Germany’s Christian Heineking wins thrilling Longines FEI World Cup Jumping leg in Las Vegas

Riding the 12-year-old Aje Cluny, Heineking, who is currently ranked number 247 in the Longines Jumping Rankings, beat the time set by Mexico’s Enrique Gonzalez by a mere one hundredth of a second.

Thirty three horse and rider combinations came forward to challenge the course designed by Brazil’s Guilherme Jorge at The Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, USA. Seven combinations went clear in the first round across a fair but technical course as the time allowance did not appear to be a factor for the first few riders before it was shortened, which then saw a series of time faults.

Of those initial clear rounds, only five went on to ride double clear in the jump-off round.

Gonzalez, riding Chacna, set the time to beat midway through the order and their clear round in 37.83 seconds looked enough to repeat their victory from the third leg of the Western Sub-League back in October.

However the penultimate pair of Heineking and Aje Cluny denied the Mexican in dramatic fashion. The German made all the right decisions without repeating Nassar’s mistake of cutting the final turn too short and by opening up to a big gallop to the final fence came through the clear in a time of 37.82 seconds, one hundredth of a second faster than Gonzalez.

Earlier in the jump-off, Egypt’s Nayel Nassar had piloted Lordan to a fast time of 36.86 seconds, shaving nearly a second off Gonzalez’s time, but at the expense of a rail down which meant he finished in sixth.

Following the result in Las Vegas, Gonzalez also has the consolation of now holding the top position in the Western Sub-League standings, ahead of the next leg of the North American League Western Sub-League which will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico on Saturday, 28 January.

Longines FEI World Cup Jumping 2016/2017 North American League Western Sub-League
Result: Leg 5 – Las Vegas, USA

1. Aje Cluny (Christian Heineking) Germany 0/0 37.82 seconds (jump-off)
2. Chacna (Enrique Gonzalez) Mexico 0/0 37.83
3. Zelote VDL (Tina Yates) USA 0/0 39.50
4. Luebbo (Jamie Barge) USA 0/0 39.67
5. Parkmore Lux (Hanna Mauritzson) Sweden 0/0 42.07
6. Lordan (Nayel Nassar) Egypt 0/4 36.86
7. Qinghai (Guido Klatte, Jun.) Germany 0/retired
8. Balou du Reventon (Ljubov Kochetova) Russia 1/82.20.

Longines FEI World Cup Jumping 2016/2017 North American League Western Sub-League
Standings after Leg 5 in Las Vegas, USA

1. Enrique Gonzalez Mexico 42
2. Nayel Nassar Egypt 41
3. Karl Cook USA 38
4. Jenni McAllister USA 36
5. Christopher Surbey Canada 33
6. Eduardo Menezes Brazil 32
7. Eric Navet France 22
8. Laura Jane Tidball Canada 17
9. Nikolaj Hein Ruus Denmark 17
10. Richard Fellers USA 17