.

Round B

Uliano Vezzani posted a course featuring 10 fences and 12 jumping efforts at a slightly shorter distance of 410 metres, but the fences were still set at maximum dimensions and intensity for every one of those metres.

The British duo was fourth in for the final round of jumping and set off clearly intent on finishing their trip to Milano on a good note. Ben set the stallion into a forward, rhythmic canter and Faltic answered every question put to him, bouncing around the course like a rubber ball and giving the fences plenty of air. There was one tiny rub on the final combination, but the pole stayed in the cups and they crossed the line with nothing to add to their score. All that was left was to wait backstage, heart in mouth, to see how the final placings would play out. Could they climb their way to the podium?

Next in was France’s Olivier Perreau and GL Events Dorai d'Aiguilly, who had a fence down – a final score of 8.0 put them behind Ben and Faltic. Four faults apiece also went to Max Kühner and Elektric Blue P, from the bronze medal-winning Austrian team, and Henrik von Eckermann and Iliana, who had helped Sweden to gold – Ben and Faltic continued to climb.

Julien Epaillard and Dubai du Cedre, again for France, broke the trend with a clear round, halting the British pair’s progress up the leaderboard. Belgium’s Philipp Weishaupt and Zineday repeated the feat, putting the Brits into bronze with two still to jump. Next up were the leaders for most of the competition, Sweden’s Jens Fredicson and Markan Cosmopolit, who’s fence down in round A had dropped them off the top step of the podium. Their reverse of fortunes continued when another pole went, taking them out of medal contention.

There was now only Steve Guerdat and Dynamix de Belheme of Switzerland who could deny Ben and Faltic their place on the podium. With just 0.43 penalties to their name, it would take two down to knock them out of medal contention. The pair hadn’t touch a pole all week and that looked set to continue as they made their way round the course. Fence by fence, they picked their way round and the fences stayed up. The spectators held their breath as they tackled the final line, and then – clear! The man who took individual gold at London 2012 could now add an individual title to the five team European Championship medals he’s contributed to over the years for Switzerland.

For Ben and Faltic, it would be a repeat of their fate in Herning last year – one step off the podium in fourth place.

“I’m disappointed,” said Ben afterwards. “It’s the second time in a row that Faltic’s finished fourth individually now – the World Championships last year and then this year. It was an expensive fence down in the first round today. Maybe if I went back I’d do something different, but it felt good – just an unfortunate fault and that’s the way it goes.

“Faltic jumped incredibly all week. I don’t like to blame other things, but the fence down on the first day was definitely not helped by the ground situation here. He’s jumped incredibly since then – so, like I said, it’s a little disappointing. The team competition was a bit of a long haul this week, then I was out on my own today. I knew I probably had to be double clear to get a medal and, yeah, it was a expensive. But he’s fit, he jumped incredibly all week and it didn’t feel like it took a lot of out him compared to other championships, so I’m very happy to have him go home safe.

“Everyone’s been here to support me this week, my owners Charlotte and Joe Rossetter, my wife Sophie and [son] Cooper, and all the staff from British Equestrian who’ve been here helping. Everyone stayed and it’s a shame we didn’t get something in the end of it, but we did our best.”

For Chef d’Equipe Di Lampard, the result further cements the confidence she has in this ultra-consistent pairing.

“What an amazing partnership Ben and Faltic are,” she said. “Fourth in the World Championships, then to be fourth again today. Looking back, to be drawn on the Table C day at the end of the class – that fence was really expensive for him on that ground. Looking forward, the horse has finished fresh and what an amazing partnership. I’m looking forward to more good things as we move towards what’s coming next.”

You can watch all the rounds on demand with English commentary on FEI.TV via a subscription to ClipMyHorse.TV with final results available from Longines Equestrian Timing.

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Image © British Equestrian / Adam Fanthorpe