DRAMA bounced back into show jumping in Gothenburg yesterday and the Hollywood screenplay writers couldn't have scripted it better as the 53-year-old Austrian Hugo Simon shot back to the top of the world ranking to claim his second Volvo World Cup after the most thrilling finale in the competition's 18-year history.
Only once before had the result gone down to the wire and that was at the inaugural final in 1979 when Simon first etched his name on the trophy after a sudden-death jump-off with America's Katie Monahan. The Austrian had forced the pace then, but this time it was Switzerland's Willi Melliger, the home crowd favourite, who had to select tactics and he made the wrong choice.
Melliger, the 1993 European champion, who passed on his crown to Peter Charles in St Gallen last September, knew his powerful grey Calvaro would clear all the fences, but sharp turns are not his forte and he hoped that his target of 51. I would be enough to force mistakes from Simon.
But the veteran was teamed up with ET, the horse he described as out of this world" after winning the Dortmund qualifier last month. He may be under 16 hands, but he was extra-terrestrial again yesterday, doubling back inside the bank to get to the planks and, as he rocketed through the finish over two seconds clear of the Swiss challenger, he was on top of the world as well to push Melliger down into second place.
But the drama was not just confined to the penalty shoot-out against the clock. Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa, 30 years Simon's junior, had held the overnight lead and extended his advantage with a superb first round clear yesterday from the extravagant fencer Tomboy. Second round errors from his closest rivals left him with a 9.5 penalty cushion as he cantered into the hushed arena with the Coevers-bred gelding. But the margin wasn't big enough and victory dissolved into defeat in a matter of seconds as Tomboy hit the planks in the middle of the combination and nearly jumped Pessoa off over the final element.
Perched in front of the saddle with no reins and only four strides to the bogey Liverpool, the young Brazilian had no say in the matter as Tomboy crashed through the top rail, reducing his advantage to the bare minimum and nearly depositing his jockey in the dirt. Pessoa had no chance of, getting the partnership back together in time for the following upright and, with no option but to circle away, even a medal was suddenly snatched out of reach.
Pessoa's disaster allowed defending champion Nick Skelton to move back up the rankings to claim the bronze after single fence mistakes in both rounds left the mare Dollar Girl only one penalty off the leaders.
Unfortunately the two Irish contenders, Peter Charles and Eddie Macken, were never any threat to the medal contenders. Macken switched to FAN Schalkaar after Miss FAN cut a shin in Friday's round, but the Dutch gelding was never on song and, with six down, failed to get through to yesterday's second round.
Charles had scored his best result of the week when finishing second in Saturday's Grand Prix behind Olympic champion Ludger Beerbaum, but the form failed to hold when it counted in the cup final. Leaving La Ina to rest after his Grand Prix result, Charles got the leg up on the grey Benetton but, with two down in each round yesterday, slid down to 18th overall.
