Great Britain on the Bubble for Longines Show Jumping World Cup Final

A total of 48 riders and their elite horses from across the planet will make the cut for the Omaha Final, and Western Europe is allocated the most places of all qualifying zones, 18. But the powerhouse League will actually be sending 20 riders to Omaha for the prestigious competition, as Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat (5th after the qualifying circuit) was already guaranteed a spot in the U.S. as Defending Champion, and Carlos Enrique Lopez of Colombia has also qualified through Europe.

The World Cup news is not so good for Great Britain, with at best an outside chance of being represented in the American Midwest next month. Currently sitting 22nd in the standings, Scott Brash was hoping for better than his 20th place finish with Hello M’Lady at the mythical Scandinavium arena in Gothenburg on Sunday, missing out on the jump-off after incurring 4 faults in the opening round.with at best an outside chance of being represented in the American Midwest next month. Currently sitting 22nd in the standings, Scott Brash was hoping for better than his 20th place finish with Hello M’Lady at the mythical Scandinavium arena in Gothenburg on Sunday, missing out on the jump-off after incurring 4 faults in the opening round.

In contrast, Brash’s compatriot Robert Smith had a great ride in the Swedish city on his 12-year-old bay Bavi, finishing 5th overall and earning 12,500 euros. But for Smith, it is a case of too little too late as the experienced rider sits 55th in the standings. So if Brash still hopes to cross the Atlantic for the big Longines event at Omaha’s CenturyLink Center from March 29th to April 2nd, those ahead of him will have to drop out of the World Cup quest in coming weeks. The scenario is not so far-fetched, as it is not uncommon for riders to take a break to heal from injuries to themselves or their horses.

The current holders of the last tickets from Western Europe, Frenchman Olivier Robert, Markus Brinkmann of Germany and Maikel van der Vleuten of the Netherlands are 18th-19th-20th respectively, and Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs is also ahead of Brash in the queue, in 21st. Some of the other big riders from Western Europe to have definitely made the cut for Final are Gregory Wathelet of Belgium, Simon Delestre of France, Marcus Ehning of Germany and Sergio Alvarez Moya of Spain.

But the biggest name of all at the moment, World No.1 Daniel Deusser of Germany, skipped Gothenburg to compete in Saturday’s CSI 5* Suncast GrandPrix at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida. Deusser took 5th in the Class, on Cornet d’Amour. The decision leaves Deusser 27th in the Western European League. And the path was no easier for the German in the Sunshine State: ahead of him were winner McLain Ward, Eric Lamaze, Sergio Alvarez Mora and Cian O’Connor.