Vrieling gives Nations Cup victory to the Netherlands; Ireland 1-2-3 in Derby

Jus Vrieling gave a real clutch performance under blue skies in Sweden this weekend. The current 60th-ranked rider in world — who has already had a decorated career at the Continental, World and Olympic levels — came through for Holland in an electric jump-off round against powerful Ireland and Germany to win this sixth of eight qualifiers for Europe Division 1 this year, ahead of the 2017 Final.

Partnered with Vdl Glasgow V. Merelsnest, the Dutchman was chosen to ride for the Netherlands in the tiebreaker against battle-hardened rivals Denis Lynch of Ireland (All Star 5) and Markus Beerbaum and Comanche 28. While the Irish (who would subsequently take the top three spots in Saturday’s Falsterbo Derby) incurred four penalty points in the qualifier’s jump-off, Beerbaum and Comanche piled on the pressure with a clear ride and time of 47.80 seconds. The German result seemed unbeatable, but it was Jur Vrieling’s day. With a time of 46.35, the Dutchman and his BWP gave the victory to a Netherlands team which had in fact brought a relatively young group to Scandinavia.

Asked why he chose Vrieling for the jump-off, Dutch Chef d’Equipe Rob Ehrens was clear: ”He’s the most experienced rider in the team and his horse was already warmed up and ready to go as they were the last pair out in round two. I know Vrieling is a very fast rider.”

The result moved the Netherlands and Ireland up from the bottom of the Europe Division 1 leaderboard, with the Spanish now last going into the second-last leg at Hickstead, Great Britain. However, as hosts of the this year’s Final, Spain would nevertheless be guaranteed a place in Barcelona even without qualifying.

Sunday’s Longines Falsterbo Grand Prix ended with a Swiss victory for a familiar face. Steve Guerdat and his 10-year-old mare Hannah prevailed in a tight second round over home crowd favourites Peder Fredricson and H&M All In. Afterwards, Guerdat spoke about this long-awaited victory in Falsterbo: “It was one of my most beautiful victories. I love this competition and, every time I come, I hope to win something and in the end I go home frustrated for having given everything and not winning anything…. I have enjoyed this Grand Prix, my mare has been incredible.”