DUBLIN, Ireland--A U.S. team with a young rider and two young horses finished fourth behind the winning Neyherlands Team in the Nations Cup in Dublin on Friday, Aug. 8.
McLain Ward on Callas at Aachen (File photo by Devyn Tretheway)Netherlands finished with zero faults to win over Germany with four faults and Ireland. also with four faults but a slower aggregate time while the U.S had eight faults for fourth over a tough 1.60m course set by Alan Wade.
"I'm a little grumpy right now, but I'll get over it soon," said chef d'equipe Robert Ridland immediately after the class. "We're a little spoiled after winning so many you expect to win them all."
And after round one, it looked as though that might be the case again, as the U.S. and Natherlands were tied with zero faults, Germany and Ireland were tied with four each and Canada had eight faults, followed by Mexico, 12, Great Britain, 16, and Switzerland, 24.
First to go for the U.S. was Aaron Vale on the 9-year-old Styles who had a beautiful clean round, then Alex Matz, one of the youngest riders in the class, was clean to the very last fence on Ikigai, but had that down for four faults.
Laura Kraut on the 10-year-old Tres Bien Z and anchor rider McLain Ward on Callas both went clean, leaving the U.S. tied for first with zero faults.
In round two, Vale had the last two fences down for eight faults, and Matz just touched the tape landing after the water for four faults, Kraut had the very big and wide triple bar down and Ward went clean again for a team total of eight.
"IT WAS DISAPPOINTING, I don't like not being on the podium," said Ridland. "But it was a good day for the future."
"Alex was so close to having two clear rounds," said Ridland. "But this was the biggest Nations Cup he's ever ridden in, and he didn't fold under the pressure."
"Aaron and Laura were both on young horses, and they're both really good horses for the future," he said."I've watched Aaron's horse since Rome a year and a half ago when he was an 8-year-old, and I really like him"
"Today we had a next generation rider and two next generation horses," said Ridland. "We've got some good ones going in the Grand Prix Sunday. Aaron has Carissimo,, Laura has Bisquetta, McLain has Imperial and Alex will ride Ikigai again"
Ward on Impeial Hbf finished second to Jordan Coyle on Chaccolino in the featured Cashel Palace Hotel Stakes jump-off class on Thursday, finishing clean in 38.56 to Coyle's 37.19, with Rodrigo Pessoa on Major Tom third, clean in 41.18,
Great Britain had three clean in round two to finish fifth on 16 faults, followed by Canada with 24 faults, Mexico with 36 faults and Switzerland with 41 faults.
Ward was one of seven riders that were double clean, with Netherlands having three of them; Kevin Jochems on Camilla van de Helle, Willem Greve on Grandorado Tn N.O.P., and Harrie Smolders on Mr. Tac.
Two were double clean for Ireland; Tom Wachman on Tabasco de Toxandria Z and Seamus Hughes Kennedy on Esi Rocky, and Germany had one, Sandra Auffarth on Quirii H.
